Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-12-01
|R MORRISON CASE
The Grinnell Glove Makers Alleged
lnfraction Of the Immigra.
tion Laws
Violation Of the Statute, If It
Was Violated, Wholly I'm.
intentional.
a
Glove Making Industry and the
Situation With Reference to
Labor Unions
,ecial to Times-Re blIcan.

Labor Unions
Special to Times R Republican,.
Grinnell, Dec. Id 8. Morrison,
glove manufacturer, is in the UnitedlIs
States courts before Judge Mcpherson
charged with violation of the law
prohibiting the Importation OF labor
under contract
The purport Of the statute is little
understood and in all probability it is +
violated daily by persons wholly inno-s
cent of any intent to transgress the
law. Its purpose Is to put a stop to the
wholesale Importation of pauper labor |
by large operators whose men goout on
a strike. So stringent are its provisions
that if one advances money for trans
portation to a citizen of another conn-
try with a view to employing him he
| is guilty, or If he even advertisesi foi
Ihelp in foreign country and secures
such help it is a prima facia case
"A year or two ago a lawyer who
WANTED q, house servant was asked to
advance the transportation of an Irisls
| girl; he. was about to do SO when
merchant anticipated him and sent the
! money and got a most excellent girl.
lit never occurred to the lawyer OF
| merchant that they were violating any
.law, 50 innocent and proper did the
,transSction seem. wealthy Irish
lfarmer has brought over more than a
dozen Irish lads under the same condi
|tions.
An information was flled against Mr.
Morrison charging him with having
imported under contract two Bohena
5lians. Mai Lacey, counsel for Mr.
4 Morrison. denurre-d and the ca Sc was
4 fully argued in the court and taken.
i un,lar advisement. Mr.. Morrison had in.
Ibis e.raplny N skillful cutter who Was
/ a iisorderlyl drunken. uuarrelsonle ano
4 rrtfianlya fellow. He was discharged on;
the demand Of the other workmen
lsThis fellow. thru the C,loy4rsville Tabis
a sC,utters Union. informed the United
States attorney genera and demande
4 an investiga ton. commissioner OF.
i the bureau of labor emigration was
y sent here andSmade ADMINISTRATION OF
& the case and was satisfied With the con-
/ ditions The two Bohemians were
Il working harruoniously with the other
4 cutters and receiving better wages than
was being paid either in Chicago or
=. 3I;loversyilie. N. ". and made re port ac-
q scordinely. The Csloversville- union was
not content with such report and re-
a peated demands on the government Of
tisficials induced them 10 commence the
: I suit
MIR. Morrison claims that the manu-
Z facture of ladies' fine kid gloves is a
! new industry in this country, made
possible by the passage of III Dinghy
tariff bill and that under the law pro-
5lehibiting the Importation of contract
labor There is provision for the employ
g sraents of foreign labor for the purpose
1 of building up new Industries, and that
8 since he has begun to develop this
i branch of the business he has been UNI
: able to obtain help sufficient to do tbs
4 cutting. An advertisement for fou,
Z weeks was placed in a Cfloversyille pa
per in March last for such help with
G out res lts.
-a During the month Of April a strike
y occurred in the factory, the cutters OBJ
@ ting TO the foreman and 6e.snali dins
e his discharge The difficulty was re
a iferred to the Gloversville union and TIL,
o.lsstrikers were ordered back to work. al
obeying the instructions of the unto,
g with the exception of two, who left.
II Mr. Morrison was told by the secre
II tary OF the. Gioversyilie union a tina
! time that no more mon would be al
- lowed to come 10 Grinnell for som
!. time. The glove cutters union has
s irule that noNone shall be allowed I
learn the trade but a. son of a GLOW
H. cutter so that Mr.. Morrison wa
= pleased to give employment to the tw
Bohemians who we're sent to this coun
try by his agent in Pra que, who durin
his visit 10 Grinneli last year expresse
So a wish TO send some cutters her
n. where they could get good wages, til
re agent also being Interested in MOI
,yJ extended use of the kid lea Their whic
n. he Is now buying for parties in this
e. country.
Id The secretary of the treasury ha
wi within a few days overruisd the con
ls missioner of emigration in the ma t.
lg of the Dowie lace makers. Dowie we
to Nottingham and employed his me
and paid their passage. They were he1
Iup by tht. commits sioner. but the seer,
tary has admitted them.
have not the cases before me. b,
= Mr.. Morrison informs me that I'll