Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-31
CESAR S DESCENDANTS
Become Slaves Under the Padrone System
and Are Dsirauded.

ana are U0Vrduueu.
Does human slavery still exist In TINS
| country?
The department of labor so declares
in an official bulletin that IS on tht
point of being issued. It's experts, artel
an exhaustive investigation OF the SUD
| ject, assert that tens of thousands OIL
people in the United States are ever
now held in abject servitude under the
infamous padrone system. Indeed. 8
majority of Italian residents in Ameri'
ca today are thus oppressed, W
standing the widespread notion to the
effect that the system in question was
long g wiped out. 1t is true that the
buying Of children wholesale for i'm
p%ortation into this country, where they
were deliberately destroyed, body ano
soul, by fiendish tortures and mora
corruption, has been stopped; but the
bulk of the Italians in the so-called
Land of the Free at present are wholly
at the mercy of BOSSES" or padronl
who rob them of their earnings and
abuse them in every imaginable way
with perfect security against punish.
ment by law.
The padrone first came into promi-
hence in the United States soon after
the close of the Civil War. At that
period there was a great demand for
labor, n special legislation was
framed to promote the importation OF
foreign laborers under contract. Then
it was that Italian immigration agents
in this country employed persons in
Italy to collect laborers, and ship them
across the ocean on prepaid tickets.
On their arrival they boarded them at
eXorbitant prices until they could be
forwarded to the American contractor
| who wanted their services, the expense
| being deducted from their prospective
wages. The further privilege of sup
| plying them with food and shelter
while at work was commonly granted
to the agent, and he was able to add to
his profits by charging unreasonable
rates for sending the scanty savings Of
the men back to Italy. Finally, he got
a commission on the return tickets tn
Italy when the contract expired.
Perceiving what a profitable business
il was, the sub-agents employed in
Italy undertook to furnish laborers on
IN " A''' NoA'N %'t
being the padrone. BY fair promises
and golden tales he persuaded men.
women and children to follow him t.
the New World under contract for a
stated length of time. covering gener-
ally from one to three years. but eX-
tending in some instances to seven
years. The men We're farmed out to
any person who saw fit to employ them
at the padrone's prices. usually to en-
gage in the occupation designated as
"sciabola'-i. e., all work done with
the shovel. The padrone boarded his
people, received their wages, and gave
them the merest pittance in return for
hard work. Forty dollars for a whole
years service was a fair padrone wage.
The women were frequently placed in
houses of prostitution and never heard
of again. The children were sent out
on the streets as ~bootblacks. to sell!
newspapers. fruit and flowers, and to
beg-all for the benefit of the padrone.
The enforcement of the contract Ia
Dor law. in which the Italian govern
ment participated, has destroyed the
business of buying up laborers in Italy
for shipment to the United States. But
tltC padIolit ~ Stt1 Sill itouIl viz III
this side of the water in a different
shape. The ignorant peasants who
come here by thousands from the
southern provinces are accustomed to
hard work and meagre fare: they are
child-like in mind. quick to forget, and
easily lead by any shrewd person.
knowing no English n having little
or no money they are unable to take
carr of themselves here. Consequent
ly, they are easy victims for the sharks
on whose assistance they depend for
securing employment. During the first
our months of 1895, 27,149 Italian i'm
migrants entered the port of New York
city. That city has become the Italian
centre of this country, and hence the
stronghold of the padrone system.
The arriving Italian, who finds no
friends to greet him, brings at least the
address of some banker. so called. The
banker may go on his bond. to insure
that he will not become a burden to the
community. and stands ready t pro-
vide him with food and clothing until
work is found. To obtain work, the
immigrant is practically compelled to
rely upon some boss of his own ma
tionality, who is in fact a padrone. If
he should reject the overtures of the
padrone and seek employment on his
own account, he would be likely to in
cur the vendetta of the boss and to be
disposed of with a stiletto on a con-
venient opportunity. The padrone. or
boss" makes it his business to supply
contractors with cheap labor. He
knows the street and steam railway
corporations, and others who from time
to time employ large forces of men.
When laborers are wanted. he responds,
arranging with each man for a COM
mission on the wages which he will re-
ceive. Eventually he ships them to the
place where they are to work.
The commission of the padrone is
called the "~bossatura," and for a job
lasting six months $40 is considered
reasonable. The fee is paid in advance
and secretly. the transaction being
illegal. Taking advantage of his coun-