The great West., 1892-01-08
sAlLoRs' ROUGH LlsEnrY.
1t II Not So Frequent or So Rou -
1t Used to BE,

It II Not So Frequent or So Ro ugh =
1t Used to BE.
When the sailors of the United
States ship Baltimore got into their
fatal fight with Chilian Jack tars the
Baltimore's men were ashore for the
first time in month. Back Of this
fact lie ancient naval usage and pre-
cedents established by bluff command.
ers for a century. Liberty" is
vexed question in the navy. Old.
fashioned shippers regard it as ne
cessary evil and advocate turning the
men loose once in three months. The
newer way is to make liberty depend
ent on good behavior. save in case OF
civil disorder ashore as at Valparaiso.
The sailor OF earlier days was an over
grown child and this fact was recog-
nized in naval regulations Jack was
sent ashore with the certainty that he
would overstay his time or return
penniless and bearing traces of a re-
cent debauch. As Jack returned over
the ships side the officer of the deck
noted his condition and reported ac-
cordingly. Drunk and dirty" was
not infrequent memorandum in the
plain language of the navy. 'Rough
liberty" was the synonym for a de-
bauch. Hundreds OF old sailors re-
garded liberty as permission to go on
spree. and many grizzled old sim
ner has returned aboard ship with the
moral certainty that he would not
again set foot ashore for another three
months
The older officers still cling to the
theory that Jack can have but one
object in going ashore. and that a
spree. Modern naval regulations are
conceived upon different theory.
A ships crew is divided into several
classes according to behavior and
efficiency. First-c class men, who have
a record of promptness and sobriety,
have liberty as a matter of course
whenever they can be spared unless
there be civil disorder or. infectious
disease ashore United States sailors in
Haytlen waters are sometimes kept
aboard ship for weeks together Sec
ond-class men are less to be depended
on. and less certain OF liberty, while
those of the lowest class, which is nu-
merically the highest pass most OF
their time aboard ship and a good
deal of it on bread and water
Jack is fertile in excuses for his mis-
doings, says the New York Sun,
though he knows in advance that ex-
cuses are vain and presents them
rather from a sense of humor than
with any hope of mitigating his pun
ishment. A sailor who returned
aboard ship late one morning, when
his vessel lay at the Brooklyn navy
yard, made an excuse that he had
missed the o'clock train on the
bridge. Reform works slowly in the
navy. but it works. Rough liberty is
less common than it was even twenty
years ago. and the ships writer sets
down drunk and. dirty" less often
than he did in earlier days. There is
fair play, some promotion. and highly
considerate treatment for the man
that goes from enlistment to enlist
ment with a clean record. There is,
too. a long leave between cruises for
such men, and the sailor that has
been dozen years in the service takes
a certain satisfaction in the bars upon
his sleeve, and the glance of friendly
recognition from the executive officer,
who has known him and his conduct
in the Mediterranean. the China seas,
at Rio. and at The Mount"