The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-05-31
SHANGHAIING LAW
ISLIKELY TO PASS
House Has Declared Against Out
rageous Practice and Bill 5.f g
h; Is Up to Senate. - - VS.
RY w. W. Jermane.

Washington, May 3l.-The commit.
tee on merchant marine Of the house
of representatives has not for num-
Der of years done better thing than
when it reported back to the house,
with the recommendation that it pass,
bill providing for the breaking up of
of shanghaiing, as practiced both on
the Atlantic and Pacific coasts Of this
country. The committee gave full hear
ings on the bill, and then voted unan-
imously to recommend its passage. The
house passed it and q favorable report
has been made on 1t in the senate.
common in coast cities. the committee
In it's report to the house selected the
oyster trade of Chesapeake bay as Of.
fering an illustration of the general
1niquities and cruelties of the system.
Extreme Gases In Oyster Trade.
It was testified before the committee
that there are very extreme cases Of
shanghaiing in the oyster trade. Where
the natives who are experienced In the
oyster industry are employed there are
comparatively few cases of cruelty, but
as there are not enough men in the tide
water counties who understand the oys-
ter ndnst5y who are whbgf to &c.
oyster dredging begins, late in septem-
Der or early in October, the shipping
agents in Baltimore, Philadelphia and
New York make arrangements to en-
gage all the people they can for the
oyster industry. They generally get
5FGR s9 sR head ca b6 for every
That $40 or $12 head the captain de-
duets from the wages the men are sup.
posed to receive. The men are seldom
or never told that this deduction is to
be made.
r The Men Are Deceived.
These men are lied to in tho most
part, and they are usually told that
the work Is light and easy. IN IN many ANY
Instances they are Just recovering from
debauch and they are both physically
and as to, clothing utterly unadapted
miserable and Disguised. The work is
hard, and not knowing how to do the
work they are slow to do it or cannot
do it ct all, and the captain Is a poor
man. Sometimes he owns his boat, but
more frequently he operates! it on
shares; and he pays to the shipping
cannot get the work out Of them after
he gets them down the bay he loses
the profits of his winters work: and
being usually a man Of no particular
education and of no particular control
over his passions, the only thing he can
do then is to make these fellows work
by compulsion, and the only way he
knows how to make them work. is to
beat and cuff and hammer them until
they do work. Then they try to. escape
and are drowned or beaten until they
are desperately injured. =
Seldom Receive Pay.
John O. Rose. United States district
above information to the committee,
further stated that In the seven years
in which he has tried such cases, in no
case has he ever: met any one Of these
men who had ever been paid fora day;
no matter. how long he worked 49, !.
ssssss5 Under the act above Tef erred fo, Che
captain is liable to forfeit of three
times the amount advanced or; deducted
from the sailors. wages, and that is
made, a lien upon his, vessel. In this
way the shipping agent can be reached
because q captain can no longer. afford
% pay the shipping agent # is sub