The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-14

draft into the navy of the United States, to act
as engineer, under such regulations as may
be established by the Secretary of the Navy;
and while serving in the naval service of the
United States such person shall be entitled to
receive the same pay and emoluments as an
officer OF the navy OF the same grade perform
Ing similar duties.
Sec. q That all laws or parts of laws in con-
fiict with this act are hereby repealed.
This bill is in furtherance of justice
toward the American merchant marine
service" said Senator Squire in explana-
ton at the time of the bills Introduction.
lie went on to say:
Engineers residing in various parts of the
county, some OF them, am informed, in my
own state and city, have had the renewal OF
their licenses to be engineers refused by the
local boards under circumstances that SAVIOR
strongly OF rank injustice and favoritism.
Thus, it would appear that these men have
6een uniustly deprived OF their means OF
livelihood.
1t is one of the objects OF this bill to put
stop to this injustice and, Furthermore, to
bulid up still greater degree of efficiency
among these important servants of commerce.
sun another most important feature OF the
Dill is to increase the efficiency OF our Naval
reserve. When, few years ago, bill was
passed granting. under certain conditions, a
SUBSIDY TO American steamers for carrying the
mails to foreign countries, there was stipula-
ton in that bill that these ships should be
"oIhcered by American citizens" When this
Dill was passed L am sure that 1t was the belief
OF every Senator that this meant that i'll all
parts OF the ship upon which her movements
ana her navigation depended the re-
you will-should be American citizens.
When the steamers of the American
line were accorded the privilege of carrying
the American flag, and thus taking advantage
OF the provisions of the postal subsidy act, the
managers OF this great line of steamers openly
and successfully contended that the provisions
regarding citizenship did not apply 10 the en-
glneers, because, forsooth, in the eyes of the
people VINO control this great line an engineer
was not an "officer," and so it goes to-day.
The ships which we annually paying a
large subsidy for carrying the mails under the
supposition that they are Differed by Ameri-
can citizens actually have only few
real American citizens on board. The
rest are foreigners upon whom we could
not count in emergency; men who have no
interest In the ships save that which comes
from their employment in time of peace. And
thus is lost to us the very thing for which we
are paying subsidy-the building up of an
American merchant marine and the offering
and manning of these ships by truly American
citizens, so tnat in the event OF the services OF
these steamers being required by the Govern
ment in case OF war with foreign Government
they would be in a condition to be at once
pressed into service. AS it is now, the ships of
the American line are Differed in cir engine
rooms almost entirely by foreigners, and this
TACT was apparent q few days ago, when the
papers gave an account OF sad catastrophe
on board the American liner st. Paul, where
most OF the engineers are not citizens OF this
country.
When this bill comes up for discussion shall
have something more to say on the subject.
and shall endeavor to ascertain why it is that
we are paying subsidy to the steamers of this
line for an ocean speed which l have heard
stated they have never yet maintained in
voyage across the Atantic-to q line which APP
pears TO be American only in name, and which
Tor It's own greed has seen fit to cry out to the
civilized world that the engineers of their
steamships are not officers, and that therefore
they need not be American citZens-a conten-
uon as Illuminating as it is un-American.
II the steamship companies which are get
ting subsidies from the Government do no con-
slder their engineers officers l want Con-
gress to make them officers in the eye of the
law, so that in case OF trouble with any coun-
Try requiring the services of these steamers TO
supplant those of the navy we shall have them
already with their officers and crew, as the act
contemplated, and not they now are
o1hcered in their engine-rooms by foreigners.
Another thing which want to see enacted
into law is that these men shall be bOna-fde
American citizens, and not merely men who
have taken out their first papers, and who may
have no intention of going further in that di-
rection. l believe that whenever and under
whatever circumstances Americans have
served they have acquitted themselves most
creditably, and l cannot believe that the
engine-rooms of these big steamers are
such mysterious places that the American
Our American engineers are serving credita-
and along the shores of Asia. I claim that
they are equal to the Scotch or any other en-
gineers. They get the best pay and perform as