The labor world., 1909-12-18
Foreigners Who Cannot Speak
English Tongue Dumped Help
less on Twin Cities. 4
YOUNG sWEDE, NEWLY
. ARRIVED, rs "A VICTIM

Was Induced By Promises of
Work to Come to MinnesotaIs
Left Penniless on st. Paul
Streets to starve. 81 ],
IS The Lake Carriers ''shanghaied's 4
beard less lads in lower lake ports this
summer to man their boats
~ How are the railroads Of the north- 5
west filling the places Of the switch .
ment who went on strike over two
weeks ago? ;zs Fl. 81 a f IS
Not by Brotherhood men, for the !
railroad tools who misled the rank
and file Of that organization into taxi
ing strikers jobs found that they had
reckoned without their host. That
only q small percentage of Brother
hood men were willing to 60 to work
under the circumstances. ~ ~
So what was done? !
The eastern papers were filled col-.
umns wide with 'Switchmen Wanted
advertisements. The employment
agencies were told to get. men. To
get them at any. cost, :Sss .sss ss5
Dumped EN- on Twin Cities.
So, it came that ST. Paul and Min-#
neapolis have been for the past two
weeks the dumping ground of every
able-bodied man the employment
sharks OF New York could PICK up,
irrespective Of their qualifications to
fill the Job in hand. .E~$S +. ss 5s6
Many Of these men on arrival in
the Twin Cities were found to be:
lacking elementary, knowledge of a.
switchman's duties and thus were
useless to the railroads. Not a few
of them were immigrants just arrived
in this country and totally ignorant Of
the language or customs of America. .
They were turned adrift, penniless and
hungry, to do as they best could to
get a living. ss9ss.ss,. s33sys
T., Last Friday there was found on the
streets of st. Paul by one of state
Labor Commissioners McEwerl's depur
lties a young Swede, who was on tho
verge Of preservation from hunger and
cold. &. rs i sss s..
II Came Herded Like Cattle.
He had been brought to ST. Paul
I with g. carload OF others from New
| York sos help sbreasA the stri
Before an INTER- pfeter he made aS
deposition that was startling as expos
Ing the methods being adopted to se-
cure men to fill the striking switch
| mems places He said that he landed
from Sweden three weeks ago and
that his name was Oscar Bergsten.
| His home was at Raslagen No 113,
Danderya, Sodermanland: 4z S E
He told OF leaving wife and three
I Y~9
filled his eyes as he spoke of them to
| the deputy commissions through an
| interpreter. :ss Il.
He had been through the Swedish
strike and had come to the new
country full Of hope, eager TO work
that he might send money home 70
his loved ones and perchance bring
i them to him soon. ~ I:
4 '.Procurer'' Nailed Him. ~
How did you come to leave New
York to come to st: Paul % he was
asked. s sss5$ ~ ~ &: ~
! II was looking for work and a man
came and asked me what I was look
ing for. He said: Come along with
u.s. Then I went with him and he:
wanted $2.''',.@ IS. S. 8 zs'sl +. ]
1 .Do you know the ,i,.t name Of the man man
or the company. which hired you ., .7a
1 81 do not know, hut think the
name was Northwestern Company on
the slip I had It stood on this slip
] that was hired from $2sto $5 per
day. -. = j .E 1877. u 5zss
"Dids you nay anybody 81 in New
4ork !t'l11 Gitys eslt # :.5 If .5#s
4 Yes. sT fl, s s: SO T55jss s
did the man to whom you paid the.