The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1882-12-28
The American Seaman.

At the recent investigation of the Congress
sional Committee upon the decline of our mer-
camille marine, testimony upon the condition of
the American seaman was full and conclusive
However diversified opinions of shipOWners
might be in regard to the cause of the decline
of our navigation and its remedy, belief on ore
point was harmOniOu>-''t the American sailor is
thing of the past
Years ago, but still at Il time in the remem-
brance of many, one of the chief longings of a
boy who lived on the coast was to 60 to sea.
To run away, if necessary, but by all means to
go before the mast, was favOrite ambition
with the youth, and the songs of Jolly tars and
the rearing main were the gems of a school
boys collection. All this, however. was before
the war, when navigation paid. After the war
when unfavorabe legislation injured the ship
ping, when national taxes and State taxes and
minor dues of all kinds became too grieyous.
and capital left navigation for the railroads.
the average young man lost his ambition to go
to sea- and seamanShp became degraded. The
sailor is now looked upon as little below the
human being" said Captain G. c. Goss. of
Bath, Me-, before the Congressional Committee.
Our sailors are the poorest pick of Sailors
said another shipmaster. and the other accounts
were equally unfavorable
There are several reasons for this deteriora-
ton of our seamen, the chief of which seem to
be the imposSibity of shpmasters making
agreement with sailors without the interference
Of a third party the law requiring three months
extra pay to all American seamen discharged III
foreign ports the law requiring three months
extra pay to all seamen when sick and the law
requiring advanced wages Landlords of board
ing houses are the baleful ''third party.'' and
the means of destroying the usefulness of the
laws regarding wages. Having a hold upon
men as soon as they land, by the seizure of
wages, they step i'll between sailor and master
i'll making arrangements for shipping. For an
opportunity to sail. a seaman must pay tribute
called "blood money! to the boarding house
keeper and shipmaster, ana no sailor can sail
except from boarding house. BY these prac-
tees the sailor Is sold to the highest bidder. and
made a slave to the landlord. Capt. Daniel
Tracey of Ninoland for wears Superintendent
Of sailors homes in New York and Boston, in
illustrating the evils of the system of advanced
wages. said 1.-The due bills Were forged by
these landlords and their confederates, who.
therefore. did not hesitate to drug or intoXcate
sailors. put them on board of vessels. forge their
due bills and draw the money. So successful
had they been that these people had not stopped
with sailors. but had 'shanghaied' or kidnapped
all classes Of men, merchants. mechanics and
even a Roman Catholic priest. United States
soldiers had begun to mysteriously disappear,
and it was found that they We're 'shanghaied'
and carried off by British vessels. And all this
was because advanced wages could be drawn"
Is it strange that as victim Of such plots
the American sailor should be looked upon ''as
little less than human being" Is it to be
wondered at that ship-ownerS and Congress
men believe him to be almost past relief or re-
formation: The average wages of the sailor
are S5I6 year and are higher than those paid
to British, Norwegian, German, French, Aus
trlan or Italian seamen. Yet American Seamen
are inferior to those of any other nation. Per-
hapS- when our nav cation shall have regained
strength as it surely must in time and when
capital Shall have turned from other channels
to Shipowning. the American sailor will be res
cued from the sea of disgrace which surrounds
him. Boston journal.