How corruption sparked mass emigration to America
Today, corruption is considered one of the factors pushing Slovaks to leave their homeland; 135 years ago, it facilitated their widespread departure.
In the 19th century, a wave of "American fever" swept through Slovakia, but all was not right and proper with the early departures. The story of the American Emperor, who needed help picking golden nuggets from American streets, was not all that it was promised to be.
A scandal exposing the dark side of emigration rocked Austria-Hungary in 1889. Unsuspecting Slovaks became participants in a grand corruption scheme that unravelled in Galicia, a northern province of Austria-Hungary (today, southeastern Poland and western Ukraine). Galicia was not just the poorest region in the empire but also a gateway for countless Slovaks to German ports and, ultimately America.
The Hamburg Amerika Line, a major transatlantic shipping company, orchestrated a vast bribery network. In the poorest regions, shady emigration agencies emerged like mushrooms after rain. They were the intermediary between the owners of American coal mines and steel mills, the shipping company, and a contingent of railway employees, customs officers, notaries, policemen, doctors, innkeepers, and even priests. The plan was to sell as many steamship tickets to the United States as possible. A commission was paid for each ticket sold, and no questions were asked. The emigration agencies set out to work.
As the private and public sectors collided, countless people joined the scheme, lured by the promise of a handsome provision. This was hardly a surprise in the poverty-stricken region. What came as a shock was the revelation that the governor of the province himself was implicated!
The international network that preyed on the lack of knowledge of the common folk operated as follows.
A migrant would be received by a public officer responsible for issuing departure permits; it was only possible to leave the Kingdom of Hungary with one. Upon paying a small fee, the migrant would be sent to a doctor, who would then issue the required medical permit. However, after a thorough check, the doctor would deny departure due to a medical shortcoming. Of course, this inconvenience could be fixed with a bribe.
In the end, the fortunate boarded ships bound for America, while the less fortunate were left with nothing but false travel documents.
Naturally, the first people who wanted to explore the American streets lined with gold were young men. But leaving the empire was forbidden for those of the conscription age. So, emigration agencies bribed public officials and employed smugglers to get their clients across the border and into Germany.
Among them were eight Slovaks from Brutovce, Prešov Region. They were imprisoned on the charge of desertion of the Kingdom and subsequently released thanks to the intervention of the agency they used to emigrate to America. How many others navigated the murky waters dominated by emigration agencies? We might never know.
When the scandal surfaced, even foreign media chose to report the juicy details. Yet, as sensational as the case was, the result was less than exhilarating.
The gang bosses were sentenced to four and a half years in prison, which was later shortened. The governor was silently transferred to another cushy position. The Hamburg-Amerika Line escaped unscathed, and mass emigration continued to the great disappointment of the Austro-Hungarian authorities, who hoped to use the scandal to halt the mass departures of able-aged, working men.
What became of the eight Slovak men? At the time of the prosecution, Michal Popovic and his companion were already in Pennsylvania. They never made it to court hearings.
Were the emigration agencies benevolent guides or ruthless exploiters? The truth lies somewhere in between. As corrupt as their dealings were, they enabled countless people, at one point 750,000 Slovaks, to give life in America and try.
Today, some two million Americans identify with having Slovak roots; the vast majority are descendants of the men and women who left Slovakia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Related
Share this page
Guest Posts by Easy Branches
