The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-07-09
Italian immigration.


4 sir,-The deductions OF "Juvenis" are at
fault. Every writer against emigration
brings up the old, stereotyped and hack
neyed issues about the New Orleans chief
of police and other crimes here and there
committed by Italians and the Malta;
don't let me forget that! Let me ask
the American people II they do not know
that the total crimes in all Italy and
those Of 1taliano-Americans combined do
not equal those committed yearly by the
great Anglo Sa xon race Chat knows no
treachery) (?) and African in some Of
the Southern States l could name.
II the italian doesn't work hard 1t is
because he does not have to. and don't
blame him. The contention that Italians
gale not in trades and professions is alb
surd. The city OF Milan is right in the
front rank of manufactures and the
Milanese are doubtless the ones the editor
Of the afternoon paper has in mind when
he advocates and very rightly so. the
bringing of Italians here to add to our
Industrial and laborng classes.
When a man sets out to find and see
the worst side Of thing, he generally
sees It whether he finds 1t or not, or else
the drtiest citysin Italy,to judge Italians
prejudice prevented him from seeing it.
That his prejudice is proved. else he
would have spoken Of the beauties OF
Florence and Lucca. and the whole Tus-
can Valley. Rome and Venice.
The Tuscans. the best people in Italy,
and of whom no Virginian can prove
himself superior In any way, in either
morals. manners, chiyalry toward wo-
men, honor. integrity or any OF the at
tributes of civilization, are not a. man
ufacturing people to any great extent.
The beautiful Tuscan Valley is not made
hideous with smoke stacks and the ground
scared with blast furnaces. Hence II our
friend, who apparently gloats over such
things and measures nations BY their
number Of factories, would see the manu-
featuring Italians. he must cross the
Apennines. So IL We want the manu-
featuring Italian we must get the north
ern Italian. Lack of manufacturing is
to be deplored. but we must not censure
the Italian for that. and remember tho
South Is only awakening to that fact.
In no country do the southern people work
like those in the north Of their own
country. They can't-it's against their
nature. and their climate is against them.
No European State who wanted Amer
lean mechanics would think of importing
the southerner. The southern Italian loves
his blue sky. sunshine and soft winds too
we'll to work. can't much blame him,
but he is not as black as he Is painted,
The percentage OF treaohery In the Latin
races Is not greater than in other races,
My experiences AFRO that there arc black
sheep In every nation and you will find
treachery and knife carriers and pistol
5"toters" In every community In this
world. 33
Correspondents always dig up the Malta.
1t Is blot on one OF the falrest lands
on earth. ! admit, but In all fairness.
let me ask II Its deeds are any worse
than those OF the hoodlum element In the
Chicago strikes. not to mention our own
little unpleasant affair some years back,
and those monstrous truyesties or digni-
fled Statehood embodied In Colorado and
Kentucky, where the deeds of some OF
their citizens have forever d!sgraced their
respective commemorative? MOI and
hardly as bad for the police endeavors to
put down the Malta, which Is secret; out
there crime fGurshes In the open aud
tho criminals Ere unsought after and I'M
molested yet would not Judge America
by those States and equally 30 should
we not judge Italy and Italians by the
members of the Malta
And tho miners In Colorado are not all
foreigners by a long shot. and thank
heaven. I've seen no Italian names In
the scandal Has any Italian record
black as that OF the James and Walton
gangs and the western outlaw criminals,
3hioUnH a IA -