New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-02
OPPOSED TO BLOOD MONEY.
4 MEETING IN THE INTEREST OF SAILORS.
.HrppIsa AGENTS DENOUNCED UNLAWFUL COM
MISSIONS.

MiSSlONS.
Sailors and other persons to the number OF aoou,
300 met at m, the sanction of their applause
e. the movement recently begun 10 save seanen .ne
money which is now extorted nom thsiI III ,
~ 10 ~ nv 20 called middle-men or shpplhg ageuus.
~ neetinq was held in front of the Tree shlpping
bnreaa recently established by the seanens Doa,uj
inr-house Keepers Benevolent ASSOCIATION, ane e
IT, nnroose was to pronounce approval %
that institution. There were marks ,;n OF
haste in the organization OF the mert' NJ
The rosirum was an OLD TRUCK a.and vas anoth
,oius Oh with pattiotlc draplngs. Hand-bs and
posters headed Down with BLOOD Mon hn oeans
tie music of small street odh bs "e seamen from
te Ss ssor boarding houses Of the Fourth Ward
Equally simple was ,. the Gengre @sasr S. s.
Tor Senator Grady. Assemblyman Ms,eT oquIos
B.ebe and McCarthy James " brlen, VI ,nantung
mia and lanes Oliver would address tne h.,
H. oi,yer alone appeared of the men haiheu W
M III. oi.so, noament of MIR. COx's name brougnI
Snnoresswan r. II. Murch. OF Ma u; o.
10 the meeting and he was promptly pfoSS0O INV
service. .r,nt.ndent of the free
,nrea nresidsd. and without much ado presented on
Mr. Oliver the first speakedf no painter on the
,r,cI Of the Thlrd-ave. elevated rallroa1 ehTb
the sneaker who after he had accep'eu rJs rrsv-
ing honors made statenent "a nort. he explained,
90 nsnoiv given an advance on hls pay Va ir ban
with he length of the voyage; at at The wages
pens that tns Nv mort before the sailor is again
sbinned for a voyage Meanwhile no - op p.m adj
live off the boarding master wa" uo"l"S ond other
vances him trl1ing sums ior TOBACCO anu he is
ttines and teeps him alive for 81 day until Inns
shipped for another voyage; III soin tIness ne "a
happens that when he IS ready 10 oe WI GU even
1ndebted TO his boarding master Tor SzO @3O OF his
SEQ The boarding master, ANXIOUS 10 secure m
money. applies 10 consignees and yeSsel owners TO
get berth for Jack but is inVarao de ISe[,e Of
s 3 PIInited States law on the subject,
Commission of from % 10 80 per cent. on the sea
mans advance-and TINS me saio nrdnr to qe work
at ali. The complaint of the sailors is against MS
system of compulsory payment wn'c c1cass 1t,
Oliver contendsd T Tas aon ef refuse in the
barbor the multiplication OF haroor oncias anu
other notorious abuses, bringing rum 10 the port
of New-York. To protect the sailor from Jne e1-
tortion. tie Seamen's Boarding House heepers
benevolent Association had established the free
bureau July % and since men , snPpeH zoo SGD"
Mr.. Murch placed himself on cordial footing
win his hearers at the Outset by saying that Tor
many years b. had been sailor at the port OF New,
York had lived in sailors b9ardlng-houses, had
shinped many hundreds of sailors from here ana
knew of the wrongs that seamen are oohged
to suffer Later in life. he SAID, ne became
q stoneentter and still LATER COngressman-tor
winch he hoped to be forgiven The sailors laughed
and cheered the speaker. As a common sailor.
said Mr.. Mulch, 81 have been robbed py snlpping
masters in this port ; and not only by them but by
officers of the United States Government as well.
The foreign consul is bigger thief to-day hap the
American shipping master, if know anything
about IT." ICdeers.l Mr.. Murch said he diG . not
know the merits OF the controversy mere, put ne
nryeI consolidation on the part of all sailors 10 rid
themselves OF the necessity of paying blood money
and TO secure their rights to good 1000 on BOARD
ship and he counselied temperance IN the use oil
Gnnor or better still total abstinence.
Sir Alexander called next on Captain John T..
Barstow who read preamble and resolution
drawn up By the boarding house Keepers Inc
resolutions were none the less vigorous because
they refused allegiance to the ordinary rules of
free shInoinp bueau as +" tho only means to abolish
tbs pernicious system of blood money" and called
on the officers of the bureau "who are in possession
of facts and now Accomplishing more than suHclehI
evidence 10 convict dozens OF the above-n named
blooG-Inoney harpies who should in the interest of
civilized society. be doing penal seryltude," to
cause the prosecution OF the guilty men.