The daily critic., 1890-10-22

hiutd lead MANY of them 10 MORTGAGE
OF 20 sell whatever liulc property they
may possess, or 20 borrow as best they
may IN order 20 raise money enough TO
Tay iCr ihtir passage 90 Tie land which
is 90 give The n In return for their labor
the means 10 better their own condition
and that Of those who are dear 10 them
WHAT HAPPENS UrON THEIR ARRIVAL.
Al The moment that they land, many
Of them generally fall into the hands Of
men who, lostt OH sense of virtue, take
advantage Of their most helpless state
ana get them into their power hv run.
ming them into their debt bv eX0rbitant
charges, 10 finally hire them ont. their
wages already moTte0ged. aud like so
many convicts their names replaced by
nun bcrs. These poor emiarants are
easy victims They cannot makethem.
selves understood; they cannot tell Of
Their wrongs; they are compelled in
spite OF themselves, whatever their aspi
IaliOns may be- TO carry the cruel yoke
That is placed upon them And who
cares 1t these poor toilers are often
very grossly mallreated by overseers
Themselves the poorest Of emigrants but
few years back, and superior 10 the
former In nothing save in hearthard
ness, in craltiness, and in a knowledge
OF the English tongue' beings whom our
generous institutions have failed TO
make ger erous; beings who make use
OF The advantages which broad minded
Americans have given to them, by
which TO raise themselves, TO trample
upon those under them; who are ever
ready 10 deny to others that fair Chris
tian treatment which has been so freely
accorded to themselvesl
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR Tnrs2
II Is but too true, alas that some OF
the wretches who are responsible for
this are Italians themselves: hut those
for whom these wretches do the work,
those who make this glaring wrong
possible In our country, are not of that
nationality!
FROM WHAT PART or ITALY DO THESE
EMGGBANTs GOMEZ
They come mostly from the interior
districts they come from the farm lands:
they are tillers Of the soil they are road
builders and masons; they are hewers
OF wood and stone; they are, in a word.
hardened sons of toll. From the rising
until the setting of the sun these men
work contented with their lot until in
their ears are told the wonders of the
United States
WHAT Is THEIR CHARACTER?
Their occupation bespeaks their char
acier. They are for the most part in
itlligent men; they are quick to learn
and ambitious to better themselves, and
as general thing true To the interests
OF their employers. They will endure
all kinds Of hardships rather than beg
or steal. They are religious; they
never lose reverence for their parents
and the aged, and they will deny them
selves many comforts, nay, will suffer
hunger and cold in order to save money
10 hgln those who are dear 10 them.
They are endowed with a good
nature, which gives them abundance
OF paticnCe; they will stand much
abuse without rCscnling II. Il Is only
when pushed beyond human endurance
that they viii rCtaliate as best they may.
THEIR MODE OF LIVING.
II has been stated so often In the col
nmns Of newspapers that these Italians
live In rags and filth that Il may have
grown 10 be a general belief among
people OF limited intelligence that RAGS.
tlth and Italians arc synonymous terms.
That some of them-thOse whose occu.
paiion Is among mud and mortar-have
not that serupulous feeling for external
iidiness which the majority Of our Eel.
low citizens have Is not 10 be denied
but that they lack this any more than
all the rest Of the same occupation of
other natiOnalities Is not true One
thing Is certain that our hospitals con
tain less Of this class Of Italians than of
aEy other nationality. This proves that,
the mode Of living that
they are temporarily forced TO content
themselves with, their health and mo
taliiy compare very favOrablY, 20 say the
least, with those Of other foreigners.
WHY THEY WORK CHEAP.
To hear some Of these leaders sneak
II would seem that there are portions OF
the human race whose Characteristic Is
To accept as little money as possible Ia
exchange Tor their labor In other words,
that their delight is 10 work for less
wages than others. What bosh Is this,
And yet this Is one of the great obiec-
lions they make against Italians They
assert that they work for less wages
than others, because they can live
cheaper, and they affect to believe that
these laboTeTs would not take more if
they could get Ill These profound re
formers never seem 10 dream that
those who pay for the work
that these men do generally pay
y hat Is just but that Il Is !
those unselupulous individuals who |
stand between them and the capitalist, |
= ho take every advantage they can con |
eeiye over these helpless men 10 pay
them as little as possible; yet demand |
ing more Of lhem than they would dare |
demand Of others blessed with a knowl- |
lcge Of the English tongue This very
I Cint, II seems 10 me, shows In the |
plainest mBnneT the shalloWness or
upidiiy Of those who would make
capital out of it 10 serve their oWn self
Ish euds, and the limited intelligence Of
hose who place any importance upon
[. No doubt these laboTeIs can live
iur-less than many others Of the sams
condition, and a glance at our police
ltcoTds will show, 80 least, that one Of
he causes Of Il is that drunkenness IS 1
pot much 10 their liking.
ABOUT THEIR RETURNING 10 ITALY.
Another objection that Is made against |
them by the same leaders is, that they
only come here with the intention Of |
making a little money aud then 70 Re
.uTn 10 their native land 70 spend FL
That some Of them DO this, Is true be-
YoDd any doubt; but Is il cFlmes Ii
IS yst 20 be proved that il Is. aud
supp0sing thai u Is crime. aud that il
does work some hsrm 10 this great
country, Why lose sight of the fact that
natives Of this very soil-men aud W0-
mtn-who owe an they possess % this
IAEl. sneRd most. II NOT aLl. ILeIr hme