Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1874-06-12
Correspondence.
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
ITALIANS - STREET NIUSI-
CIANs-STRIKES-POL
NEW YORK, Jme 8, 1874.

NEW YORK, J,ue 9, 1874.
LABOR.
1t would seem that this, of all the times
in the world, would be the most inauspi-
cious for a strike but with an infatuation
that cannot be accounted for, the brick
layers and hOd-carriers struck for an in
crease of wages last week. And this at a
time when there is less building than ever
known in the city. In fact, there is no
building of any account going on, and as o
consequence there are thousands upon
thousands Of mechanics Of this class and
laborers out of employment Of course
their places are Immediately filled by the
starving thousands, and the strikers will
take their places in the ranks of the hun
cry.
The present ghost that haunts the Amer
lean laborer is the
ITALIAN.
Within a few years there has been an
enormous influx of Italians to this country,
and the bulk of them stop in this city. We
have been in the habit of considering the
Italian as Il dark-skinned, swarthy man,
who would exert himself Just enough to
play the harp, guitar or violin, and eat
maccaroni, when he could get it-a man
who would only work when absolutely
compelled to. This impression is just as
erroneous as popular impressions generally
are. The Italian is most excellent work.
er. He will plod along at his labor ten,
twelve, fifteen or sixteen hours a day, as
may be required of him, and do it as pa
tiently and honestly as any man. And
there will be found among them a very
large amount of skilled labor. There are
excellent cabinet-makers, coopers, shoe
while in finer mechanism, such as work
upon musical instruments, watches, &C.,
they have but few equals.
There are over 20, 900 able-b bodied Italians
here now, and every steamer and sailing
vessel brings recruits. They are all very
poor-all without means. Consequently
they take any work that offers at the price
offered. The brigade that sweeps the
streets nights are Italians, and W henever
working men of any kind lave been idiotic
enough to strike, Italians have b zen the
first to offer to take their places. Bat there
is another class of Italians, of who m your
readers have had some experience name
ly,
STREET MUSICIANS AND BEGGARS.
The streets of New York are filled with
ragged boys and equally ragged girls, who
play the most doleful music upon the most
wretched harps and violins, and live by
what may be called forced contributions
which is to say, people give them coppers
or nickels, partly out of pity and partly
that they may move out of ear-shot with
their Internal noise. These children are,
as a rule, sold by their parents in the Ital
ian cities to men called palrones, who bring
them over and operate them. The little
waits are completely in the power of the
padrone. who oompels them to bring him
each night so much money, the penalty be-
ing starvation and most unmerciful beat
ing. The authorities determined to break
it up, and the Italian consul in this city
gave the authorities the most cordial CO.
operations. On Friday of last week, all
these children on the streets were arrested
and declared vagrants, and were treated
as such. The padrones protested, but the
authorities were firm. The children will
be placed in the best positions to make use
ful men and women of them, and the gov
ernment will! take steps to prevent a con-
tinuance of the business of bringing them
here. Speaking of