Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 October 1894 — TO ENSLAVE LABOR. [ARTICLE]

TO ENSLAVE LABOR.

Ever the Aim and Object of the Republican Party, Origin and History of the Contract Labor Law. Enacted For the Purpose of Giving Employers Cheap Labor—Perpetuated to Keep the Laborers Who Had Returned From the War From Securing Employment at Good Wages—Remarkable Reports on the Bill Made by Republicans In Congress. In 1864 congress passed an act substantially entitled an act to encourage immigration. This was its ostensible purpose, but its real object was to clothe contractors, mineowners and manufacturers with power to contract with and import laborers from Europe to supplant American workmen, and to reduce the price of American wages. Mr. E. B. Washburn, in reporting the same to the house, said: The vast number of laboring men, estimated at nearly 1.250,000, who have left their peaceful pursuits and patriotically gone forth in defense of our government and its institutions, has created a vacuum which is becoming sesiously felt in every portion of the country. Never before in our history has there existed so unprecedented a demand for labor as at the present time. This demand exists everywhere. It exists in the agricultural districts of the northwest and in the central states; in New England, and among shipping interests of the lakes and seaboard, and is felt in every field of mechanical and manufacturing industry. The dearth of laborers is severely felt in the coal and iron mines of Pennsylvania; in the coal mines of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois; in the lead mines of Galena, and in the gold and silver mines of California, Nevada, Idaho and Colorado. It is believed that the demand for laborers on our railroads alone will give employment for the entire immigration of laborers in 1863. Held the Laborer's All. The second section provides that contracts may be made whereby immigrants shall pledge the wages of their labor to repay the expenses of their immigration, and further provides for the enforcement of the contract and that it shall operate as a lien upon any land acquired by the immigrant when recorded in the county where the land is situated. So drastic were the provisions of this measure that it gave to the importer of laborers not only a lien upon any land they might enter, but upon the wages they might earn. Senator Sherman in reporting this measure to the senate very adroitly tried to conceal its real purpose, but inadvertently disclosed the secret before concluding the statement. He said:

The special wants for labor in this country at the present time are very great. The war has depleted our workshops and materially lessened our supply of labor in every department of industry and mechanism. In their noble response to the call of their country our workmen in every branch of the useful arts have left vacancies, which must be filled or the material interests of the country must suffer. The immense amount of native labor occupied by the war calls for a large increase of foreign immigration to make up the deficiency at home. The demand for labor never was greater than at present, and the fields of usefulness were never so varied and promising. It was true as stated by Senator Sherman that there was “a noble response to the call of their country” by the workingmen, but while absent fighting its battles their vacant places should not have been filled with cheap laborers imported from Europe under contract. Paupers unable to get to this country under the terms and provisions of this law could virtually enslave themselves in foreign countries to American contractors and American manufacturers and the contract would be enforced here to the fullest extent. Amounted to Slavery.

The second section of this law reads as follows: Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That all contracts which shall be made by emigrants to the United States in foreign countries, in conformity, to regulations that may be established by said commissioner, whereby emigrants shall pledge the wages of their labor for a term not exceeding 12 months to repay the expenses of their emigration shall be held to be valid in law and may be enforced in the courts of the United States or of the several states and territories, and such advances, if so stipulated in the contract, and the contract is recorded in the recorder’s office in the county where the emigrant shall settle, shall operate as a lien upon any land thereafter acquired by the emigrant, whether under the homestead law when the title is consummated, or on property otherwise acquired until liquidated by the emigrant; but nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize any contract contravening the constitution of the United States, or creating in any way the relation of slavery or servitude.—United States statutes. At large, volume 15, 1863-65. The extent to which the authors ol this measure knew they were going is apparent from the last lines of the section —“but nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize any con, tract, in contravention of the constitution of the United States, or creating in any way the relation of slavery or servitude.” A further provision of this law exempted the immigrants imported under contract from military service. Ths American workman might be taken from his place in the shop at any time, but the imported laborer was in no danger.. Why Did They Continue It? We ask Republicans why they took advantage of the absence of the wageworkers who were in the army? They gay it was necessary. Labor was scarce and wages was high. Will they answer why, when the war was over, when the armies disbanded and the men returned Home to take their places, this law was pot repealed.? Will they inform us why, ■tfhen half a million of men were discharged from the mills or factories in 1875, this law was kept upon the statute books? Will they answer why during that long period of depression, when hundreds of thousands of men were out

of employment and seeking work, it waa necessary to import as was done under this law, large numbers of European laborers? The fact that this statute remained in force nearly 20 years, 18 after the war had closed, and that every effort to repeal it in the interest of American labor was thwarted is sufficient to satisfy the most skeptical person that it was fashioned and framed in the interest of the contractor and manufacturer. From the time of the enactment of this law till its repeal over 6,500,000 immigrants came to our shores. How many of those left their native land and came to us voluntarily upon their own resources because of their admiration for our institutions, and how many debased and vicious characters were brought here under this contract system cannot be told. Laborers were imported under the provisions of this law up to the time of its repeal, and the statutes now in force prohibiting the same are still being evaded in many ways by men who cry loudest “protection to American labor!” The Republican party, supreme in all departments of the government, was cognizant of the fact that while honest laborers were unable to secure employment importations under contract were constantly being made, but no step was taken to protect them from this competition. It remained for a Democratic house to repeal this law at the session of 1884-5, which was done by the bill of Representative Foran of Oliio.