The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1907-12-01

peonage. from the south. 80 She is |
right as. 70 the fact-therc could be I
no less peonage than shown III the
visible net results Of her expenditure
of time and public money. Backed by
the authority of the government, with
her retinue of detectieys and interpre
tiers, the assistant attorney general
has devoted some months to probing
and sleutf1ing the Sunnysidc colony
for pconage cases
In this line she was afforded every
facility and courtesy for her invcsti-
gations-though a consunrate nui-
sanoe she was granted the free right
OF ingress and egress Until her at
tempted interference with the plan
tation arrangements because irrtol-
cradle. Then she was warned off OF
the premises. and then she lodged
Just one charge of pconage; charge
that The Herald says advisedly can
by no stretch of construction be
converted into violation of the stat
ute; statute which was resurrected
after over fifty years of sleep for
the bsdevilrnent of the south. To
express the truth BY a Classic quota
ton, the lady lawyer-mountain has
iabored ard brought forth spurious
peonage mouse! Under the circum
stances the admission that poem
age is not general II the south" is inn
prudent, rather than gracious.
Why, says the Constitution
should the south be signalled out
for these repeated assaults upon her
good name?" In this case the expla
,ation is as simple as it is exasper
ating. Siege was laid to the Sunny
ide colony not upon the initiative OF
he department. of justice, but as q
nachiavelian stroke Of Italian poll
cy.
For purposes and aims of the Ital
t an government the plot was laid TO
| ~ blow the Sunnyside colony-the
most widely and favorably known Of
| he Southern Italian settlements, and
0 this end, under the pretex OF
INVESTIGATING industr al condatiok :
| IRIS Quackenboss was nominated for
lie place, to the attorney general, by
he Italian ambassador. Her talent
/ Or bringing out and creating diseon
cnt and drawing up report thai
ould be read back in Italy, was well
nown.
That the obstruction and breaking
p the emigration of her farm pop
alton s the policy of the Italia
6vernment is notorious. The reason
the scarcity of labor in all agricul
| tural suits-has been widely ant
arnestly discussed Italy has thrown
20 obstacle in the way, if she has no.
| encouraged emigration OF mining
and factory labor That class Of TIL.
,opulatio n periodically, and finally
permanently, returns.
One OF the periods of the eastward
! travel is now on Thousands of Itai
ans are homebound with their saw
ngs of one or more years. But thi.
. L
stay and stick-espe cially on the cot
, ton plantations of the Delta An in
stance showing the extreme opposi
lion to any more of this class Leaving
Italy has been rscently related t,
! rs. A Vicksburg Italian citizen OF
visiting his old home was thus aecos
/ cd by his brother: Do you return t,
i see your people or to carry back witt
: you labor for the cotton fields?
/ you seek to 60 the latter you are no
| welcome. The grapes are now rot
ting in my vineyard for want of la
: Dor"
The Herald's assertion of the EN-
ptiness of the charge of a cofpditio,
Of peonage on Sunnyside is sustaine
by the statement of facts of the cas-
elsewhere published. The person re
! puted 10 be held against his consen
had long left the plantation of hi
own free will. But facts are nothin
in the scheme of which Mrs Quack
enboss was an instrueInnt
To understand the extent of tn
disturbance she is capable of causins
; one must know her and the materis
on which she has worked, the ignoI
! ance that looked upon her most eS
| trayagant talk, bearing the stamp {
Y governmental authority. as law an
/ gospel. We note, in conclusion thu
e Mrs. Quackenboss is slated to cor
tinue her work IN Louisiana. In vie
I Of the record she has made at Sur
= nyside The Herald warns employees
Il TO keep her off their place. She
as sure to raise trouble as that til
: sparks fly upward-Vicksburg He
aid.
"PaternaIism.o