The San Francisco call., 1896-08-26
ITALIANS AROUSED
AGAINST BRYAN.
Prominent Democrats Go
Back on the Ne
braSka Man.
DECLARE FOR M'KINLEY
Bryan ReviIed Italians in His
Newspaper, the World
Herald.
BUT A STEP FROM BANDITS"
All Over the Country Italian Votes
Will Resent the Unjust
Stigma.
BUT A STEP FROM BANDITS. A"

North Beach is full of Indignation
against w. J. Bryan and the strong feel
ing against the Democratic candidate
which prevails in the Latin quarter is
spreading among the Italian population
of this and other States. Prominent
Italian Democrats are declaring their in
tention of voting for Mckinley and if the
feeling goes on growing, as it is doing at
present, the Democrats will scarcely poll
any Italian votes.
The indignation arose from scornful and
insulting comments on Italians, written
year ago in Bryan's paper, the World
Herald of Omaha, and recently reprinted
by L'Italia of this City. Other Italian
papers all over the country are copying
L'Italia's lead and the consequence is a
withdrawal of Italian support from the
Democratic party.
Under the date of August s, 1895. Bryan
said in an editorial:
AS a class the Italian immigrants to the
United States are not desirable. OF all the
nations OF Europe they are the worst. They
are ignorant, made so by bad government for
centuries, which is their misfortune, and they
have little or no knowledge OF the spirit of our
institutions. Life with them is cheap, and
among the worst and most ignorant it is but
step from their present condition to the bravo
and bandit.
And again, August u:
Among the most Objectionable of the immi-
grants are the low-grade Sicilian Italians, the
Huns and Mexicans These Italians and the
Huns are densely ignorant, and they care
nothInR for cur institutions. Many are in
worse condition than serfs, if un-contract. AS
soon as they get few hundred dollars back
the Italians go to Italy to spend what they
earn here These Italians regard human life
cheaply and the stilletto is a ready weapon to
plunge into any one who sngers them.
Bryan's editorial was inspired by Prince
town riots, which might have been sup
posed 10 give him, as a demagogue, an ex-
cellent opportunity for preaching SER
mon against the plutocrats; instead, how
ever, he chose to take the labor troubles
as the text for TRADE against the poor
Italian miners.
"And this is a Democrat, the chief of
Democrats, the sort of Democrat that is
now filling the ears of our laborers with
election speeches full of praise and prom
ises," says L'Italia, in com mmenting on
Bryan's editorial.
1--WE wish to consider the words of the
Democratic candidate" continues Lit
ALA, from higher point of view than
that of National sentiment.
"On what base has Bryan pronounced
such summary Judgment against Italian
immigration? Perhaps he has consulted
statistics and mas learned from them that
Italians are especially prone to become
criminals?
mo! Because the official statistics COM
piled at Washington state that of all the
foreign colonies the Italian gives the small
est contingent to the criminal class. 1t
follows, tn herefore, that Bryan has either
wilIfully lied, or-and thisis more prob
able-he is ignorant of the social condi-
tions OF the country, therefore he is not
statesman.
But the most authentic and complete
lie is given to Bryan by the celebrated DR..
Senner, the Commissioner OF the United
States attached to the Bureau of Immigra-
ton. He is an earnest and learned man,
having no need of cheap popularity, and
he is being continually brought in con-
tact with immigrants from all the Euro
pean nations. DR.. Senner, in an article
on Italian immigration, published in the
North American Review recentlv and
copied in the Review of Reviews. has
words full of praise for the Italian immi-
grants, whom he judges to be-in contra
diction 10 Bryan-'among the best and
most easy to assimilate elements in the
United States
The Italians says Senner, are not
turbulent, violent and harmful, as they
are often represented in American papers
as being He also shows the ignorance
or the unreliability of Bryan when he
says, Italians no longer come TO this
country as birds of passage. The later