The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-07-19
COMMISSION SARGENT

of farming out young lads at so much
per head is carried out in this city, as
we'll as the larger cities. The follow
ing dispatch from Washington would
indicate that a stop is to be put to
the practice:
Washington, July 19.-Facts which
have been brought to mis- attention
from time to time have caused Frank
P Sargent, commissioner general Of
immigration, to conclude that there is
an effective and deep-rooted padrone
system in operation in this country,
operated by Greek immigrants. Hav-
ing arrived at this conclusion Mr.. Sar-
gent has acted accordingly, and here
after it will be more difficult than
ever for fruit vendors and BARRIERS
and proprietors of shoe-shining par
lors to import ship loads Of dimin-
utive Greek boys and youths for the
purpose Of working them Indefinite
ly without wages.
The influx of these little chubby
faced boys, black-eyed, coarse-haired
Greeks into the larger cities Of the
United States in the past few years
has been very noticeable. In St.
Louis within a year there were more
than dozen shoe-shining parlors
opened in the central portion Of the
business district in which more than
a half dozen Greek youths were en-
ployed. On some Of the windows are
painted signs explainingthat "the
particular company or firms operating
this place has branches in several 9TH
er cities.' The same conditions ex-
list in all the large cities.
The plan seems to have originated
some years ago, in the idea Of a New
} York shoe black, who was making
money to bring over a young cousin,
Is years Of age. Glowing letters Of
the wonderful country and the future
in store for the boy resulted in the
father, an ignorant countryman, ac-
cepting the ticket sent for the boy,
who was put on board ship and sent
to New York.
To the Greek standard of wages
and prices, $50, the sum necessary
for passage from Athens or Sparta to
, New York is an immense sum. The
father saw no injustice, therefore, in
binding his boy to work for the Amer
lean cousin until was p, without
yx-0 rnS nrTJn To 10 q
Of the voyage.
> Gets Boy for his Board
The willy immigrant, therefore, Sc
. cures boy for one shoe-shiningchai1
. at wage of 1888 and board per year
instead of S. week, which he had tc
!, pay his other hands. 1t paid so well
. that he brought over other boys on the
. plan. Other Greeks followed his ex-
ample, until the system is familiar tC
every Greek dealer or shopkeeper.
TO such proportions has the system
grown that few days ago, while Con
missioner General Sargent and Mr.
Cortelyou, then secretary Of commerce
and labor, were in Boston on tou1
Of inspection, one ship arrived bear
g ing 14O Greek boys, all under Is year
of age. When the influx became s.
large as to attract the attention o
the immigrant authorities, and the.
began to make inquiries, the will Gree
, bethought him Of a subterfuge. H
was bringing the boys over to edu
e cate them. That has come to be tn
!, standard excuse. This was the rea
son assigned in nearly every case o.
: the Boston ship. Experience and in
+ vestigation in prior cases, however
had shown the falsity of htese repre-
n sensations, and most of the 140 wer
e deported.
J. 1t has always been the case t
8 trace these cases. False names an
IS addresses, both of the boy and tn
10 conniving elders, are hard to trac,
W when they are once submerged In tn
g. alien colonies Of a great city, wher
to every man regards the immigratio
IS officer as his natural enemy, to be Out
J. witted, OH every possible occasion
$ But special inspection work was done
te certain suspicious cases were followe
re up closely and boys who had com
III over to receive schooling through tn
SIS agency of an "uncle" were foun
es standing on the street corners, cryin
es out in their melodious patois, "B;
a. mana, fl cent doz.' Others Wei
tn farmed out as rag and cigarett
'pickers, at great personal profit