The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-06-22
THE CONTRACT LABOR LAW
lis Violation Charged by Organi-
cations of WOrkingmen.
An appeal to BE Made to Congress
to Restrict the Regulations of
the Commissioner of Immigration.
Foreigners Pour Into This Country

According to a large number of pro
tests recently received at the Treas
Ury Department and by various Senators
and Representatives, from the great labor
organizations of the country. the Contract
| Labor law has been permitted to become
a dead letter by T. Y Powderiy. Commits
sjoner of immigration, and il is charged
that more foreign Iaborers are now work
ing in this country in open violation of
the law than have ever attempted to
gain admission in the past ten years. In
something over 500 cases. it is shown, the
law has been violated since January l. of
this year, and not a single person has
been deported. It is further charged that
all efforts to enforce the law have been
abandoned
The Contract Labor law is the direct
| resuIp of much agitation. expense, and
/ hard work on the part OF the labor organ
| izations. and they have been very jealous
| of any seeming violations of what they
have had enacted.
| When some recent cases were brought
/ to the attention of the organizations they
demanded that action be taken and the
/ replies received compelled them to make
an investigation which has resulted. they
! claim, as stated above It is said that
/ the matter viii now be taken by the Ia
/ Dor organizations into Congress, where
| they intend to put up a bitter fight dur
| ing the coming session The labor organ
! iZatiOus viii, it is reported, demand that
! the law be enforced to the letter and that
| the present rules set aside and new reg
ulations made which viii not nullify the
law Supplemental legislation will be en-
| acted, it is assured, which will strengthen
the law
| It is admitted that the Government is
now spending $4,000 per year in perfume
tory administration Of the law and that
no results are being attained Agents are
stationed at the various ports, 1T is claim
ed. to look out for contract Iaborers and
headquarters are maintained at great
expense Unless evidence is at hand
which shows concIusiveIy that the new
conner is a contract Iaborer, it is said,
ne is permitted to enter.
Formerly the officials were permitted to
question the immigrant as to his where
abOUtS and his past. 1t was also the Gus
tom to place the newcomer under oath
and have him swear that he had not made
q contract previous to leaving the other
side of the water. For some reason, II is
asserted, both of these rules have been
set aside by Mr. PowdeTIy, and during the
past year the Iaborer has neither been
questioned nor sworn Unless the inspec-
tor has evidence that the newcomer is
violating the law, and this is said to be
almost impossible to obtain without ques-
tioning the man, he is admitted
In further violation Of the law, 1t IS
claimed that of late number Of skilled
| workmen who made contracts on the 9TH
er side have been permitted to land, de-
spite the fact that the contract was made
known to the inspectors. According to the
| charges made by the labor organizations
the steel and coal mine owners are ship
ping foreign labor into the United States
in gangs, having hired the men on the
other side. The word has passed along
it is said, that the bars are down" and
last month than during any month fol
years IS thought to uphold this argument
| At the Treasury Department today il
was claimed that H y, Taylor, an AS
sistant Secretary. had ordered the rule.
for detecting contract IabOrers dfscontin
ued. Afr. Taylor declined to discuss tht
| subject The officials of the Immigration
| Bureau positively declined to talk abou
! has been trouble between the Treasure
Department officials and the officials o
the immigration Bureau along the lint
referred to-
| 1t is alleged that the Treasury Officials
have refused to cooperate with the I'm
= migration Bureau people and have beel
| hampeTing them in many ways, the lat
| est being by q Eithdra wal of the power
| OF the inspectors in contract labor cases
Recent reports received from the inspec
| tors at the various ports viii be incoTpor
ated into the next annual report of tn
Commissioner General of immigration