The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-09-17
A SUNNY CLINE
WHICH BRINGS NAUGHT BUT MISERY
TOTS PEOPLE,.
Condition of the Farm Iaborers in Gem
trail ItaIy-Starting Ont to Work
Life in a Cave-Sickness
and Death.
[Chicaoo Tines.I

Sadder than most of the recitalS of the
want, degradation poverty, suffering, sick
ness and doath among the agricultural pop
| ulatiDn of western Ireland is the account
given of the condition of the farm laborers
in central Itaiy by Mr.. Beauclerk one of the
secretaries Of the British legation at Rome.
The materials for this report yyare obtained
chiefly from the official report of the Italian
agricultural commission, appointef to in
quire INTO the agricultural condition of the
country an tn recommend Improvement to
be underta.1an by the state The statement
IN this offc'al report are confirmed by the
personal OILS ;rV"tIou Of Mr. II sauclerk. To
say that tn farm ia',.rer who embrace
the largest lr.I"rtiJil OF tt. population,
live and are rsatai like cattle would be
giving th..r condition much better than it
| really Is.
Cattle III lnGst countries aro houseI in
winter and pr ,:ec,ei from storm during
other seasons "f tie year. Bet IN central
Italy the farm lahor.r: do IL. an joy the
protection afins Led by harhS an stables. In
tho Camp3.st district there a9a hut $50
house, foT -. 75l iniit b;tanG Some live in
huts and wgwanfs otil re in taves and
grottoes or in the ruin of anci mt .lldiEgs
and mbs, whilst "Elny nv 40 roof
above them but the h.avrn~. f..r.i II led be
meath them but the grass IN % . nri.muns
704 persons lived during all lust " with
out a dwelling to call hour " eli the
DAYS Work III TIE He'll " I, men,
women and children nts their ID. lon under
a shed erected for the par:.t +: rot citing
mules, and then threw t.,.-nl ,.lv..> on the
ground to rest Her ciiii,tteI were born,
middle aged women uif :c,l .rIm fevers
and old men died. Many wee clal to OBJ
tain the soro of food given to Lo IS and to
find shelter during n storm, un.ler shed
built to protect beasts OF burden.
The condition of fnrn, Ilbnrar i l~tter in
a Ia l,Itt : al
erywhere. The average way of adult
male agricultural laborerS er. IL, In m $50
per year On the large es:ate@ t,Iey work
in gangs of several hundre;t eac'l They
can be seen starting out in the gray mist of
the early morning toward tho fiji j., whore
they are to work, :lway5 accom-; amt by
an Overseer, who rides OH lor. .h:,'.> They
work i'll the fields till sunset, meyer leaving
them to eat fool. Such ailOWG them
is brought and dealt out t. them the
grass. During the entire day the mounted
overseer rides among the laborer-, who are
of both sexes, to sec that shirks or
neglectS his task.
Here is the picture Mr.. Beauclerk draws
of them: Men AMI women bending to the
ground, shivering i'll the chill mists of morn
ing, toiling in mournful silence, they might
be but a herd of human cattle. resembling
their fellows, but belong to a different and
degraded race of captive helOts." It is GER
tain that no one ever had the temerity to
represent the condition of the serfs of
Russia the coolies of Borneo, or the slaves
of any country as bad as this. Still the
worst is not told in CHS horrible recital.
That is contained in report that in somo
districts half the agricultural laborers were
taken to hospitals during last SUMNER and
in the order from the general govern ment
that dead animals be burned or buried in
qucklime to prevent the peasants from
AM tan
happens"
The condition of the present Iroprietors is
hardly better than that of the hired labor
ers. In the country 122, 633 have farms
that contain less than two and half acres
each The soil is dug with rude spade
There would be the reverse of economy in
using draft animals, if the farmers could
obtain them. Men are cheaper than horses,
and women than mules The beasts NUT
be shod but the human boings can go bare!
foot 1t seems to be- no great wonder that
the members OF a family lament the death
of goat more than they do that of a near
relative.
This is the "free, united and rejuvenatei
Italy about which we have heard so much
during the past few years. This is the land
of flowers and sunshine, the coun-
Try where every prospect pleases,"
the ancient home of art literature,
and science. Here Virgil Horace, and
Tasso sung. Here are the grandest monu-
ments of architecture the world contains.
Here the finest paintings and the most beau
tiful statuary of both ancient and modern
times produced. Here n civilz4 alton
was established that extended over three
great continents, and literature was pro-
duced that promises to endure through all
time Here language was perfected that
was the basis of most of the tongues now
spoken. This is the country whose agrcul-
ture ?, 900 years ago the wonder of che
world. Here, according to Pliny, reaping
machines drawn by horses were in use
twenty centuries before Mccormick was
born. Now the agriculture of Italy is worse
than that of Ireland; there are few ma
chimes for cultivating the soil or for harvest
ing crops. Human muscle is cheaper than