The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-07-29
Voice: of
the .l'ile' People:
Italian vs.. Negro.

Italian VS.. Negro.
Editor OF The Times. Dispatcf
| Sir,-1n reply to ".Ihvcnls's" article Of
the z3d, would say that In answering
his first communication / was unaware OF
the fact Of his being man Of color.
/ OF course, i know all Of his race arc
against. not only, the Italians coming
| here, but all emigrants, because they
are guilty Of the dog In the manger act
| they don't want to work the cotton fields
and farms of the South themselves, and
they don't want any one else to take
| their places. That readily explains tho
| c0lorcd mans objection to nigratlon.
\ would also tell "Juvenls' that T am
no cssayst, and my article was no flight
OF Imagination; that oil / have said can
be proved If he were to take the trouble.
Why should 1lmagine for the Italian:
| The facts speak for themselves. "Juvc-
nls'' knows us we'll as / that tho Italian
nation cannot be Judged blythe colnpara-
lively few who commit crime, and I defy
him to prove the italian an inferior race,
as he insinuates in his article. The Ital-
ians of this city deserve great praise for
their forbearance and conservative silence
under such trying. unjust and malciously5
false accuslngs. Lot the public put Itself
in their places and ask whether It would
think 1t fair or Just to have It in tho,
public prints that any particular element
OF American whites was Inferior Show
me the man who would dare to make
such a statement In the papers! Then
Why not be just to others as we arc to
ourselves? Don't let any OF lis think
because italians were foreigners It doesn't
make any difference how they IRE SLAM
dered. because they can't help them
selves: because those that are here arc
not foreigners now, and 1t does make
difference, and they can and will help
themselves. g l IL ts,&
"Juvenis' contends that becauso an
italian Che may always be reprobate,
but that is taken no account of kills
q man occasionally or insults a woman,
ais people as n nation do not make good
citizens. Juvenis," that statement Is. a
BOOMERANG, and you have thrown It only
to have 1t come back with damnably ac-
cuslng power against your race, for I
could say that because Of the hundreds
OF black flends both captured hanged,
lynched and at large, guilty Of a crime
moro terrible than murder, more terrible
than all the crimes of the Malta and
"black hand combinedJ the negro race
does not make good citizens, and / leave
1t to the public IL my statement will not
be more generally accepted as correct
than yours. because you cannot name
three Italians or any other white nation
nlity guilty of this Hunmentionab crime
that makes the blood of all true white
men boil a Its mention, while there are
scores and hundreds Of blacks. There,
you have the deadly parallel which will
show any man or nation In his true
light.
Butt do not choose to say that because
there are black flends among you there
are not those who, under proper con-
ditions, do make good citizens. Then
why say because a black sheep Italian
In Fairfax insults a school girl and kills
Il man that all Italians are bad and
none make good citizens? BE fair. Be
consistent. Consistency Is n jewel which
no one can guard too closely, and which,
under the closest watching, escapes us
|}all sometimes.
You say / did not answer you about the
| working Italian, Oh. yes, did. / told
you where to find him but you need not
60 80 far as that. Go to the railroad
cuts In any part Of the North or West
where road extension Is going on or
among the constructions work In any
large city, and you'll find him doing as
hard and as honest days work as any
other man.
No. "Jurenis,' we. do not. at least not
often, see women Keeling about he streets
| here, but get out your revenue statis-
I
spirits lis consumed In the South as
! North. in proportion to population, and
not more than two-thlrds (Which Is about
the average North. I belIeve) goes down
masculine threats. never denied that
the customs South were better than those
North. but I deny that Tue loose morals
and manners North came from assocInt-
ing with aliens, because such existed be-
fore any great percentage of foreigners
were In the country; and every one knows
| the Europeans are foolish to q degree
| in social customs and moral etiquette.
politeness and manners, But T. forget.
People of that class nre not emigrnting.
as one correspondent wrote, like poor
people are not OF good character and
morals What q slam that was on Amer
| leans of tho poorer classes! a5S ~ a
II "Juvenls2 soes I'll to answer this
article, / cheerfully turn over sac task
OF replying to some Italian friend, be-
cause / feel he can defend the honor and
dignity OF his people better than I. for
no man can know nother like that man
| knows himself.
with all the malicious darts of calum-
ny hurled ut our treacherous (O Italians
which rebound to the detrment ofSthe
| hurlers like rifle balls on an armor-
clad, / am still as always and eve,
AMIGO DEGLI ITtAL1ANA, A