Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-04-14
WANAMAKER'S LABOR RECORD
He Tells the Story of a Conspiracy to
Blackmail His FirIn-All the Facts
Laid Bare Before the People of Penn
From Our Own Correspondent.)

sylvania-TheyS Should Be the Judges.
From Our Own Correspondent
Harrisburg, April 12.-Everywhere
that ex-Postmaster General Wanama-
ker goes he is greeted with crowds and
attentive audiences. His progress dur
ing the past week has been an ovation.
Everywhere that he has spoken he has
dealt sledge hammer blows at corrup-
ton and bossism. And the point of it
all is that he presents facts to EN-
phasize everything he says.
The enemies of Mr.. Wanamaker-the
AnGrews-Quay crowd-have assailed
him personally and politically, and es-
pecially upon what they term his Ia
Dor record" Mr.. Wanamaker has per-
mitted this to go unnoticed until last
Wednesday night, when, at Athens,
Pa, he replied to his traducers in the
most energetic and convincing way.
He denounced as unmitigating false
hoods all the stories that have been
told about his so-called labor record,
and revealed some facts concerning
himself and his firm that are of the
greatest interest.
Mr.. Wanamaker prefaced his speech
that evening by reading newspaper
clippings attacking him. He then said:
clippings of newspapers like these
have just read have been sent out from
Philadelphia to the country newspa-
pers by the AndrewsQuay manage
ment, endeavoring to poison the work
ingmen of the state against me by all
effort to make it appear that had I'M
ported foreign workmen, who take the
place of American laborers. To prove
this charge a single case in nearly 40
years is cited where my business house,
composed of John Wananaker, Robert
c. ogden, T. b. Wanamaker and Rod
man Wanamaker, doing business un-
der the name of John Wanamaker,'
was fined for employing Il man contra
ry to law.
Let me say that l was never charged
personally OF even so much as trying
to evade any labor or importation law.
The case on which the firm of John
Wanamaker was fined was during my
absence in Europe. No papers were
ever served upon me. l was not a wit
ness in the case; in fact, l had no
knowledge of the latter until long after
it was over. l would dismiss this mat
ter here if it was not so apparent that
the Andrews-Quay candidate for gov
ernor, who dare not face you upon the
real issues of this campaign, which are
of broken promises, unequal taxation,
machine corruption and legislative de-
bauchery and dishonor, proposes to
raise this irrelevant and false and mis-
leading question to divert your atten-
tion from vital issues, and because |
wish to embrace this opportunity to
emphasize the position that 1 have con-
-
immigration for 15 years.
THE ALIEN LABOR CASE.
THE case in question hinged on two
points. First, did the head of a de-
partment make contract with for
eign workman in violation of law?
Second, had he authority from the firm
to employ such workman? 1t is an in
flexible rule of the firm of John Wan
amaker that no one shall be employed
in any capacity whatsoever except by
the head of the employment depart
ment, and so strict is this rule that I
myself have no authority to employ
any one, and cannot do SO except
through that medium.
The man who instituted this suit
against the firm brought letter of in
PRODUCTION and recommendation to one
of our buyers, when in London. The
man asked many questions about
America. about the chances of secUr-
ing employment ana tho possibilities
of advancertcn' The buyer. an En-
glishman by biIth, took an interest N
the man, and 9-:2ua1ed him that no
country afforded such opportunities as
did Amelica. Our buyer told the man
that he could net guarantee him en-
ployment but would use his best ef-
forts to assist him if he would come to
Philadelphia. Through the influence OF
the London LeGsc. which Introduced
the man to CUR buyer. he loaned him
the money 10 pay the mans passage,
and upon his arrival in Philadelphia
made good his promise to assist htm.
without communicating the pecu-
liar circumstances to our firm our buyer
on his return from Lis visit to Europe
instructed the man to apply for en-
ployment in the regular way. The APP
plicant was given the same eXamina-
ton that all others are given. and an
swered every question satisfactorily.
His name vas placed upon the eligible
list. Soon after an opening for such
man was reported and he was given
employment.
TROUBLE STIRRED UP.
The man was recommended as a
skilled laborer of a class that is un-
known in America. But after trial,
while he proved q competent workman,
he showed himself to be man of bad
instincts, and he was removed for in
sultfEg a lady customer. He refused
to work in the new department to
which he was assigned and left our
employment, not, however, until after he
had attempted the worst kind of black
mail-appearing in person in our gem
eral office and demanding 5000 or he
would bring suit against our firm for
the violation Of the contract alien Ia
Dor law, claiming for the first time
that he had a contract with our silk
buyer, though it was a year after he
had entered our employ. AS l learned
afterward, for many weeks, our firm
was threatened with prosecution by
certain irresponsible lawyers. unless we
paid the man several hundred dollars.
OF course our firm refused.
suit was brought to which our at