The San Francisco call., 1908-10-04

from Sicily and Calabria to the italian
Alps-sman shops, drinking places.
large two wheeled carts for hire lem
onade stands on the streets. maccaroni
factories, herds of milch goats fishing
boats on the Mediterranean and freight
boats on the lakes were bought with
the savings of peasants that had
worked in America.
If disaster come to any American city
Ii is reflected in some part OF Italy.
When the first news of the great San
Francisco fire was received we were
asked constantly by strangers Had
we news? Had we heard of the extent
of the calamity? Had the Italian quar-
ter also been Destroyer And il was
heartbreaking to see mothers and wives
of Italian men in the unfortunate city
sitting on their doorsteps with folded
hands waiting till word could reach
them OF the safety of their kin abroad.
We may look with anxious disap-
proval on this great drainage of our
wealth. this constant transporting OF
our money beyond the seas and shudder
at the slogan of money out OF circula-
ton of those whose bee is restriction
OF immigration, but whether we are
wise or not, whether we understand
the real situation, whether We are not
the gamers by having ready labor with
out the burden of rearing the children
or the public expense of education and
training TO accomplish the work that
there seems no one in our country TO
do. the whole matter will probably
settle itself at the same source whence
comes the alarm. 1t will be settled not
in our congress- by our people, but in
the Italian senate.
Our disapproval of the loss of our
dollars is nothing to the dismay with
which Italians view even the temporary
-. -
strong departing. the helpless and aged
left behind. the country lads. the tillers
of the soil, the sturdy peasant boys
lured away by Americas gold. nor do
those patriots OF Italy who are con-
cerned for her future feel that money,
no matter how enormous the amount
received in return, is an adequate OFF,
set, a recompense for the loss Of the
vigor and youth of her population
1t is on account of this belief that
statesmen are framing new laws at
Rome to check emigration. the hrst
move of which has been. to prohibit the
enticing posters with their great pic
lures OF ships crossing the blue ocean,
and dates of sailing. which formerly
were displayed in a conspicuous place
in every country town. 1T is hope
less to try to improve the condition for
the working class at home. for. aside
from compelling the cultivation and
selling of great tracts of land like the
Campagna. around Rome and in parts
of Sicily, neglected by their prOprietors.
the rich nobility. there are next to no
new development OF resources. while
the population already exceeds what
the soil will support, and the number
increases.
Colonization is the only solution. For
this. Italy is looking across the home
seas to countries at her very door. which
are in every way suitable for coloniza-
tion- For this she threw in all the
weight of her influence with France and
England at the Algeeiras conference so
that when circumstances admit when
the time is ripe for which she works
and waits. these two powerful coun-
tries will support her when she raises
her flag over Albania and TripoH.
Thus would the mother country pro-
vide for the adventurous and those
necessarily thrust out. that on home
soil they may find opportunity and
plenty, and that she may no longer pay
tribute in her sons to foreign lands