Warren sheaf., 1898-04-07
HO FOR TIE PRIVAT EER!
The Licensed Freebooter May
Sail the Seas Again.

ne Licensed FTeeDOOCcT Way
Sail the Seas Again.
HOW he CONDUCTS Els BUSINESS.
Few Civilized Nations Recognize Fri
Watering as Leeiti.nate-United States
and Spain Among Them-First Priya-
teer of the Civil War and Her Capture.
In these warlike times the subject Of
friyateering as a business enterprise is
bound to come to the front. Perhaps we
are more civilized than we were half a
century ago, but we are just as merce-
nary if not little tit more so. Iteis
true that privateering is looked upon as
little short of licensed piracy-a kind
Of authorized ypayal robbery on the high
seas-but it 81 also true that when it
comes to question of dlAtars and cents
we are no more prone to split moral
hairs than were the Americans of a gen.
GRAFTON ago. Moreover, there would be
as much money in privateering today as
there was in 1912. Steam and rapid
fire long distance guns may have robbed
war Of some Of its picturesque qualities,
but it is just as deadly as ever. The
boarder's cutlass las ceased to flash On
the decks, but the machine guns make
far worse havoc.
So privateering is not such an i'm
possible occurrence as you might think.
A privateer, as the name implies, is
a private armed ship fitted out at the
owners expense, but commissioned by
a belligerent government to capture the
ships and goods of the enemy at sea or
the ships Of neutral governments when
conveying to the enemy goods contra
band of war. A privateer differs from a
pirate mainly il this-the former has
commission, while the latter has none.
BY ships of the enemy is meant any
craft flying the flag of the belligerent
government, from coal barge to
cruiser.
AS matter Of fact, the privateer
would trouble neither Of these mention
ed unless percharce he needed coal. If
privateering were begun today, for in
stance, the ships which would become
the prey Of the privateer would be the
sailing vessels and steamers of the mer-
chant marine Of the two countries at
war. Not only the citizens of each con-
testing country would be at liberty to
ask for privateers' commissions, but
citizens of neutral countries as well.
These commissions are technically
termed letters of nlarque.
In most civilized nations privateering
has been abolished, but the information
Al agreement to this effect was not en-.
tered into by the United States AS
nearly as can be discovered from the
best authorities, Spain stood out also.
The declaration Of Paris, which did
away with privateering in 1856, after
the Crimean war, was as follows:
First is and remains
abolished.
"Second. The neutral flag covers
enemy's goods, with the exception Of
contra band Of war.
''rhird.-Neutral goods, with the
exception of contraband of war, are not
aiable to capture under an enemy S flag.
"The present declaration is not and
shall not be binding except between
those powers who have acceded or shall
,accede to it,
England, France, Austria. Prussia
and Russia were the original signers.
Nearly all the other maritime powers
0f the world followed. It was because
of the comparative smallness Of our
navy that this nation refused to join in
Che declaration. Our statesmen held
shat in case of war we should have to
adepend upon privateering to supplement-
our navy.
With Spain and this country both be-
yoad the pale Of the agreement there is
&,f course every opportunity for extern
sive privateering On both sides in case of
war. Any swift ship may, by an outlay
of capital SO small that the first capture
will repay it twice over, be armed and
equipped as a privateer. Any unprotect-
ed vessel sailing the highseas under the
flag Of the enemy is her prey. The cap
tive is taken to the nearest port Of the
nation under whose letters of marque
the privateer sails and there aGjudicated
upon by prize court. After being c.
demned she may be sold or boEdeti, q
as done in most cases, to her origiIa:
ov, ners. The privateer's officers and
crew divide the prize money.
This is a quick. way of amassing
riches hIt there is aluaus the dannnr