The Italian Colony Submitted by Larie Tedesco Source The Daily Picayune - New Orleans Sunday, November 2, 1890 ************************************************* Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ The Italian Colony Proposed Federation of the Italian Societies of New Orleans How the 20,000 Members of the Italian Colony Proposed to Advance Their Interests Socially, Morally and Educationally, While Guarding Against Bad Men of Their Own Nationality Mr. John Rocci's Address in Behalf of the Italian-Americans of New Orleans For some time past there has been before the Italian societies of New Orleans a project for federation. The leading Italians of the city recognize the fact that combined, the societies can more readily and more fully protect and advance the interests of the Italian colony in Louisiana, which numbers some 20,000 persons, and they not only endorse the project, but are using every effort to make it successful. The plan is to raise a fun by subscriptions and dues to be paid by the societies to establish in this city an Italian library, Italian schools, and to preserve to the children of Italian parents born in this country the history, customs and traditions of this otherland. An Italian school is already in successful operation here and receives an annual allowane of 2,000 lire (about $490.00) from the Italian government. Its pupils are taught in both the English and Italian languages and are trained to respect the free institutions of the country in which they live. The federation will enlarge this system of education materially and hopes to secure from the Italian government liberal appropriations for the purpose. It will also make large landed purchases and divide the tracts up into small farms which will be sold to its members on easy time payments. Whether the federation will have any political features or not is still problematical. One of the strongest arguements in it favor for the present is that by continuing ? the colony will the more readily be able to repress the lawless element which in some proportion seeks refuge in American ? measures taken for the suppression in Italy. To Mr. John Rocci, who for forty years has been a resident of New Orleans and who by his many deeds of benevolence? among his countrymen has earned the title of "The Father of the Colony." A large measure of the success of this project will be due. Mr. Rocci is a man of intelligence and learning and enjoys a considerable reputation as an orator, ilinquist? and writer. For fifteen years he has been the president of the Societa Mutual Benevolenza Italiana, organized forty-four years ago and the oldest Italian society in the United States. For seven years he was president of nearly all of the ten Italian Societies of the city. As one of the most promenent Italians in the city, Mr. Rocci's address to the Italian colony which appears in Saturday morning's edition of the Gazetta Catholics, a journal approved by the archbishop of New Orleans and the cardinal archbishop of Baltimore, will be of interest at this time. The address, liberally translated, is as follows: To the Public, While still under the most painful mistrust, aroused by the atrocious and unjustifiable assassination of Superintendent Hennessy at he hands (so it is asserted by the local authorities) of a conspirasy of vulgar Italian malefactors, who diagraes? in this country the name of a glorious nation, the brave and honest Italian colony of New Orleans, of which I am proud to be the faithful interpreter, justly and deeply indignant at the vile barbarous and crual ?, desires to repent to the good and noble people whose hospitality it enjoys that it not only deeply deplores but protest with all the fervor of it sold against the ? assassination of Mr. Hennessy, reputiating any sympathy or affiliation with degraded charactors who seek to revive in this ountry the shameful and murderous conspiracies which they are prevented from pursuing in Italy - an intriguing element unworthy of being allowed to live under the sky of this free land. At the same time we deprocate all atemps upon the part of an excited people to visit upon a mass of people, industrious and useful to this country, the crimes of a class who are Italians only in name and who form the one undesirable element in the Italian colonies in the United States; it would be neither right nor reasonable to place under the ? ban an entire racem, who have the right to enjoy the privileges of this country, provided they obey the laws. The Italian colony is unanimous in its demand upon the authorities that light shall be thrown upon this ease; that she does severe and inexorable justice ? out; that the sanetity of the law shall not be violated because of animosity against a race, and that in the end justice shall be promptly and wisely administered, free from that passion and hate which are only to be found in the breasts of those who cry for revenge without first having discovered the true culprit. The American people whose noble qualifies the Italians know how to appreciate, would be unjust if they failed to distinquish the true Italians from the members of the Mafia. The Italian resident of New Orleans, furthermore, desire to express their appreciation of the emiuent services in this deligate matter of the honored Royal Consul Chevalier Corte and of his excellancy Baron Hava?. They have shown a firmness and capacity clothed with dignity and diplomatic courtesy deserving of a mugh higher eulogy. To them the Gazetta Catholics and the entire colony return their sincere thanks, and will ever preserve a grateful rememberence of the efforts in their behalf. Italians! to you to whom the honor and glory of your country is dear, to you that in this scared and hospitable land, where honesty and labor confer prestige, labor for the interpretation of that which is good and useful, I say that it is now time to a wake from an indifference which may become a crime and to co-operate decisively with the American people, that justice may triump and that the peace and welfare of a glorious and civilized people may be assured.