The Republican journal., 1885-03-05
Sharks and Sailors.
AN IRRESPONSIBLE CHARACTER.

The deep water sailor has proved to be
a hard nut for the philanth 'opists to
crack. They have tried all the means
which usually succeed in bringing the
ordinary erring sinner to discipline and
order without having made much i'm
preston upon the irrepressible tars, who
seem to be constructed differently from
other mortals. For many years the
practice of advancing wages to seamen
has been taken advantage of by the
land sharks to load them down with
debt, get them blind drunk, ship them
to sea, and draw the last dollar of the
to work out dead horse" for the greater
part OF the voyage. 1t was believed that
law prohibiting the payment of ad-
vance wages and the transfer to credit
ors, would check the evil. though old
ship captains shook their heads doubt
lngly at the proposition, and sententi-
ously remarked, "no good" Such a
provision was, however, Incorporated in
the Dingley bill, and at last, became a
law in the United States.
A years trial has proved rather dis
couraging to the friends of the scheme
and shown that the sailor is not in the
least inclined to second their humane
endeavors. Now, instead of working the
sailor up to proper condition of intoXi-
cation and helplessness before the vov-
age begins, the land shark quietly waits
in his den until Jack is discharged, paid
oft ~,
hundred dollars in his pocket Then
they take him in, and his money too, and
IN tWenty-tour hours after the discharge
OF the crew not one man in ten of them
has cent left. All the others become
glorously drunk, hopelessly broke and
helpless paupers, until such time as they
can ship again. The Dingley bill has,
therefore, signally failed to effect the
main purpose thereby intended, as the
seamen's money still goes to the same
class Of people it did before, and there is
not the least moral improvement in the
condition of the sailors. This failure has
attracted a good deal of attention and
been the subject of discussion among
ship owners and captains. We find in
the Marine Journal letter addressed to
~
*. Miller, of this city, who has had
many years practical experience with
sailors, both as commander at sea and
ship agent on shore. The captain, after
stating the case fairly, concludes with
the novel suggestion, that the only rem
edy is for the government, 50 long as tie
| Dmgley act is in force, to establish in
every seaport:
"a rendezvous under government sup
ervisors, and compel all seamen upon ar
rival to report themselves, take board
and lodging at such places as provided,
deposit their money if they have any, OF
in other words, let the government have
complete charge and control Of the sea
man from the time he reaches port until
| his departure, treat him to all intents
and purposes as he has been considered
| for years, a Ward in chancery, a MiROl
or irresponsible being"
A representative of The Item met al
old sea captain the other day and called
his attention to this correspondence adj
ding this inquiry
"Now, Captain, is not this condition OF
affairs, this habit Of helplessness in the
sailor, the result of the long practice OF
the system of advances rather than in
herent in the nature of the sailor Z"
"No, sir" was the reply; Capt
Miller is exactly right. The sailor is
thoroughly reckless and irresponsible or
shore. without the least capacity to pro
tect his interests. He regards his money
as the means only Of giving him tenn
porary importance in the eyes Of some
/ DIV WIN oh hi Z h,
means OF temporary enjoyment. He is
as Capt Miller says, thoroughly and in
corrigibly irresponsible, and it is impos-
sible to make him anything else. He is
so regarded in law, both in England anC
America, and no contract which he may
sign to serve in any capacity at an agreed
rate Of wages could be set up against
him on a claim for d share of salvage
The courts will not recognize the right
of sailor to waive anything, thus prac-
tically depriving him of the ordinary
capacity to make binding bargains. II
short, he is a man nowhere except on the
witness stand in his own favor, where
every judge sitting in admiralty, either
in England or the United States, vii
take his testimony in preference To thai
I
ship. When he hauls himself up on the
stand, with his pants of thirty inches at
the instep and squares himself to give
evidence, he is no longer the helpless, il
responsible ward whom the ship runner
makes an easy prey, but sort of nspir-
ed being"
"Then, Captain said The Item, "the
Dngley bill has not struck at the root o
the matter ?"
"No, sir; the root of the NATTER as
you call it, is inherent in the nature Of
the sailor. And the law which protects
him at one end Of the voyage is power
less to compel him to make a good use
of his money at the other. Capt Miller's
plan might succeed, but am not sure
even of that A character 50 weak anC
helpless is sure to afford sharks some
point to enter and get hold on his mon
ey. ] think it very difficult to do much
for the sailor by legislation" New Or
leans City Item.