Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1900-11-09
THOSE ITALIANS
IN new ORLEANS
They Made Their Pre-.
sence Known by
Their Troubles.
RINdLEADER IN GANG
FULL OF COMPLAINTS
Several Stopped 0f--Kick About Food
on Steamer---POwwOw Over
COntractS---Were Not
Happy Crowd,
The New Orleans Picayunc of Oct. 10

When the Cromwell Line steamc
Proteus arrived at her dock yesterday
forenoon 100 laborers. employed by {
labor agency in New York as field
hands for sugar plantation in Homo.
lulu were disembarked. but when a
special train left the city for the west
there were but ninety-two of these sup
posed laborers remaining. The others
had fled. for they had never intended
to do more than come to New Orleans
with free passage and meet friends.
These friends were hanging around the
ships landing when the big vessel ar
rived, and 1t did not take the so-called
contract labor more than half an hour
to disappear.
Some time ago representatives of tho
Honolulu Sugar Planters Association
arranged with New York agency for
large number of laborers. Fully 400
OF these men, mostly Italians. were
gathered as a result Of very attractive
advertising, but when they arrived At
the New York wharf of the Cromwell
steamer nearly all of the number de-
| serted. Those who remained behind
were possibly the best OF the lot. for
those who reached the city yesterday
had evidently been collected from the
lower quarters and slums of the bag
cities. They came from Boston. PrOvl-
dence and New York. and many give
very strong indications of having been
closely associated with the EXTREMIST
and uncleanest poverty.
When the steamer reached the WHAT
there were a number OF officials Of the
Southern Pacific line on hand to see
that they were cared for. Manager Fay
Assistant General Passenger Agent +.
s. Decker, City Passenger Agent Alb
bolt and General Agent Morris. of the
Pullman company, were among the rep.
resentatives who had taken the trouble
to personally direct the departure of
these men.
The laborers. with two women In
the party, wives OF laborers, were quar-
tered on the after deck. and speci, Il
gangway was run for the accommodl-
ton of these thoroughly unappreciatiNe
passengers. Two tourist sleepers and
a baggage car were on the sdctra X
boarded these cars the trouble which
had been created on the voyage by one
OF the number began to show itself. A
tall Swiss, who had brought to the
agency eighty of the number and re-
manned as their complete ruler, object
ed to every proposition made. lie be-
gan to complain Of the fare given on
the ship. The idea that such class
OF passengers should claim that they
had been given decomposed food by
the Cromwell Line had its comical side
and the local railroad officials, who
know different. laughed at the idea.
The agltator saw at once that his move
ment would not stand and he abandon
ed the general claim and substituted a
claim that the men were forced to ca:
hard tack, sailors biscuits. The stew
ard OF the ship hearing of the very
bold statements OF this extremely ener-
getiC troublemaker, walked over to
where the cars lay and faced the men.
He incidentally told OF the labor ag!-
tator's action ON the ship. During the
iirst two days he walked around the
vessel with a pistol In his pocket. His
actions were so offensive that II became
necessary for the steward to send for
the dissatisfied citizen of Switzerland
and give him to clearly understand tina,
he would have to hide his pistol for
the remainder OF the voyage or he plac-
cd In irons. The notice had very
quieting effect as long as the voyage
lasted, but when once back on dry land
the spirit arose again.
The pile OF indescribable baggage
was thrown In heap upon the wharf,
and the yariedlooking laborers crowd
ed around their very scant belongings,
while their leader told OF their troub-
les. This mans name was John Jen-
sen, and he seemed proud OF the fact
that he spoke six languages, although
he was going thousands of miles for the
purpose of working as day laborer In
the hot sun of n sugar cane field.
As soon as Steward Russell had cor
rected the misstatement that the food
of the Cromwell steamers was not
fresh, Jensen opened new line Of
argument The Italians In the party,
numbering eighty odd, wanted 10 see
the Italian consul. They wanted the
contract signed at once. He claimed
that before the men left New York
they were told they would receive three
meals day on the steamship and
again he began to complain, but seeing
the ships officer near he changed his
mind. The men, he added, were also
told they would receive 81 a day for
their labor and would have but ten
hours work. The contracts were not
given the men In New York, but were
brought on board the ship by u. +, Ro-