Evening star., 1923-02-26
.S|C|L|ANS Swarm
i. S. CONSULATE
Emigration Restrictions Pro-
vide Many Distressing Pic
lures These Days.
SPECIAL Correspondence Of The Star.

SICILY. February S lEy
Maii')-say 'Il Consulate" TO anv
hackmaE, in the most distan, hy-
street OF Sicily's chief seaport and
metropolis. and he will carry Vol,
straight TO the only consulate tina,
means anything worth while 70 =
Sicilian. the American consulate AZ
~ via Ingham. There are many
other consulates, true. but none other
holds keys Of release from the iail
OF these rocky shores.
When a boat sails" said Vice Con
SUI Leary, you see one or two OF
half a dozen women on the dock
barred from going to America with
their relatives, rolling about and
screaming. perhaps. as they catch
sight of some lucky woman OF their
acquaintance who has secured a pass
port. Come in here and watch the
line & OF applicants: even though I.aly,s
quota for this fiscal year is filled
and you will see what the privilege
of emigrating means to them
Consul Nathan had told ne tina.
already there is a waiting list Of
something near $4,000 applicants for
can legally be vised for the year be-
ginning next July. / had gathered
elsewhere the fact that the 10000
men demohilized from the royal
guards by Mussolini, and the 10000
70 100000 proposed to be dismissed
period between now and July woul6
immensely increase the pressure upon
Rome to secure somewhere. somehow
q safe place of emigration for the
surplus male bread winners OF the
country. And in Sicily ] had seen
such squalor, such suffering Of de
based conditions OF living. in a coun
try poor. backward and steadily de
caying. as ar American usually aSso
ciates with regions devastated By
Balkan and near eastern wars.
Cannot Take Wife.
Giuseppe wanted TO take his Sic.
ilian wife, soon TO become a mother
back with him TO America, where he
had left a good business in 1913 to
join the American expeditionary force
He was American born, and after the
war he had come down to Sicily 20
see his relatives. italian Law per
mitted him to marry. surely. but 10
take his wife to America with NIP
why, that was quite Impossible.
Italian policy requires that young
men who will earn money abroad -
be sent back to Italy shall get the
preference in the issuance OF pass
ports for America, so long as inhH,i
grafton is limited. So. although tRe
American immigration act gives PREF
erence to wives, children and othe'
members of families OF Immigrants
Giuseppe cannot go unless ne sIe
alone. The consulate can let hiS
follow him next July. on traN;
affidavit" which will assure the llniI.
grafton authorities in New YORK INA
She comes to join her American nus
band. po,.-no
without his wife. Ihe anc.e, stana,ns.
known now as the Mafa, which has no
nffices and denies it's own ocins,
thinks II better that Giuseppe Wai.
and take her himself. He receives
word. No one in Sicily VINO Kno"s
cision unless he be backed by all
army. ,,,
four years old. Two years ago ne
came back with his parents AFTER
father died here. He wants visa
outside the quota as returnea
Am merican resident. He has had great
difficulty in getting italian passport
really not italian. but American, IN
all his speech and ways
May Wait Another Chance.
All that can be done is TO give him
a letter to the immigration author
tiles in America, reciting his story
He and his mother may be sent oack
to Sicily, where he will wait another
chance of escape.
Giovanni. born here, but taken TO
months in the American forces in
France, went home and got a pass
port as an American citizen to visit
Italy.
recognizes your release from military
duty to the Italian government" he
was told by the American officer
who signed his military discharge
Giovanni went to the italian consul
in his city and ;sa vas ga assured sure, .ss on paE
tary discharge was legal in italy"
; What's this" inquired the italian
officer. who examined his papers
when he crossed the frontier; "A
snesI xood Sere Se muss YOU hawen. ws serveS
eighteen months in the American
Army you will have to serve the
whole eighteen months in ours We
will give you good discharge when
you are through"
And Off they packed him 20 camp
The consulate recovered his pass
port
Another former soldier, born here
but naturaliZed in America. had a.
Ice with Uncle Sans troops His
paper was taken from him and an
Italian military discharge drawn up
and handed him in it's place.
AbuKe of Returning Sons.
The pitiful phase of this situation
| Is that many Italian-born members
Of the American expeditionary forces
were gassed. or became tubercular,
or were badly wounded. and came
back tn see their rlOfhAr@ for h
ably the last time They all run a
risk Of harsh treatment under this
rule Of making emigrants remem Der
that. after all, their first and last
allegiance must be to italy.
sicily's largest export crop is
dealt the island a heavy blow. Sui
phur exports are almost dead. since
American sulphur from the gulf COAST
undersells the Sicilian by $50 a tor
in the European market. Sumao for
tanning leather. and human hair for
value. The land, except in the mar
row citrus belt. is parched and stony
Between the inexorable pressure OF q
dying agriculture and industry. on
the one hand. and Americas deterni-
nation to pick her new human stock
ernment makes its decision that wage
earning men. likely to send home
their earnings to Italy, must first be
sent away. The American Congress
humane toward the immigrants al
ready arrived, decides that 1t prefers
families first. Grimly imnlovabls
through the centuries. the Malta
warns every Sicilian that once he
leaves Sicily he must not interfere
in its affairs.
Possibly the American State De
k~r h,f,,, tn