Twin-City herald. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1927-1940, 1933-03-04
Dill Measure Would
Keep Pullman Jobs
For Native Citizens
BILL WOULD BAR HIRING OF
JAPANESE AND FILIPINoS

Washington, D. C.-Initiating move
to protect colored Pullman porters
from loss of their jobs through the
employment of Japanese and Filipinos
United States Senator Clarence C. Dill
of Washington last week introduced
bill in the senate to require the en-
ployment only of American citizens as
porters on trains. The measure viii
prevent the low wage measure of JAP
anese and Filipino labor and imposes
fine of $1,000 and 90-day imprison-
ment for each days offense. The
Washington state legislator declared
colored porters had proven themselves
highly acceptable and should be Pro-
tected from the menace of oriental Ia
Dor. In introducing his measure Sena-
tor Dill said:
From time to time, in riding
trains of the country l have been i'm
pressed with the fact that colored men
are the most satisfactory kind of por-
ters we have ever had on the rail
road. l am impressed now with the
fact that some of the railroads, parti-
cularly in the country west of Chi
cago and also on some of the trains
IN the East, are supplanting the col.
ored men by the use of Japanese and
Filipinos. These Japanese and Fill
pinos work for such exceedingly low
wages that it is impossible for the
colored man to live on such a wage;
and the low wages of porters have al
ready forced their standard of living
below what it should be-
81 am told that the railroads have
tempted to use two Filipinos or two
Japanese on Pullman car to handle
he work regularly done by one col
bred porter, that they can hire two OF
hem more cheaply than the wages,
low as they are, that are now paid
o one colored porter; but that they
are unable to get Japanese or Filirinos
who can do the work satisfactorily.
They are not big enough, nor strong
enough physically to do that work. In
light of the fact that colored men not
only are highly acceptable as porters
to the travelling public but that the
colored porters look upon that work
as kind of work which they can
properly do, it seems to me that we
should by law protect them against
the menace of the low-wage japanese
and the Filipino. All we need to do is
to require the railroads to employ
American citizens as porters on our
trains.
Il therefore have prepared bill
desire, If | may have unanimous con-
sent, to introduce at this time and
have printed in the Record at the
close of my remarks.
"The bill CS.B.5694) to require the
employment of American citizens on
observation cars, club cars, and sleep
ing cars used by railroads in inter
state commerce was read the first
time by its title, the second time at
length, and referred to the committee
on interstate commerce, as follows:
BE it enacted, etc., That all en-
ployees of observation cars, club cars,
and sleeping cars used in interstate
commerce by any railroad company
within the United States shall be
American citizens. Violation of this
act shall be punishable by a fine of
not less than $1,000, or Imprisonment
of officials guilty of such violation
for not less than 80 days. or both, for
each offense, and each day of such
violation shall constitute a separats
offense'"
NEVT wEEK