The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-06
THE OLD PACKET sErsy1cD.
Fully Armed, and Engaged In Some No
table Naval Contests

Fully Armed, and Engaged in Some No
table Naval Contests.
The first Institute, % Of packet services
across the two Channels and the North
sea probably d'..ted back to very ancient
times. In tie days when England was a
province O. France, and during the latter
period Shen France was Il province of
Englr md. the need of q channel for regu-
lar CORRESPONDENCE must have made itself
! .fresistably felt: and even after the loss
of Calais the long presence or English
troops and English agents in the low
countries called for almost as constant
means of communication with Holland.
A besetting sin of the
packets from the earliest times was a
practice of carrying goods for purposes
of trade, which made the service ex-
tremely profitable to officers and men,
but led to overlooking the vessels and con-
sequently low passages. 1t had been
strictly forbidden by Charles III as far
back as 1850, declares writer in Mac
millan's- Magazine. A second failing,
which was perhaps Salmost inevitable in
early days, was a Partially for a little
quiet piracy. The temptation was doubt
less great. England and Spain were con-
stantly at war during the eighteenth CEN
fury, and Spanish prizes were always re-
could always be bribed to condemn the
prize, the postoffice looked the other way,
the crews made their prize money, and
thus everyone except, Of course, the
Spaniards, was satisfied. 1t is true that
the packets fought more than one gallant
action in their early days in honest de-
Tense Of their ships and of their mail;
put there were far too many engagements
of different kind which led to the abuse
of putting the capture of prizes first and
the safety of the mail second. In fact
the time came when the packet service
required to be overhauled by q strong
hand, and the moment chosen was, cur
iously enough, the outbreak of the great
war Of 1888. The authorities then decid-
ed that, in spite of the risk of French
privateers, the armament of the packets
should be. reduced, and their commanders
instructed to run away from any armed
vessel, or to fight it only when it was
impossible to run, and, if resistance were
impossible, to sink the mails and surren-
der. To make obedience to these orders
selected of about $50 tons burden, with a
crew Of twenty-eig men and an arma-
ment of six guns-four". four-pounders
and two six-pounders only
ORGANIZED LABOR FOR BRYAN.
No higher tribute could be paid to the
Democratic nominee in this campaign
than the one implied in the unanimous
endorsement which he has received from
the laboring men of the country.
There is scarcely labor organization
in the United States which has not
espoused the cause Of the Democratic
nominee, and is not--actively at work in
his behalf
In support of this statement circular
appeal to the voters of the United States
has been issued by the various labor or
CARNATIONS Of the country within the last
few days. From this circular the follow
ing paragraphs are taken:
"We demand Of the present Congress
the Immediate return to the money of
the constitution as Established by our
fathers by restoring the free and unlim-
tied coinage of both silver and gold at
both metal to be equally full legal tender
for all debts, public and private, as be-
fore the fraudulent characterization of
silver in 1873
eve also condemn the increase of the
national debt in time Of peace, and the
use Of interest bearing bonds at any
time.'
To this remarkable document the
names of the following officials are
signed:
Samuel Gompers, president OF the
American Federation of Labor; j. r.
Sovereign. grand master workman
knights of Labor; Marion Butler, presi-
dent National Farmers Alliance and In
dustrial Union; n. II. Trenor, general
president United Brotherhood OF Carpen-
ters and Joiners of America; p. J. Nc
CURE, general secretary United Brother
hood OF Carpenters and Joiners Of Amer
lea; P. nj. Arthur, chief of the United
brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers;
G. A. Robinson, president Of the
Farmers Mutual Benefit Association
Frank P. Sargent, grand master of the
brotherhood Of Locomotive. Firemen; E.
w. Arnold, grand secretary and treas
urer OF the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Firemen; John Mcbride, president of the
United Mine Workers OF America"
Representing the joint action of the
various labor organizations of the
United States this official circular will no
doubt prove an important factor in the
campaign.-Atlanto Constitution.