The Hawaiian gazette., 1872-09-11
Law aEainsI Strengthening sailors.
rFr1n the Sacramento GCsl) Record


The public generally are unaware that system
Of i;i6uapping has for years been practced 10
every port Of the United States. The process
is termed shanghaeing," and the object is to
supply crews for vessels about TO sail. The keep
e-s and attaches Of the so-called sailor board
inr- houses have long been the most active
agents in this Infamous traffic, which has been
carried on to an extent very little understood.
Z is. however, pretty well known that in all large
cites disappearance are frequent. A stranger
from the country goes to town on visit, sets
out 70 see the place, and that is the last Of him.
in few days his friends become anxious, the pO
lice are communicated with, search is instituted,
bat nothing comes OF 1t, aud the case is at last
set down as one Of those mysteries of which
great centres Of population furnish so many ex-
au1ies The truth Of the matter, however, is
often this: The stranger drinks more than is
good for him, falls into the hands Of some Of the
scoandrels who are always laying in wait for Just
such prey. is taken by them to a dead-fa down
near the harbor, then drugged, shipped, and sent
on board some vessel on the eve Of sailing His
kdlappers pocket his advance wages and share
H. The game is safe, for they make sure that
their victim is not a resident Of the place before
they commence operations, and this knowledge
gives them the assurance that be viii not be in
q1ired for before be has been taken from the
port Again There is tendency in human na-
tare, when man disappears, to inquire first
A. IL 4
ishing and if 1t should turn out that he was in
debt or IN any sort Of scrape, his friends usual
~ shrug their shoulders, and account for his alb
Eeuce on the theory Of voluntary action on his
part. There are hundreds Of men who have been
thus shanghaeied," taken to sea- and not re-
covered their senses until they we're hundreds Of
miles from land. OF course il is then too late
20 escape The captain has paid the victims
advance money, and has the shipping papers to /
show for the transaction. If the voyage be q
long foreign one there may not be a chance for
redress for months, and poor Jack, in most for
eign ports has little justice to expect from the
eoasus whose duty it is to protect his interests.
Most men, moreover are naturally ashamed Of
having fallen so easily into such a trap and as
they were in fault for having been where they
had no business to be, when caught, the majority
say as little as possible about the affnir. This
business has been carried on largely in San Fran
cisco. It's quite likely that the Solano clerk
who recently disappeared so mysteriously was
slanghaeied' and there are plenty of people
at the bay who could tell queer stories of the
kidnappers if they would. We are happy to be
able to state however, that Congress has at last
put its foot down on this white slave trade. On
the first Of July law went into operation pro-
vidiug that every sailor, must be shipped before
United States officer aud that on his return
from tie voyage his accounts must be settled be-
fore the same official. We have frequently point
ed out the need Of a United States shipping
officer and marine board at the principal ports,
at san Francisco, and are glad to know
that the required legislation has at last been con-
celed. The Strengthening business was not only
a source Of infamous cruelty and wrong, and of
revenue TO a class composed Of some Of the
worst rascals unhung but was indirectly heavy
charge upon merchants and shippers who were
bled 10y the rogues who controlled the traffic. So
lar was this system Of matchmaking carried that
few years ago. when the question came under dis
cussion in San Francisco, the Chamber Of Com
merce scarcely dared to take any action in the .
premises, aud had to be stirred up sharply before
It's members could be induced to pass resolutions
against the Infamous business and those who {
p7actised it. We trust that no time will be lost '
in carrying the new law into effect and that the
influence Of the sailor boarding-house keepers
and their rascally followers will be thus effect
ually crushed. t