The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-05-12
BLEED By PADR()N[S
How the LuckIess Dago Is
Robbed in America.
Is NOW BREAKING AWAY
He Is a ThriftySo Whatever
His FaiIings.


| able in Greater New York that the Ital-
ians no longer are, TO any extent, push
cart" men, but that their places in that
capacity have been largely usurped by
Of the last two races was due. no doubt,
to the Columbian Exposition at Chicago,
where many of them had come in charge
of exhibits, and, pleased with the country,
rest was evolution.
The rise OF the Italians, who were by
far the most intelligent and industrious of
al the southern immigrants, has been &C
complished by sheer persistence against
the ''padrone system"
As long as twenty years ago the great
railroads required, in their construction
thousands of laboring men; a few acute
Italians, seeing that any number of their
copntrymen might be induced 10 work for
one-half the prices Their paid TO other la
borers, Immediately went TO Italy and
brought over, under contract, hordes of
Italians, paying their fare, with every con-
oelVable expense tackled thereto, and hold
was paid off by the men.
The demand for labor increased. and the
influx supplied it; meanwhile, the pad
rones" grew rich; but in the course of ten
years the contract labor law was passed.
and the business came TO an abrupt stop
for the time being. The 'padrone," how
ever, here too advantage of a trait in his
countrymen which served him Just as
well as the contract, namely, the simple
word Of the Italian that he would work
out his fare to the satisfaction of his mas
terror under few circumstances does
the Italian break his word
The first thing which happens to the
Italian when he lands in New York, under
the protection of the padrone, is the worst
which could occur. He is taken to some
mouse which is either owned or leased by
his master; here he stays, agreeing that
when any piece of work presents itself
he will give to the padrone certain sum
down and a fixed sum daily
The moment a padrone acquires the
right to carry out contract. he begins to
use his Italians. He keeps himself posted
IN regard to all the large public improve
ments. by looking assiduously through the
papers, and he often induces contractors
to bid for certain work" by offering to
pay the cash deposit required or to nav
for the bond assuring the completion of the
work; in return he stipulates that he is
to furnish the labor for the contract: that
the mems board bills shall be paid to him
before any money is given TO them, and
that he shall retain the right to discharge
any man he chooses. BY this arrangement
he has these men in his power
Once work is begun. the padrone takes
care to build a shack" or shed near bv.
and as far as possible from the village or
settled part of the city. town or place
in which his work lies. His men sleep in
this shack which is supplied with hunks
like the stearage quarters In an ocean
steamer; no blankets are furnished them,
yet for this privilege they pay Is cents a
night
Outside Of the shack the padrone erects
a small grocery stsore; his men patronize
it in this way: At the beginning of the
work, each man, who is known by num-
Der, is given a book and s. worth Of coun-
ters of brass stamped with different frac-
tons of a dollar; every time he buys any
thing, for which, needless 20 say, he has to
pay double the amount for which he could
get it elsewhere. ne passes in one Of the
counters and the price is checked off in
the book. Thus he is prevented from buy
ing anything anywhere else, and the
padrone is assured good profit.
On everything sold the padrone expects
to make 100 per cent; besides this he lev
les on every man a tax of Is cents day
for medical expenses; this is Simply a
means Of getting more money, for when
one of the men is sick he is either dis
charged or sent to a hospital.
The Italians must have their drink. and
the padrone evades the Raines law as
follows: The men ostensibly buy cases Of
beer, and he allows IL merely as an &C
commodahon; in reality he sells it for 10
cents 3 bottle o the Iaborers.
TAs if all these drains on the 2altry
S125 per day Of the Italian were not
enough, the padrone employs decoys IN
der the guise Of workmen( Who being in
reality card-charpers. invariably succeed
IN r0bbing the men Of all their wages, as
soon as they are paid the small amount
left over from the former extortions.
He calculates 70 make clear profit OF
$3.50 a month from each man. and where.
as is often the case, he employs hundreds
Of men, the results can be easily be seen.
It is against such odds and from such
depths that the ordinary Italian has had
to raise himself; awaiting himself OF
means 10 an end without considering the
results. he founl that he had fallen into
a slough Of misery. hut he was bound by
MS word ard ne worked Oh: his own sal
vation.
He became. after leaving his bondage. /
the s'push-cart" man. selling fruit and odd
wares about The streets; from taat ne
went into the wholesale fruit business.
he braached out into the feds where lbs
trade opened for him. for nearly every one
Of them had a trade % fall back upon;
av degrees he grew used 70 American ideas
ard became d citizen. and aT s5drety. IN
dlssry and economy. he anassed . com
potency.
L IS safe 20 say that there are now about
1000 Italians in tnis city. and the reason
Why they are supplan:iEg other trades
mea IN crafts OF wh-ca the public con
s.dered them ignorant NAV ba attrl5u,ed
"a their breaking away from ne chairs !
az the palrone. v-hlca 5ound them 70 .
life Of slavery and degradation
REMEMBER THIS
THAT THE
SANTA FF ROUTE