Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1905-01-28

The government is extending It's
mighty hand to throttle a nefarious
business which has been thriving for
some years past under the very noses
of the authorities 1t is an old in
dustry, revived from. time to time,
aud may be described as a system for
utilizing the immigration service for
the virtual enslavement of multitudes
of white children of foreign parentage.
The scheme in. question has long
been known as the -1padrone system,
and, in simple terms, consists of an
arrangement by which great numbers
| of little boys are purchased in Italy
and Greece, and imported into this
country to work as bootblacks, ped
dlers. newspaper vendors. beggars, or
what not, under the taskmasters who
take from them all of their earnings,
giving them only in return a wretched
subsistence, and often treating them
| cruelty. These children, after their
| arrival in the land of the Free" are
| bought and sold with just about as
much regard for their feelings or
| wishes as if they were dogs or cats
The price of small boy in southern
| Italy or in Greece is from s25 to $50.
| Sometimes they may be obtained for
| as little as SO. Children are plentiful
parents are not unwilling to allow
their young sons to go to America
| wonderful country, where, as they
have heard, wages are phenomenally
| high and riches easily acquired. Pass
| age on the steamship will be paid, and
| the cash received is so much bonus.
| So the buyer collects consignment
| of boys without much trouble. He
| prefers that they shall be not more
| than nine or ten years of age, for
| reasons which will presently appear.
| The shipment of them is the only diff
| ficulty, because they cannot be sent
| in a bunch. lest the suspicious of our
| immigration authorities be aroused.
| They have to be sent over by ones and
| twos, accompanying adults, to whom
they usually claim relationship, and it
| is necessary to coach them carefully
in the answers they are to give to
questions which are sure to be asked
when they reach Ellis Island. If they
fail in giving the proper replies, they
are liable to be sent back, and the
Spectator loses the money he has
| invested.
Buyers Make Trips Abroad.
The importer of these human chat
tells sometimes does his own buying
making visits once or twice a year TIC
Italy, or Greece, for that purpose. But
| however this part of the business may
be managed, the system on this side
of the water is always pretty much
the same. The "padrone" (master)
who owns the boys by right of pur-
chase, either rents them out to minor
bosses, at so much a head, or else
puts them to work on his own account
at peddling, backing boots, or what
ever employment may offer the best
expectation of profit. In either case
he pays them their wages-50 cents
or 81 a week-and provides them with
meals and lodgings.
AS might be imagined, the board
and accommodations furnished to the
unfortunate little slaves are extremely
wretched. The food they get barely
suffices to keep body and soul to-
4 gether, and commonly they are Obliged
to sleep on the floor, 25 or 80 of them
in a room. 1t is not surprising that
: their proprietors make money rapidly
Many of the Italian banks in New
York Chicago and other cities are
owned by men who were formerly
"padroni," and some of them are still
in the business.
If it be asked why the boys do not