New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-02-17
RELIEF FOR SAILORS
a,n e,,p poor JACK AsHORE,N


- o.bor hills pending in Congress, and
~ deferred TO the next session II special legsa-
AGO. NOT save II neglect, is the Shipping Com
s,o,ers' bill IL has passed the Senate, and been IA
xorablv and unanimously reported from the House Com
,ttee on Commerce. but lies on the Speakers table,
smohered by multitude OF less important bills OF the
Objectionable personal, and obnoxious "land-grabbing
speces 1t Is of the most important measures atey
submitted 20 Congress, for it involves INC
welfare Of moro than 100000 American seamen'
aud affects various financial and commercial interests
and the discipline OF the entire merchant marine OF the
country Representatives from interior States and IN
decd those from districts OF the coast states remote from
the larger ports have very ndsnct ideas OF the gross
abuses which the act alluded TO Is calculated 10 reform
In no port the 20 sailor and shipper entaeu
by the present shipping system, more Migrant IMAM IN
that of NewYork illustrating these, and with the
hone of directing the early attention of Representatives
20 the important OF reform which hats in the
House We have had prepared the statement which fol
lows drawn the experience and personal ohserVa-
ton Of writer who has made, during three years past
repeated visits 10 the shipping-Oices and sailors
boardin c-lOuses Of this city
There is neither local. state, national regulation OF
the shipping OF seamcn in this country When ship Of
this port has its stowedhis labor is performed
by stevedores, not saorsthe captain applies fo ere"
20 one Of the thirty chipping Offices giving written
order specifying the number and character OF the Gre"
desired lie cannot Inspect the provided Tor hm'
thcy arc put aboard his ship the day appointed Ior
sailing i'm a body, and the voyage begins Wi'hout tne
oGscers knowing anything Of the character Vi
abilities Of the crow seamcn, and bong power
less 10 refuse TO receive the men thus pro
vded, even though knowing that they IRE not goOu
teaucp for the SON that ship c0n obtain IN TINS
r,ort "a rroucr crew n the slppngmGsters and land
lords of sailors clearinghouse are not conclHaeu'
Tbes; lave been known dictate the usiSS"' OF cap
,,irs WHO thwarted them. The "shppinemasteI' arc
oi,,ost invariably OF the lowest morals men without
IL. T.-. - and
laws 81 the country governing its marine Ihey may
II they choose send Captain who has ordered crew"
mob from the street or the Tcnbs for that matter ana
whom tle demand seamen j. great they frequently
send 10 sea charge OF valuable ships and cargoes mex
prienced men who have never been outside OF land ana
who have 10 be deCOyed or dragged aboard Criminals
living from ius ice have been aided TO escape by the
shpping-nastcrs and t is believed that annually scores
Of"mystCIous disappearance are due to the kldnap
ping impressng process which these mon resort 70 III
order 70 Obtain Deserer and bountyvmpersW were
sided IN the way dminghe war and thus men, not
only without character and incapable Of being properly
disciplined but wholly ncrantiof scamcus dntcs were
inflicted on the merchant service Foreign sailors are
sten Induced desert their ships and take service in
American vessels although they thereby sacrifice their
English certificates and their claims 10 British protec
ton that shppingmasters may get their fees II thus
happens that the very worst class q British tars lie i'm
posed up0n the american merchant service 10 its as
grace end damage Tho fees Of shpping-mastors are
usually g. and S. per man from tho owner OF the vessel
md Ike tax on the sesmen that they really receive
from So 70 SO per But practically they get much
more II slip few, the sailors TO secure voyage,
have 10 pay bonus q from s. 10 49, f. on the contrary,
sailor are scarce the shpOwners taxed from $ to
SO man, Ilc pending bin makes the shipping masters
Zee S. 90 cents Only " which is to he paid by the sailor
the other hrcelouths bcir crcviod the owner The
British shipping fee j., only shilling, but that system is
su.c.Eed y tire Government, while II swsely proposed
that the lueHcln system shall be self supporting.
The hippng-uaster having order for a crew, does
not apply to directly but goes TO the land
lords sailors boarding and deals with them
These permit only those sailors who are without money
AMI arc debt TO them 20 ship and only then on condi
ton mat The debt is paid through the shpping-master
from the advance wages which custom gives the seaman
These boarding houses in this port number no. all buI
two o. which exist in open defiance of law OF the state
enacted in sC5, but never enforced lth2s been care
fully estimated that these 10 Gens support not less than
1000 dissOutc women and men-the former drunken
pro.t fes driven from aristOcTatic houses OF i'll
fame and tho latter runners" "tOuters, for the es-
fabiehucnts AID recognized notorious suuggiers ana
thieves Into these houses fully 1900 seamen are annu
ally dccoycd and systematically robbed OF not less than
fu the aggregate The "touers" board vessels
in the Bay lu violation OF law OF the state
and Tie Customs rcgulatOns) and solicit Jacks
patronage Of tler houses. Often these "touter5'
extend Tic only friendly greetings which
searcn receive after long cruises at sea, and as they
COME with promises Of freedom from the restraints OF the
slip lot strange that the s!mpeninded sailor Is
urrd bv them to their Here he is required to To-
sign not merely Dis baggage but his money 10 the Of
the hoarduglnastcr" and his wages nOt due until ten
DAYS after his discharge, when he is recoyeIabyin debt
for bo1r) aye collected through the rapacious landlord
OF lardslark" as Jack learns 70 call him. From
ono Of these dcns the sailor escape only when HE
money is gone, and his advance wages for the
next cruise are absorbed in shipping fees and
10y his dent @, The landlord. Large ships have
Eecn detained in this port after having
orgoes board, because OF the refusal Of land
lords to allow -camen TO ship while their money lasted
This swinde IS Systematically pursued in almost every
scamau's boarding house aud shipping-ofice in New
York and Is for the purpose Of breaking this up and
ting tie sailor that the bin before the House
has been framed. We are accustomed. when raging
suggest It, TO repeat the Old prayer, God
poor Jack sea-" but there good reasons, 1t would
seem, WHY should also pray, God save poor Jack
ashore" Til, bin is practical way OF answering that
prayer, and conscience viii not acquit those who
neglect IL.
There ls more petty smuggling done in the Port Of
NcYOr than in all OTHER ports OF the country and IL is
notorious fact that the clearinghouse keepers, aided
By sailors whom they have duped into that service
among the principal operators. Their runners" board
vessels IN the Lower Bay, and often carry sailors and
their struggled goods ashore Staten Island and thence
by boat 10 this city before the CustOmHouse officials
have examined the vessel Captains powerless to
fuse them admission 10 the ship for their crews regard
ing the runners" friends would become mutnOus at
any orders 10 prevent them from boarding the vessel
The boarding aud shppng-masters naturally establish
themselves near the docks II thus happens that in this
CITY they are mainly In the Fourth and Sixth Wards
and hy combining they manage to control these Wards
politically They can. 10y concert OF action in OBTAINING
seamen at election times cast from 500 10 1000 votes in
local election II Is thus they maintain in place police
men and Judges wholly devoted TO their interests so that
che saor has no show justice in the courts Further
a4..r 4 fro In hla TfD AZ