The Ordway new era., 1906-12-14
LIVING IN SLAVERY.
psriFul ellohr or ITALIAN GM''
GRANTS IN oRAzil.
ce~esstsay at the Mercy 81 Cruel
Taskmastsrs. Unfortunatss wear
Out Their Lives In Hardest
Kind Of Toll.

For the last few years Italian peas
sntry have been encouraged TO emf
CRATE T. Brazil. and Roman and fior-
entine reviews have published aru-
cies settaag forth the advantages Oh
south America for the exploitation oil
Italian capital and labor. says the LII
erary Digest In the year iso4. we
are told. there were l.10O.Ooo itaiiahs
settled In Brazil. 65O.000 being In San
Paulo. In the south region OF the re-
public. But according to oreste his'
tod. who writes from San Panio' 'he
condition OF the Italian farm iaporers
In that region is most depioraoie'
Writing In the University fopiorae
(Mantua), he speaks of the nhseraoie
slavery of his fellow countrymeh,
They are compelled to work from IL
To IA hours day. The 1000 given
them Is both unwholesome and insu-
ficIent. Physical and moral degen'
GRAFTON has resulted from the nor
.rors Of their lot and they have sunk
into a condition below that OF inc
brutes. This writer says that AZ
though heavy taxation and capi,aiistie
oppression have driven them TO tor-
eIgn lands. they find after some years
in South America they have merely
iumped out of the frying pan into
the fire. To quote:
"On their arrival in Brazil they are
distributed through the fazandas, or
farms of the country. and are com
pelled to labor far beyond their
strength. badly fed. lodged Ike swine
I'm the mud OF novels destitute OF
light or fresh air. Here they are eS-
posed to the weather. to disease. TO all
the pestiIentiai vapors OF night. wlth
no alIeyIatloa for their exhaustion eN'
cep,ing a few hours OF sleep between
sunset and dawn. After years OF
WEAKNESS and tribulation our slaves
OF the soil. those strong and indom'
table cultivators of the ground. are
not longer recognizable. Their physi'
cad constitution is broken. their
strength is exhausted, their blood be-
comes impoverished. their spirit Is
gone. Even their countenances be
tray their condition. for priyaton and
sufYcring have emaciated and turned
them into the aspect OF skeletons"
The personal liberty OF the Italian
settlers has become subject TO the
whIms of cruel taskmasters. and the
law In San Paulo affords no redress.
Mr.. Ristori tells us.
On the fazendas the Italian colon
fists count for nothing. They are mere
iy chatteis gifted with the power of
Iocomution. and their masters have
absolute right to them. as to the ne
groes who were formerly their slaves
They are compelled to give up all
their human rights, to think only OF
their duty and to conform to the local
estimate of their own inferiori'y TO
their masters. at the risk of being Sc
vereiy punished. Meekness and res
ignation are Indispensable requisites
In avoiding the lash OF the slave driver
or foreman. and only in this way
can the laborers escape from worse
fate
The worse fate" is forfeiture of
wages, torture and sometimes death.
The laws and the Italian consulate
have no protection for the Italian
Farm hands OF San Paulo. Thus:
The laws OF the land. which breathe
the spirit Of the fullest liberalism,
have NO force In protecting the Italian
colonist- All the guarantees of which
We 80 freely hear are n mere dead
letter as regards him. The police in
variably favor the assassins. and the
magistrates exculpate them. Their ex-
ceilencies the Italian consuls dine with
the owners OF the fazendas. and the
horrors Of slavery. apparently put
stop to by Brazilian legislation. are
actually brought back again in all
their frightful cruelty and still flour
fish under the blue sky of the repub-
ffc."