their young laborers believe that for their protection and the safeguarding of their interests they must entirely depend upon their employer, the padrone.

In some cases padrones utilize the following means to compel boys to remain in their employ: As they pay their help their wages at the end of each year, as a rule forwarding direct a draft to the boy's parents in Greece, they claim they are short of money, and fall in arrears in such payments. As a result the boys remain in their service in the hope of receiving what is due them. On the other hand, the padrones avail themselves of all technicalities in law, secure numerous continuances, and, without exception, appeal all such cases. The young plaintiffs become gradually disheartened and abandon the suits, deeming such a course the least expensive and most logical, and convinced that there is no justice for the poor in this country.

In many instances the passage money of boys is advanced to them in Greece by relatives of the padrones, on the express stipulation that they are to depart for the United States and there remain in the service of the padrone for the period of one year, in payment of the passage money advanced to them; a mortgage is placed on the property of the boy's father, so drawn up as to show on the face of it that the mortgagor receives in cash an amount equal to a boy's annual wages in shoe-shining places in the United States, when, in fact, all that is actually received is a steamship ticket from Greece to this country and some $12 or $15 in cash-"show money," the immigrants call it to be exhibited during primary inspection to the immigration officers at the ports of entry. Such mortgages in Greece are given to those relatives of the padrone who conduct all the negotiations and send young contract laborers to the United States. The entire transaction is so shrewdly carried out that it is extremely difficult to secure evidence here sufficiently strong to connect the padrones with the conspiracy and ultimately convict them.

By comparing conditions here with those in Greece, the forces and considerations which induce the boys to migrate to this country, as also their willingness to tolerate the system here, can be easily understood. Their manner of existence here, although contrary to American ideas and institutions, is acceptable to them when they consider the financial remuneration they receive.

METHODS ADOPTED IN GREECE TO INDUCE MIGRATION OF NEW MATERIAL FOR LABOR UNDER THE SYSTEM.

The padrones have attorneys both here and in Greece to advise them, and they are careful to leave no traces that might possibly involve them in any trouble. The youths they employ are induced to migrate either through relatives of the youths already employed in the establishments of padrones here or by relatives of the padrones in Greece. The padrones here induce their boys to write alluring letters to their young relatives in Greece, urging them to come over and assuring them that they will be placed at work in the establishments where they themselves labor. All arrangements for those induced to come here by relatives of the padrones in Greece are made either with the boys directly or with their parents. A systematic advertising campaign is conducted in Greece throughout all provinces,

a See Vol. I, p. 178.

calculated to stimulate the desire of parents to send their male children to the United States.

Relationship in Greece is far-reaching; entire villages exist, some with populations of several hundred, in which practically all inhabitants consider themselves relatives. A third cousin' is considered among the peasantry quite a strong relationship. In addition, relationship by marriage and godfathership are given great weight. The padrones have shrewdly used this to their advantage and are doing so at the present time. They have their relatives in Greece visit villages and become godfathers to children, or best men at weddings, on any given opportunity, for the sole purpose of contracting alliances with families. The ceremonies are inexpensive. Padrones from the United States also take trips to Greece every two or three years and while there become godfathers to children in many families. This gives them considerable prestige and enables them to secure any boys such families may have for their service.

GREEK RAILROAD LABORERS.

Though the shoe-shining business is the main field of the system in the United States, quite a number of Greeks are brought here in violation of law and are placed at work on railroads in the western States under the padrone system.

The padrones in these cases are Greeks employed as interpreters or assistant foremen in charge of gangs of laborers on railroad work. Through agents they induce laborers in Greece to migrate here under promise of permanent work at high wages, ranging from $1.75 to $2 per day. These agents in Greece are, in the majority of cases, relatives of the interpreters. The laborers are furnished with their steamship tickets and "show money" and induced to give mortgages on their property for amounts equal to two, three, and four times the actual purchase price of their ticket. These agents travel through Greek villages telling farm laborers that they are fools to be wasting their time laboring in that country at starvation wages when they can go to the United States and work on railroads at wages guaranteed to be from $1.75 to $2 per day. They tell the immigrants that their brothers or relatives are bosses on railroads in the United States, and that they have secured contracts insuring work for all those who wish to migrate for a period of over three years; that any immigrant who is willing to migrate will be furnished with his steamship ticket and "show money " (this being between $12 and $15), and will be aranteed work in the United States; that by migrating as proposed by these agents the immigrants will be enabled within three or four months to pay up from the proceeds of their labor their mortgage indebtedness at home. Under such promises, the poorly paid laborer in Greece is induced to mortgage his homestead and migrate to the United States, where he is placed at work in the gang of the padrone on some railroad to be systematically exploited.

He is generally brought here from Greece on an agreement, secured by a mortgage or a promissory note, to pay from $130 to $250 for his steamship passage and "show money." Upon reaching his distination in the United States, he is usually charged $10 labor agent's fee,

for putting him to work; he is charged $1 per month interpreter's fee, as it is commonly called, this being the monthly tribute of each laborer to the interpreter of the gang, notwithstanding the fact that he is a salaried employee of the railroad company. Every three months the laborer is told to contribute $1 or more intended as a present to the foreman or roadmaster, and every spring and fall he may be called upon for another $10 by the labor agent, who promises to prevent his discharge from work through his influence with the roadmaster or those higher up.

The money for steamship tickets is often furnished by the padrone interpreters, who are, in nearly all instances, in partnership with their relatives in Greece; that is, they divide their profits.

These mortgages were formerly iron-bound loan contracts and mortgages, embodying therein a stipulation by which the laborer obligated himself to migrate to the United States and there enter the service of the padrone. A copy of the translation of a contract secured from Greece is shown in the appendix to this report. A number of these mortgages were used in convicting Kaplanis Brothers at Kansas City, Mo., under section 5440 of the United States Revised Statutes; that is, conspiracy to violate section 4 of the immigration act. Many interpreters, however, are still operating, their partners or agents in Greece using promissory notes instead of mortgages.

The exploitation of railroad laborers is not confined entirely to the Greeks, but, as stated, extends in some cases to Austrians, Bulgarians, Italians, and Mexicans.

INADEQUACY OF PRESENT LAWS.

In the investigations conducted by the Bureau of Immigration many conferences were held with United States attorneys in various jurisdictions with the view of instituting proceedings against padrones, if possible, under the peonage statutes. The attorneys generally agreed that under the evidence submitted to them those laboring in shoe-shining establishments are peons, but as the elements of indebtedness and physical compulsion to work out the indebtedness are missing, peonage laws can not apply.

Our immigration laws as now on the statute books provide specifically for the exclusion of boys under 16 years of age only when not accompanied by one or both of their parents." This provision can not apply to those boys that come in company with their parents, nor to those who have their parents in the United States, nor to such as successfully deceive immigration officers by posing as the sons of immigrants in whose charge they come. If held for special inspection at the ports of entry, these aliens can only be excluded if it appears that they are destined to an occupation unsuited to their tender years. In the absence of any such evidence, the boards of inquiry generally admit. Once landed, it becomes a hard matter to trace them and almost impossible to secure evidence in the majority of cases, for the boys understand that they will be punished by deportation. This knowledge makes them persistent in withholding any information as to the manner of their entry into the United States.

No. 24863
Year 1907

APPENDIX.

LOAN CONTRACT OF 600 DRACHMAE.

In New Corinth and in my notarial office, located in the house of Angelike I. Angelopoulou, No. 7 Saviour st., on the 14th day of March, year 1907, on Wednesday afternoon, before me, Gerasimos I. Dasios, duly authorized notary public for Corinth, wherein I reside and hold office, personally appeared as parties of the first part, Stephanos I. Kaplanis, land-holder, resident of New Corinth, and known to me, and as parties of the second part, George D. Elenis, Demetrios I. Siachras, and Athanasios Ioan. Siachras, farmers, known to me and residing at Xylokerizes of Xamilia, Corinth, and asked me to draw up this, the present document, by which the party of the first part and the parties of the second part in the presence of the lawful witnesses, Panayoti Katjouli, land-holder, resident of old Corinth, and George Skouteri, newspaper agent, resident of New Corinth, known to me, mutually agreed to the following: That the party of the second part, of the contracting parties, consisting of George D. Elenis, Demetrios I. Siachras, and Athanasios Ioan. Siachras, being in need of funds so that Demetrios I. Siachras may go to America, borrowed and received from the party of the first part, Stephanos I. Kaplanis, 600 drachmae today in cash, some time before this hour, but not in my presence and office, as they have admitted, which they promise and become bound jointly and severally, waiving the right to contend for a division of responsibility, to pay to the party of the first part, their creditor, Stephanos I. Kaplanis, at the expiration of six months from date without interest and if not paid then to draw the interest thenceforth of 12% per annum until paid, as per agreement between the contracting parties. It was further mutually agreed between the contracting parties that the party of the second part is to pay off the aforesaid loan in the following manner: That Demetrios I. Siachras must, and is hereby bound, to go to Kansas City, of America, and there personally labor in the factories of or works of George and Theodore I. Kaplanis, brothers, who reside there: And from his compensation or wages he shall leave every month a sum of money in proportion and keep this up until the payment of the aforesaid loan is completed, receiving from them regular and properly signed receipts attesting the deposit of such moneys with the brothers, George and Theodore Kaplanis; otherwise in the event that the aforesaid debtor does not go to Kansas City of America to enter the service of Kaplanis Brothers, but goes to another place and labors for others or in the event that the debtor does not go there (to America) at all, then this loan and instrument is to be considered immediately due, and fully in force for an immediate demand before the expiration of the six months period abovesaid, and further the loan of 600 drachmae will become not only collectible and subject to an immediate demand but the interest of 12% per annum will commence from the date hereof and continue until paid. And in order to guarantee the payment of these 600 drachmae and interest thereof, George D. Elenis conveys the right to Stephanos I. Kaplanis to record a first mortgage-waiving the right of being notified of such actionon his following real estate property: (1) On 4 acres of land newly planted in vines, located at Paliambela, district of Xamilia, municipality of Corinth, surrounded with rocky ground and property of

Dem. Liapi. (2) On three acres of land also newly planted in vines, located at Agios Athanasios, in the same jurisdiction and adjoining the property of K. Louti, Ekaterina Ath. Tsantilla, Theod. Marcello and rocks. (3) On a three-acre vineyard, located at Magoula, same jurisdiction and adjoining property of Ath. Demou Demetr. Leka, N. Nichalopoulo and a street, which vineyard is also designated by the product taxation No. of 1899 as No. 457. (4) On 14 olive trees, located at Galataki, in Galataki district, municipality of Sofikou and the land they occupy, which adjoins the property of Ath. Kolopasta, N. Markellou, A. Anagnostopoulo, and a river. (5) On five other olive trees, including the land, located at Armyre, in same jurisdiction and municipality, a little above the church and adjoining the property of G. Daniel and I. Files. (6) One olive tree of great age, near the church of Armyre and on the farm of Anas. Dante; the mortgages recorded on the above property shall be in full force and effect until this the present document is cancelled. All of the above terms and stipulations having been stated and accepted by the contracting parties, this present document was drawn up, which having been duly read within hearing of all concerned and affirmed, was signed by all, save by George D. Elenis, who duly declared his illiteracy.

The contracting parties:

Copy issued for use by the authorities in the prosecuting attorneys' offices in conformity to their order No. 6683.

New Corinth Sept. 21, 1909.

The notary for Corinth:

[SEAL.]

G. I. DASIOS.

I certify that the above is the signature of Mr. Gerasimos Dasios,

official notary public at Corinth, Greece.

Washington, April 4th, 1910.

The Minister of Greece:

[Seal of the Greek Legation.]

L. A. COROMILOS.