The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-10-19

-'NAA LIZ y -. "
bodied young or middIa 10y. ADJ,
are scarce iii districts -aogrs-s
decade ago men Wer. 's 0o.y
SlnS Tor work. Statlsr... w.. beg.
must be true. Tho 1rs.. S"Y" trs
sion issued a few vaars 0""r.
gram map, made up mae,-. d Ia.
United States census. show. ..e- -.-
number OF Italians in ,~4t t-
states IN 1900 amounted t.' .. .~'"s
100. Inc same bureau u--.
that neXt years census viii 0-D".a.-s
NUMBER between two and F'.- lie
nan fnllllons' II Is not only -L"' 4
sence OF lheSe workers trar,
h a influences the nation. r.t" "t,
ket; there is a changed Mar,
tude on the part of thosr u,. [' el.-
They know that the worst +,.-~-1.
America promises them Is
more than the AVERAGE s+srE
living at home: the mo5arr ..
OF labor against its Gsnr;,.. '.t
through the privileges given o+t-.- s
clal classes IS penetrating f. -ha
hottest corners of the hingdor.
national schools are l0wering ~. .7
centage of illiterates, which te''
few years ago in the Southern
try districts reached nearly so CO..
tons, on the whole. cannot perm,
Dor in Italy to fall back to lis Ia-, a.,
when asleep and in deep ienorao.I
1t is fast awakening to a new If.
While in Milan and af1erV2-4
Rome, I was asked regarding the aar'
eral situation of italian laaor
America and what suggestions Ih.,
for its Improvement. In rppE.
summarized the notorious facts rar.
tive to the abuses of the padrone -,
interpreters, the SO-calIed bankers
the Italian colonies in America ana
the steamship companies of varfor.
countries competing for Storage naS.
sengers. Besides such steps as bsra
been taken by the Italian Government
I recommended that the trade union.
lists of Italy endeavor to organize Ttsr-
ian laborers as far as possible before
going to America. 1t would be well
for both countries. When Italy ceases
to be a reservoir for slaVish labor 10
American employers, American trade
union men will have fewer strikes ana
fewer strikers to support. The emf
grants themselves, instructed in trade
unionism, would be less liable to take
the places of workers and could be as
sisted in maintaining the American
standard of life, another name for the
union scales Of wages and the union
wOrk-day. The statement of thess
simple facts was construed ny some
otherwise specially Interested as the
revelation Of my real mission t.
Italy. My answer was that my only
mission to Italy vas to be helpful t.
Americas and Italy's workers. The
Especial interests comment was that
7 should be "regarded as a diplomat
The special interests to which par
ticularly refer are the sO-called On
4131 J.s Y r-4 - +IL l..F .LE fLa
Socialist movement of the kingdom,
doctors. lawyers, professors and The
like. They nave declared that 4"
playing a game" trying to p3ralEz'
Italian emigration and the CONSEQUENT
competition with Americas workers
by demanding organization OF the Ia
borers before they should leave the
country. Lastly, taking my alleged
"mission'' most seriously, the work
ingmen leaders of the Labor fN-
change in Naples (BOrSadi I-2Tofo'
urged that the American Federation
of Labor shall appoint special or
GAMERS from among their hum'+F
to "~discipline" italian ahorers-'r-
ganize and teach them union'SH-.n
the Southern ~0rovin0eS. ! can Only
these leaders thai Il FNdera',h
has never contemplated invading lttlE'
that my mission is but to b" hr'pl.i
and to seek information. II thaI "
recommending organization t. WaEo-
workers direct their own energies III
their own way. according 10 un'"
principles, well known and estao'
lished.
AS TO the ''intellectuaIs' i'm IfaE,
they deserve a paragraph in d Sp'' ~
letter I hope to write on the men
that kidney who r at present ''''
ing a disappearing role in tNI"o.
trade unions. I have Frequently IL"
Italians WIN thc'r nnion 0thcI"IS WI
not wageworkor5 of the trade. 80
not a few cases the reply has ''
that among the unskilled In TINS ,"--
try, trade unionism is a c0mpaIa"'
new movement; the impulse l"-
ganization has come from the '~~N..
the "discipline' must be mr". a.,
from those Of the higher bro" -
working classes are to be 'H4o
into the ''interr ational reNoiulIo"
the p~roletariat;" the organIZatI'.,
formed, are to be taught tco1Dt+ .
"claSs consciousness the o-oP'-a
commonwealth-and worklnG 49,
I@-o -1tTnnG thai IN E