The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-10-25
IMMIGRANTS FROM ITALY.
They Are Beginning to Take Hand
in Politics.
Sketch of Those in and About New
York, and Their Methods OF
Earning Living.

|
other suburbs the total number in this
vicinity is estimated at about IbO,OOO-
| The greater portion of these persons
have come to this city within the past
eight or ten years. The majority Of them
are from the south of Italy and from
Sicily, but of late large numbers have
been coming from Genoa and the R1Vl-
era. Many of the Italians who came
from Northern Italy are now in Colo
RADIO. Michigan, Minnesota. California,
and along the Pacific Coast generally,
where they are to a great extent en-
gagged in fruit-raising.
The Italian Consul-General in this
city, in a recent report to his Govern
ment, said that in general the Central
and Western States get the better ele-
ment of the Italian immigrants. The
| Southerners, most of them laborers,
| have remained in the East, where they
| have found work ION roads and build
| ingS.
The principal quarter of the italians is
about Mulberry street, Five Points, Mott
street and Roosevelt street, but there
is a large colony known as Little Italy
about One Hundred and Tenth street
many of whom are of the better class
| have scattered all over the city. In
| former years much of the Italian popu-
| lation in this city was a floating one.
Workmen flocked in for the winter
months, when work for them was more
plentiful, and in the summer they
| either went into the interior to work on
railroads or took passage Tor ltaiy'
| where they could live much cheaper
during warm weather than they could
here Of late years, however, the popu-
| la ton has become much more settled,
and an Italian banker who deals largely
in steamship passenger tickets told the
editor of the Italian newspaper, ii Pro-
gressO, that during the last two years
he had sold hardly any tickets for out
! going pasSa ges. 1t is thought that per
haps the action of the trades unions in
getting a law passed that only citizens
of the United States should be employed
on public works may have induced
many Italians to become bona fide resi-
dents and to become naturaliZed.
| The general tone of the Italians in
New York has grown higher as they
| have increased in numbers Most Of
| their fights and deeds of violence have
! been confined among themselves, and
| have been due generally to old feuds or
| to uuarrels over the gambling table.
| To their credit it must be said that
! italian burglars and sneak thieves and
| beggars are hardly known. Counter
| feiting. however, has been and is IA
| vorite pursuit with certain classes
among them, but it is the boast of their
leaders that there are fewer Italian
convicts in American prisons than of
any other nationality. They admit,
however, that among the immigrants
number of restless political spirits came
| who had found it convenient for their
safety to leave their native land
| Among these are anarchists, and prob
ably members of secret societies, who
| under the guiSe of patriotism, try TO
live upon their hard working country
men by political propaganda or intimi-
! dation Such men, il is said, are passing
| away like the padrOnes, who formerly
| brought hundreds Of children and sent
| them out into the streets to beg, and
| when the societies put stop to that,
supplied contractors and the street
| cleaning department with gangs of
laborers, whom they underpaid and
| robbed. The padrOne system, it is
| claimed has been almost entirely
| broken up through the efforts of Pro-
fessor Oldrini, the agent of the Govern
ment at Ellis Island, who advises the
| newly arrived immigrants and finds
| work for them to do where he can.
The knowledge of the country gained
| by them and their learning to speak
some English has also helped materi-
ally to deliver them from the clutches
o. the padrones. A good many men and
| women have learned to work on the
| sewing machines, and find steady work
as tailors for the large clothing firms in
this city. They have been charged with
| undertaking the poorly paid Jewish
tailors, who have recently had their
| great strikes, but they deny that they
| work for lower wages A large clothing
| manufacturer told the editor of II
Progreso that he prefers his Italian to
his Jewish hands, because the latter are
| always wanting to strike about some
| thing or other, while the Italians work
along steadily and do not complain.
There are also a good many clothing
contractors and number of tailors for
ladies dresses among them.
Italian fruit dealers are very numer-
| GUS It is said there are as many as TO-.
| 600 in the city. 1t is claimed that it is
| mainly due to the efforts of the Italians
! that fruit eating has become quite uni
versal here. and that consequently fruit
culture has attained such enormous
proportions and puts millions of dol
! lars annually into the pockets of the
| fruit growers. To a certain extent this
| is true, for the Italians have put up
fruit stands at every available street
corner where there is a chance of sell
ing their wares, and have learned to
arrange their fruits so tastefully as to
| tempt the passer-by.
| The italian barber has succeeded in
| thrustng himself into public notice. and
| the numerous BARRIERS of other national
tiles who settled here before he did have
! to take him into account, for he Shaves
| cheaper. Where formerly 10 cents was
charged for shave, he asks only 10 cents,
and in poor localities nickel, and where
a quarter was charged for cutting hair, he
is satisfied with 10 cents. Some OF the
union BARRIERS years ago complained to
the Central Labor Union that the non
union Italian BARRIERS were killing the
trade, and asked that a boycott be i'm
posed on all fve-cent barber shops but
nothing was done. There are a good
many stonemasons among the Italians,
but their work is generally confined 20 the
part of the building below the level of the
street. There are also bricklayers, shoe
makers, and other mathematician.
Scores of Italian physicians have a
good practice among their countrymen,
and all are said to be making plenty of
money. one physician, who had an office
in Grand street, was said to have saved
$4,000 in six or seven years, and then re-
tired because his health gave out. OF So
called bankers, there are several in the
Italian colony. Their business consists
mainly in selling drafts for small sums to
their countrymen. who send money to
their relatives in Italy, or to small import
ers. and in the sale of passage tickets
The Italian is working himself into poll
tics, too, and viii probably have to be
counted with as factor before long. In
one of the recent italian Consular reports
the Consul remarks that Americans for
merly complained that Italians were not
interested in the welfare of this country
nasmuch as they did not become citizens.
and only staid here long enough TO accu-
mulate some money, and then returned
home: but now, however, says the report
the Italians take q cautious and prudent
but very active. interest IN the politics of
the country. About twenty years ago