New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-28
INITIAL SEA CAPT4INS.

Whether Captain SlOcum, OF the Northern
Light is or is not guilty of the cruclhes
charged upon him by his second mate remains
to be determined by an official inquiry. But IL
X very certain that there has been for some time
past n marked increase in this class OF com
nloipts. and especially as regards vessels carry
inc tbc Stars and Stripes The cry of American
masters is that there are no longer any good
scamcn; that more than hall the crews are
men who do not know their duty; and that 1t IS
very hard to get along with such luDDcra WIN
ont severity. The scamcn say, on the other
hand. that the best sailors have been driven
ont of the American merchant service by the
brutality of the average treatment ana by the
had finding of the vessels. No doubt there Is
some cxaegcration on both sides, but there have
bccn far too many cases of brutality on the part
of captaius and mates to leave it doubtful that
.co,nru are often exposed to shameful ill-u>agc
on the high seas.
II is perhaps true that it is difficult to ship
good crews i'm American vessels. But tins may
be the consequence of Jacks apprehcnSi"hS
The enormous increase of England'S merchant
marine since 1850 moreover, and the coihcl-
dent decline of our merchant marine has nat
urolly resulted in giving English ships the pick
Of scamcn. But it must be borne in mind that
before 1850 the reverse was true. lhcn the
Yankee clippers were the finest vessels ailoat,
and they were 50 much better found than the
average British ship that they attracted the
best ,ailorncn. Then the American masters
and mates were proud of their crews and treated
them we'll and in every foreign port an Amcrl-
can ship could be picked ont, not only by her
superior lines and trimnc,s, bat by the superior
condition and gaycty of her crew. WITH the
decline of our marine all this went, too, how
| ever. and of late years the American merchant
man has been acquiring a bad reputation Ia
| many norris It is asserted, and We think with
| iu,ticc. that onr shipping laws need amend
mcnt. Advance notes ought certainly To be
abolished. for they only enable the crimpS ana
boarding house sharks to plumber Jack. More
| attention should also be paid to Sailors Homes.
But il is more difficult to deal with the quea-
ton of bad treatment on board ship. Inc
master of n vessel must, in the nature OF things,
be vested with plcnary powers when he Is out OF
soundings. He must be an autocrat, or the
propcrty and lives in his charge could never be
| safe. Yet the seaman has right to protection
from wanton cruelty, malice or caprice ana
/ considering Wlal hc HAS /" 'H'"'' 't"' - ~
coptain he should bc Afforded ample opportun-
il, to redress his wrongs when he reaches port
Perhaps such legislation as would facilitate the
recovery of damages from the owners IN case OF
ill-treatment might get near the root OF the
evil for it is certain that the owners are usually
responsible for the character of their captains.
But unless some remedial action is taken, the
indications are that our merchant marine VIII
dctcrioratc still more, and that the increasing
difficulty of getting good scamen will be held to
excuse if not to Justify the increasing abuse OF
| their towers by masters.