Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-13

speech to say that II you have only none,
enough and sufficient pun with the police
you may do whatever you Ike in Portland,
and, whisper IL gently. anywhere else Ia
Gods own Uaited States. as her citizens
modestly call II.
In bare justice. however TO Portland Il
should be said that she suffers from an IN
fux of those least desirable citizens who
prey upon sailors and have been driven out
OF San Francisco. In a better governed
community, OF course. they would be round
ed up and sentenced TO be hanged. for al
of them are candidates for the honor. or
serve long terms OF imprisonment. But
Portland Is too busy making money and
megaphoning the tale OF her amazing yir-
tues and powers to the attendant winds
and she has mo- time or inclination TO attend
to this plague spot IN her midst. And
the sailor still suffers-is still bought anS
sold like sheep in the shaubles, stu say
here" when the United States oeiciA
causes him to be mustered at the capstah
before the ship sails and puts the canonical
questions 10 him which let him refuse to
answer or mlsanswer IL he dare. Only in
fairness let IL be admitted that Jenny the
Turk or his prototype no longer dare go
aboard Of an incoming ship and, revolver In
hand. chase her crew over the side Into his
boat to sell them again next tide. No; he
must needs now employ his powers OF per
suasion, backed by little liquor. the Law
being powerless. apparently. to keep him
out of a ship where he is not wanted, as
his ike tout -hT less pDIenUatiy uaImtukl
have been long kept out OF homeward-b abound
ships at home.
And now let me wind up with a little
"reminiscences OF the good old days of shang-
haling, which should be OF interest to all
who love the sea and the good-natured fools
who live upon Il. The Monarch, British
ship, has just arrived in Portland from
~ i., hal he Fo
ship, and her crew. half British half aliens
are very well coutented with her, for she
is well found and they have been we'll treat
ed always. Moreover. the pay is fairly
good. She has come 10 Portland in ballast
to load wheat for London and is duly lowed
up to her berth at the wharves. She Is
hardly fast before horde of rufflans board
her, and, staggering into the forecastle.
produce bottles. saying: Here. Johnny,
take holt o that: hain't had nawthin' but
lime juice for a long SPELL l bet" The In
vttation works--indeed. 1t may be relied on
and presently. when the mate or "bosun''
sings out Clear up decks!'' the newcomers
have much difficulty in restraining the in
dlgnant sailors from rushing out and
saulting them. Presently. behold a line of
swaying men, bag on back. making for the
gangway, shepherded by the visitors. Ac
costed by the officers as to their destina-
ton. the visitors proxy for their remarks
that this is a free country, and, anyhow
no lime ULCERS have got anything to say
In 1t. In which laudabie sentiment he
would be upheld by 90 per cent Of his fell
low citizens engaged in similar Illegal &C
equations.
wagon is waiting. and the deserters
who are leaving their pay and all comfort
behind and don't care. enter therein. Ar
irving at the boarding house there
more bottles and cigars-did you ever
sailor with a cigar? Then a drunken sleep
and another passage, more swift than the
| last, to where the Gemsbok. a big Yank. is
waiting for her crew. Her four officers are
''heeled' with revolver and knuckleduster,
the farce of the United States commissioner
at the capstan gone through than the
breaking in of The crew begins.
Great heavens, are these white English
speaking men who can dash fellow white
man to the deck. kick him. jump on him
until he is senseless and yet call themselves
men, citizens of great. free republic? Oh.
yes, in America And remember that these
outrages are always perpetrated at about
four to one. to say nothing of the inequal-
ity in weapons. America is land from
which has been eliminated the word fair
play and its meaning. II Is land OF cow
ardiy and brutal assaults upon unprotected
men, and nowhere Is this more evident than
on board ship.
Well. this kind OF treatment brings our
shanghaiied crew to their senses. They
now learn for what they have exchanged
their British pay and privileges, and incl
dentally are made fully conversant with the
conjugation of the verb ito shanghai" a
word which they have often lightly used be-
fore, but never realized the inner meaning
Of They find themselves bereft OF all their
precious hard earnings and working now
under conditions quite as evil those OF
any slave at any period of the worlds his
tory. with about two-thirds of their pay al
ready in the pockets of the brave American
citizens, the contederates of the officials of
law and order, who have thus used them
Blame the poor fellows If you will for being
fools (but really they were scarcely able to
help themselves). but ask the earnest ques-
ton, How do American citizens, with all
their brag about their free institutions en-
dure that great American city shall be
the last home Of shanghai? Have they no
shame?