The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-05-08
TO EXCLUDE JAPANESE.
Knights of Labor Confer on the Sub
jeet.

New York, May 8.-A conference of
representatives of district assembly 40,
Knights of Labor; district assembly IS
and 220 of Brooklyn the Central Fed gr-
ated union and the Central Labor union
of Brooklyn was held last evening in
this city to devise means to secure legis-
latiOn to restrict immigration, and TO
amend the Chinese exclusion act so as
to include Japanese in its provisions.
The call for the conference began by
saying that an army of foreign labOrerS
were focking to these shores, and are
crowding into occupations that were al
ready overstocked, thus inf1icting great
hardships upon American workmen. It
was declared that a large proportion of
these aliens were merely birds of pas
sage and did not intend becoming citi-
zens. ~
Delegate William Allen of district as
sembly 40, said that the object of the
conference was to see what could be
done to restrict the immense immigra-
ton that was pouring in.
I'VE read that strikes are breaking
out all over the country" he continued,
but the obstacle to their success is that
there is a large amount of unemployed
labor that is ready to step in and fill
the gaps. This unemployed labor is
caused by the great immigration that
flows in. and as long as employers can
get these newcomers they will never
yield to the demands of the strikers for
an advance of wages or reduction of
employers took immigrants from Ellis
Island to fill the places of the strikers.
THAT there are more men even in the
Skilled trades than there is a demand
for, is seen from the fact that some I'M
ions have raised their initiation fees to
the prohibitory figures of $1O0 and S125,
and several unions have closed their
| books and will not admit any one to
membership on any terms. So do not
| see how trade organizations will oppose
a movement for restriction of immigra-
| ton. 1t is in fact an outrage upon our
| workmen to allow an alien to come il
and take away his work or compel him
| to accept starvation wages, and it is an
| outrage upon the alien to let him come
| here until there is work for him.
Delegate Allen then submitted a
| rough draft of proposed bill. 1t pro
| hibited any alien from entering the
United States to engage in any occupa-
| ton who did not intend to become
citizen, or who intended to engage il
| any congeSted occupation or to take thu
! place of a striker or locked out work
| man, or to work for less than the pre-
vailing rate of wages.
The bill requires the commissioner o
labor statistics to collect all information
on industry and trade and send it to tn
immigration bureau and the Unite,
States consuls. All intending immi
grants must apply for certificates from
the cOnsulS who will furnish the certifi
Gates or not according to the informa
ton they receive as TO the demand 70
labor or the congestion of labor in thi
country.
The bill finally proposes an amend
ment to the Chinese ---clusion act, pro
viding that all laws now in force pro
hibiting the immigration of Chinese 0
persons of Chinese descent be amende
so as to include the japanese in it's pro
visions.
A committee was appointed to draft
bill and submit it for consideration t
the various central labor organization
and to report