The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-08-22
ITALIAN LABURERS
Experience on Louisiana
Plantations.
The Only Race That Can Success
fully Compete With Negroes In
Semi-Tropicai Chimes.

lynchIng or the five Italians at Tallu-
lah, La, and the ordering away of the
lother Italians in Madison parish may
temporarily check the Italian immigra-
ton into North Louisiana and thereby
| interrupt a movement which is having
an extraordinary influence on Louisi-
ana and promises TO hasten a solution
OF the color, or race, question. The in
| terruption, though, is likely TO be only
temporary.
The Italians seem to be the only
race that can labor successfully and
compete with the negro in the semi
tropical climate of Louisiana They
have been arriving for the last twenty
years at the rate of many thousands
each year, and the census soon to be
taken will show that largely because
of this immigration districts and par
| ishes which formerly had a large ma
ijOrity of negroes are now white.
Among these are Plaquemine, Assump-
| ton, Terrebonne, Iberia and st. John.
The Italian immigration has naturally
been largest in Southern Louisiana in
the territory around New Orleans,
where there is already a large Latin
population. Thence it has spread into
the northern parishes, where it has
met with a far from hearty welcome:
but the Italians seem to have the pa
thence and perseverance of the Chinese
enduring persecution and overcoming
prejudice by mere persistence
No better evidence could be present
ed of this triumph over bitter preju-
dice than is found right here in New
Orleans. The Parish prison lynching
| of eight years ago was a blow from
which many thought the Italian colony
of New Orleans would never recover.
Perhaps 5000 or 5000 Italians left New
| Orleans then, seeing no hope or future
| for themselves here and settled in
Memphis, st. Louis, Chicago and at
other points. But the Italians have
| lived down the Hennessy assassination
and the discredit of the Malta. and
have more than regained their former
position. The Italian colony of New
Orleans has doubled in numbers since
the Parish prison lynching affair, and
in wealth and standing has advanced
far more. 1t has taken the first place
Orleans. There are now two daily Ital-
ian papers in New Orleans, and Signor
EnricO Cavalli, the editor of one of
them, the Italo-Americano, is the rep
Iresentatiye appointed by the Italian
Government to investigate the Tallu-
lah lynching. Schools have been eStab-
|lished, at which the Italians are taught
not only English but their mother
tongue, and King Humbert through
the Italian Consul, has contributed lib
orally to the support of these schools,
which keep alive a love for Italy in the
hearts of it's sons.
The status of the Italians has been
very much improved Of late. They
dropped the hand organ long ago, and
they never took to barbering, shoe
cleaning or street work, as in New
York. From eobbling they have
branched out into the manufacture of
shoes, and they control some of the
largest factories in the South. The
fruit, vegetable and fish trades they
have absolutely controlled since they
first came, for they are without rivals
in peddling. They are rapidly crowd
ing into the corner grocery business,
formerly mOnopOliZed by Irishmen and
Germans, and into nearly all lines,
even the learned professions. Latter
1y they have been quite conspicuous
in politics
1t is, however, in the country dis
tricts that the Italians are making
themselves most felt. Three-fOurths
of the Italian immigrants are from
Naples or Sicily. They are peasants,
accustomed to farm work, and they
come over here to work on the sugar
plantations. They come from limited
areas even in Sicily and Naples. The
little town of Contessa Entellina, for
instance, has more of its citizens in
Louisiana than at home; and Cefalu,
from which came all the men lynched
in Madison parish the other day, has
several thousand of its sons and daugh-
tiers in Louisiana. The immigrants are
with rare exceptions a hardy, robust
race. willing to work and impervious
to the climate. The immigration Com
at this port declares that
the character of the Italians arriving is
improving. They find work
the day they arrive. Some come over
in the summer, work through the
grinding season, when wages are high,
and return TO Italy in the winter with
their earnings; but this practice is dy-
ing out and a majority Of the immi-
grants come to stay, learn English, or
like English, as soon as they
can, and apply for naturalization pa
pers. Not few adopt English names
like Brown, Smith or Jones, in order
to be thorough Americans. They dOff
their picturesque costumes within a
week of their arrival and pick up a
cheap imitation of American dress.
They make good laborers and give
perfect satisfaction to the planters,
being infinitely superior to the ne
groes. The Louisiana planters have
been for years trying to get some sub
stitute for the negroes, who are not
The Italians come near
est to fulfilling all conditions. They
are we'll satisfied with their wages and
save money where the negro cannot.
They do not drink, and cause little
trouble. They are willing to live in "
he same cabins as the negroes and to