The National tribune., 1909-01-14
THE SICIIIANS.
People Who Have Been Sunk In the
Depths of Slavery and Ignorance for
Thousands of Years.

Depths OF slavery and Ignorance Tor
Thousands of Years.
People who are astonished at the
stories Of the extraordinary poverty, ig-
norance and helplessness Of the men
and women in the earthquake districts
must remember that for thousands of
years the people of Sicily and the neigh
boring peninsula were slaves of the low
est type, and kept in the most absolute
ignorance. All of the old Nations along
the Mediterranean were mighty slave
hunters. and made war for the purpose
of getting slaves to work for them.
were the incredible number of 60,000,-
GEO slaves in the Roman Empire. Wher-
ever the Roman armies moved the SOL
diers gathered in the people as part of
their booty, ard sold them to the slave
dealers, who followed the army and
drove a profitable business. Slaves sold
in camp and even in Rome at times as
low as sc 2-3 cents a head, depending
upon the supply. When the army was
operating in barbarous country and
was victorious. immense numbers of
slaves were captured. the market would
be glutted. and the price fall. Every
Romans ambition was to get fertile
lands, mines and other property, and
then get host Of slaves to work the
property for him.
Sicily being the largest and most fer
tile of the Mediterranean islands, was a
prize for whatever people could get
possession, and the eonGuerors filled up
the island with slaves gathered from
North Africa and Asia Minor to work
the rich lands for them Each Nation
in turn sent only a small portion Of it's
citizens to the islands, just enough to
manage the slaves and get rich by their
labor. Each nationality of masters was
in turn driven out by another set, who
took no interest in the slaves further
than to get the most that was possible
out of them. Thus few Phoenicians
held the island for centuries, when they
were displaced by a small force of
Greeks, who took over the island and
it's people. The Greeks built cities and
brought much civilization for them
selves, but not for the people under
them. The condition of these remained
the same. They were mere machines
to dig. plant and gather. Then the
Romans took the island, and held it for
centuries with exactly the same system
under different masters. Next the
Goths took it, and held it until they
were driven out by the Byzantines.
Some 800 years later the Saracens
drove out the Byzantines, and became
masters of the slaves. Then, 800 years
later still, the Normans drove the Sara
Gems out, anu Ineu IOT nuHQEeuS OF
years the island was football for Bit
ter struggles, with substantially all the
people of Europe contcnding for its
ownership. Spain and France waged a
long series of wars as to which royal
family should have the privilege of
reaping its wealth. Many historians
mark the end of the Dark Ages and the
beginning of modern history with the
expedition of Charles VIII. to Naples to
conquer the country for the Spaniards.
Then it passed under the control of
Austria, but the Napoleonic wars found
the two Sicilies under the rule of a
Spanish Bourbon. Napoleon put his
brother-in-law, Murat, on the throne,
but he was deposed and shot in 1915,
and the Bourbons came back. They
were the most odious and oppressive of
all the Bourbons in Europe, and their
rule was SO oppressive as to shock the
civilized world. Garibaldi drove out the
Rourbons in 1860. and united the two
Sicilies to Victor EmanuePs Kingdom.
Since then the Italian Government has
been doing an immense work in trying
to better the conditions of the people,
but found disheartening distractions in
the way of changing habits of people
who have been for at least 5000 years