The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-03-18
THE PADRONE SYSTEM.
WHAT AN ITALIAN GENTLEMAN HAS
q TO SAY ON THE SUBJECT.

An Infamous System OF Slavery Existing I'm
the Large Cities of the United states
rSow Ignorant italians Are Lured to
This Country by False Promises.
!. The most active person in this country
against the padroni is an italian, gentle
man OF character and ability, Capt. Celso
Cesar Moreno, who has already been in
strumental in doing much good in this di-
rection. He it was who called the atten-
ton of the lamented Charles Sumner to
the infamous traffic of kidnapping Italian
children and bringing them TO this coun-
try to serve as street musicians and the
like. In the course of conversation with
Capt. Moreno the other day the question
was asked:
docs the padrone system still existPn
"Yes, TO greater extent than ever be-
fore. Thousands of Italians are enticed
away from Italy under the false represen-
tations of grants of fertile lands and
milder climate than they enjoy in their
native land, with chances of finding any
number Of gold mines in the lands which
are TO be allotted to them, and the pros
pect is held out to them of becoming rich
in very short time. If they have not the
ready money to pay their passage to
America it is paid for them by the land
company, which is described as one Of the
greatest charitable and benevolent insti-
tutions in the world. Speedily such
dreams vanish on their arrival here. They
are put to organ-grinding, some with a
dancing girl or monkey, others as street
sweepers, others still to pick rags, while
those who are too old and infirm to do
anything else are put to begging, being
furnished with false certificates of losses
by fire or government persecution in their
native land, which had forced them to
come to this country in order that they
may not utterly perish. They are even
compelled to play the part Of blind men.
SLAVES TO THE PADRoNEs.
"What they get in the way Of money is
at once taken possession of by the
padrones as soon as the slaves come home
at night. They are educated to look
upon the Americans as their enemies, q
fear being instilled into their minds that
foreigners are looked upon with suspicion
and the Hike, and therefore being in dan
ger Of going to jail upon the slightest pre-.
text. Many of those who are thus brought
TO this country are OF the criminal and
lower classes Of Italian society, who come
here perchance to escape punishment in
Italy, never dreaming that they are run
ming away from imprisonment, perhaps,
at home to become slaves to the padroni
Why, right here In this city, within sight
of the Goddess of Liberty on yonder dome
Of the capitol, there are some 800 of these
Italians who have come to this country to |
partake Of the bounty which the great
land company had in store for them. |
They are at work upon the new reservoir. |
II have said that many of them were OF /
the criminal classes. One Of the reservoir |
colony is now in the District Jail under |
sentence Of death for numbering one OF |
his companions. His father in Italy is Q |
noted brigand, who has just been arrested |
over there and put in prison. You have |
them in your city Of Cleveland. in Cincin /
natl. and other places in Ohio. They are
put to all kinds of work. You think them /
free, but they are held in bondage that
is worse than that which held the slaves
in the south, for In the case Of the latter
you knew they weFe slaves, b-.C in the case
Of these Italians their real condition is
withheld from the world. There are 30.
600 Of this kind in the city Of New YorI
and Is 900 in Chicago" Oh, the thought
fills me with indignation. It is unjust to
my country. People see these miserable
people and they think the whole italian
nation just like them. Some months age
addressed letter to the king of Italy on
this subject. Washington Cor. Cleveland
Leader