New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-09
0ur SailArs.

| Our labOrs in behalf Of seamen are not
| likely to 60 entirely unnotlced, nor alto
| gether unprOductive of good, if we may
| Judge from recent indications, which come
to US from two as widely separated points
as London and New Orleans.
| In the British House of Commons the
| following words, which are iull of cheer to
sailors and to the true friends of sailors,
were recently spoken:
| lit was an obvious duty to amend our
| laws, where they could be shown to be pre-
| judicial TO the sailor. 1t had been urged
| that the advance notes given to seamen on
being shipped were, directly, one of the
| chief causes of the Generalization of our
sailors, and Indirectly the cause of the loss
| of much property ana many lives. The
proprety of making the advance note
| illegal was under consideration oy the com
mission. The seamen could not cash his
advance note except at heavy discount;
the money received by the transaction was
too often squandered in debauchery; in
| many cases not farthing was laid out in
providing an outfit of clothes for the in
tended voyage; and seamen we're the only
class Of labOrers who received an advance
of wages before any work was done. The
allotment note, On the other hand, Was
most advantageous to seamen and their
families, and should receive all possible
encouragement from shlp-Owners.'
Upon this point we have still stronger
testimony from nearer home. Captain Will
liam Wright, United States shipping COM
missioner, port of New Orleans, speaks out
in the following manly way concerning the
act of Congress of 1872 shipping act con-
corning the payment OF advance wages to
seamen):
Il reJterate the assertion made in for
mer report that the present system of pay
ing advances to seamen is most pernicious-
it simpl ~ converts the sailors into an article
OF merchandise.
Great complaints has been made hereto
fore by captains and owners OF ships of
having to pay what Is known as blood
money, l. e., a bonus TO boarding house
keepers, when sailors are scarce. All this
has been stopped at this port, but during
the past four months many Of the captains
OF merchant ships, taking advantage OF the
large number of sailors in port have been
receiving from S. to $40 per man from the
boarding house keepers for the privilege of
shipping the crews from their houses. This
proceeding will produce retaliation when
sailors become scarce. Can it be any won
der that the sailors are dissatisfied with
their lot in lite when those whose impera-
tive duty it is to protect them trade in their
necessitiesH
In what marked contrast is the sentiment
of these words to that of the shipping com
missioner of this port, who has placed him
self on record as opposed to the allotment
system, by which the boarding house keeper
IS enabled to sell the sailor TO the highest
bidder, and himself pocket the proceeds
What chance has the sailors wife and
children under the advance note system,
where the note is almost invariably given
to the boarding house keeper! And where
stands the society OF protested friends of
who dispense the money SO
literally poured out for them by the chart
table
The shipping commissioner says a very
wrong idea, that the sailors are an object
of charity. has gone abroad. It has been
very clearly shown, by the manner in which
this commissioner collects fees from sailors.
in direct violation of law, that he does not
consider the sailor an object OF charity, but
of-well. say parental sollcitude The
suspicion has long prevailed that the snip
ping commissioners name is but another |
name for the Seamen's Friend Society, but
In that list of directors we recognize the |
names of some good and independent men. |
VIII they be deaf to the cry that perpet- |
ually goes up from the sailors shattered |
hearth, stone! Will they, calling them |
serves Christians, let this movement for |
strengthening the sailors home life and ties |
pass unheeded and unhelped Will they |
not listen to the cry of the sailors wife and |
children Tor share of the fathers wages. !
ugh the blessed allotment note Or
Will they be content to be classed among
these who DO net consider the sailor an |
object OF charity-content to receive the |
money so generously given, and content TO
accomplish SO little for the actual, material
welfare OF the sailor, and to merit the scorn
,t those who know and compare what thew
actually do. with what they might accom-
,lish with the means and Opportunities God
las given them
OF one thing We rest assured; eternal
Justice 10 just as potent in this az in every
'ther human affair; and a. that sum OF ali
African slavery, resulted in the
most terrible civil war known to history ]