The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1910-04-21

ments, showing that the Ha,nburg-Amer-
lean and other lines work hand in hand
with the italian agents OF unserupulous
and dishonest employment bureaus and
banking houses of this country, who
take advantage Of the gullihihty and IL
norance of the italian peasan- ana per
suade him to sell the little property he
has and secure passage for America,
where money is picked up on the
Streets
ship agent in small italian town first
hid and afterwards destroyed poster
issued by the Italian government warn
ing the peasants that thousands of ItaIi,
ans in America are "without work and in
pltiable condition. The same agent,
Mrs. Quackenbos testified, has admitted
to her and a companion that he was also
labor agent and taht peopl, too poor to
pay for their passage were furnished tho
means by Luigi Alleva Il Son, the New
York bank he represented.
Charging that New DIRK labor agents.
sending immigrants to otheS states under
employment contracts, were deceivinp
them as to conditions of work and living.
wages and hours of labor, and even the
locality of their jobs, Mrs. Quackenbos
made an eloquent plea for the passage of
the bill introduced by Congressman Sa.
bath, of Illinois, ealing for the federal
terstate business.
Mrs .Qnackenbos, who has conducted
the prosecution of pconaee cases for
nearly three years, gave the committee
many instances of ignorant foreigners,
who had been lured into peonage camps,
and who suffered indescribablc ttortur.s
and barabrities.
She told of one Joe Marks, n Russian
tailor, who had promised tailoring work
IN tennessee, but was sent to the copper
mines. He had never been in mine.
and was afraid he could not do the work.
He was driven away because of mis- worth.
lessness and walked across the Blue Ridge
mountains without money or food. Later
he stole ride on train and was arrest
ed or the state border ana sent to p
Eeorgla convict camp, where he commit
ted suicide
She gave another instance of three men
in New York, who were bound for Chica-
so. An agent said he would buy their
tickets and put them on the train. He
took $50 apiece for the tickets, then took
them down to the subway station, bought
them 5-cent subway tickets, and told them
these we're tickets for Chicago
Another case was that of one Mclio.
who arrived at the Battery after leaving
Ellis Island and was met by a parasite.
speaking Greek. He welcomed his coun.
tryman, expressed solcituae for his we'll.
being, learned that 'Meilio wa sbound for
the lsthmus of Panama with SIS in his
possession. He aided him in finding n
steamship ticket office to purchase his
ticket, and took SIS in exchange for n
time table and blue Autographed envcI.
ope.
Mrs. Quackenbos concluded:
The question is, shall distribution of
immigrants be carried on iptellipe,tlv
and equitably through the forces Of our
national government, when has no con-
Germ with money-makiug interests, but
acts solely for the good of the nation, or
shall we permit labor agents of foreign
tongue to come over and esta blish in our
large cities purely moncy-making distrib-
ution concerns. 1t is matter of so much
per head with them, and because of the
fee, which they hope TO get, they are
tempted to deceive their Ignorant and less
enterprising countrymen ''-Pan.Amari-
can Press.