New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-08-05
OVERLOOKING ITALY.
AMERICA THREATENED WITH HOST OF
PAUPER IMMIGRANTS.
tuo,, 49, orc ,s,ox.t CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TRIBUNE
I,nrn

An enormous influx OF italian immigrants
greater than any which has yet taken place
may be looked for within the next few weeks IN
the United States. and Americans viii scarcely DO
pleased to know that for extremely urgent reasons
the italian Government "a momen'ariiy promoting
and financially assisting the exodus OF Its pauper
hordcs to Greater Britain
The fact is that the immense building crazc, which
has ruined Rome artistcay and proiouhols .o"p'o
missed the present and future resources OF inc c's,
has been brought TO sudden close by inc hhaheiai
collapse Of the SPECTATORS and by the most colossal
and widespread bankruptcy. The mama vcgah
few years after the transfer Of the seat OF the iaah
Government TO Rome when the sudden increase ot
the population due to the influx OF inc crown vi
officials, employees, spectators and hahRcft-oh Vi
the Court and Government caused for INC monicn'
a great demand for quarters. Tho buiidhg craze
infected all classes of the population. from the hlghcs
to the lowest the municipality ard the great hnanca
Institutions Of tho country being the most 10 9'amc
in the matter. small and altogether inadequate
Estimate of the insane extravaganza displayed by the
specuators may be gathered from the fact that there
are now built and unoccuplcd in the now Quarters
of the city houses enough TO accommodate
to 900 900 people In order TO realize luiS 'nc
gravity OF the above statement IL must DC porhe ID
mind that Rome Is a comparatively smah CITY win
a population OF but little over 3oo.ooo' an 'oiu'
with no manufactures nor facilities for them, no
trade and no port.
The banks and Credit Foncier establishments at
Length became alarmed ard refused the other Cav TO
continue to discount the paper OF the DuldihS COLI
tractors or to advance money on mortgages OF reai
estate within the city boundaries. Inc result mas
been the sudden cessation of all building operations
and the throwing out of work OF thousands upon
thousands Of skilled and unsked laborers. Whilc
the building bubble had lasted tho latter had pech
attracted to Romo by the promise of high wages
N aoft bc
Central and Southern provinces, where penury IS erc
and where the people have difficulty In Keeping oody
and soul together. The average wages per uas III
these agricultural districts do not exceed ha lire
that is about ten cents in United STATES CURRENCY
no work being done. however. national or church
HOLIDAYS or on days when It rains Tho prospect
of earning a franc even two francs Soo cohs'
day as laborers at Rome was, of course, moro IMAM
sufficient TO induce them to break up their homes
desert their native villages, and hoSK 10 the h'erha
City In tens of thousands.
Not that their Mfc in Rome was any moro luxurious
than that which they had left behind them Huddied
together more like cattle than human beings In small
foul smelling rooms, compared to which their New
York tenements are splendid apartments clothed
I'm filthy rags living on a crust of sour bread.
miserable cbecserlnd and rotten apple, they cheer
fully submit to almost any prvation III oucr W cc
able to send every week portion OF their measro
wages to the old folks left behind In the hati'e
village, who, too old and feeble 10 "oi' ooA W 0'
absent children for their daily bread Living thus
from hand to mouth, but little money could DC
snared to be put aside for rainy day.
and consequently when the crash came
and the poor laborcrs were suddenly
thrown ont of work. matters became serious. Bands
of famlehcd and desperate-loohing men Hooked down
from tho Esquine Hill, on which the laDonng
classes chiefly congcgatc, and marched through inc
streets. shouting hoarscy for pane lavoro' dread
Iast fpyVNr mi
stores have been plundercd by tho starving wrecheS
and numerous connicts-some of them attended by
b,oodsbed-have taken place between the MOB ana
the notice. Il may add, incidentally that owing 10 inc
srictness of the press censorship begun by slsnor
CIspi no tccgraphic dispatches on the SUBJECT nave
been allowed TO leave the couniryj Even at inc
present moment special measures have had TO be
adopted by the authorities for tho saie'y Oh al s'ocs
and shops where food IS sold
At first the Government attempted to meet the
difficulty by shipping huge patches of these unemployed
lsborers back TO their native villages at public en-
pcnso But It was soon perceived that the remedy
was even worse than the evil For arriving thcrc
without a penny in their pockets, to lind their Ola
homes gone and employment In sight, they became
even greater danger TO the community than al hohc
where at any rate It was easy to check excuses
by means of the troops and the police keahzlhg
ct length that some radical step must be taken TO
solve the difficulty and avert the peril caused by the
presence of so vast body OF unemployed and fam
Ishcd wretchcs SignOr Crspi and his Cabinet havo
decided that since Italys colonial empire Is stll III
an embryo condition. the only thing TO be done Is to
get rid Of this starving mob by emigration 10 inc
United States. With this object In view tho Govern
ment is itself furnishing the funds for the conveyance
OF Its pauper population to America
OF course, the crisis at Rome has not been con-
fined within the city boundaries It's effects have
length and breadth of the Kingdom. The cessation
of all building operations at the capital has had the
result of running large number of thriving ma0
features in the provinces and In throwing many
thousands OF hands out of work. The money market
scared by the disastrous effects of too extensive
speculation, has drawn in It's horns, and even the
best kind of security is looked upon askance The
consequence is that failures and bankruptcies have
lately been taking place all sides. and the distress
is widespread.
What makes matters much worse is the fact that
the Socialist agt ators have avaicd themselves of the
prevalent misery TO cast their nets abroad and to
spread their insdlOns doctrines among tho poor,
starving wrctches. With this immense force OF
desperate men behind them the leaders Of tho socialist
movement have become than ever a menace
to the State and have actually been able within the
last few days the Government Into granting
pardon to the notorious revoluiOnist and assassin,
CfDriani This rufian, who until few days ago
was in prison, working out a sentence Of twenty
years penal scrvliudc for three fold murder, has
been several times elected the Socialist and Labor
ticket TO the Chamber Of Deputies without of course,
being able TO take his seat HIS career Is one of
the widest and most adventurous on record He
deserted from the Army In 1862, in order to join the
lnsurrectonary force at Aspromonte under Garbaldi
After the defeat and capture Of his chief he fed TO
Egypt. While there he had quarrel with country
Of his Santlni and the dispute leading to blows
CiprfanI drew his knife and killed his adversary.
Pursued by two Of the police, he turned upon them
and stabbed them TO the heart. Making good his
escape to Greece he Joined the insurrcconary force
under Flourens in Crete. Subsequently he went to
London, spent some time there with Italian conspira-
tors. and then in 1871 Joined the Paris Commune. In
which he took leading part Arrested at It's fall, he
was cent TO New-Caledonia where he remained In
PENAL servltudc for ten years. When tho amnesty
was proclaimed he returned TO France but was soon
expelled for participating with Louise Michel In some
rcvolufIonary mcettnY fine aftfrward a group