The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1909-08-21
Is the Design and Purpose OF
s.%=s Lake Carriers so-called
~ "Welfare Plan.
DANGEROUS CHARACTER
OF MONsTROUs SCHEME
Is the Most Rigid and Unrelent-
ing Black List System
Ever Devised.


of the district grievance committee of
the International Seamen's Union, de-
clares the "welfare plan" is danger
Gus instrument Of torture and that 1t
will force American seamen, to leave
the lakes. He expresses himself in
the following positive language: zz
1T Is an instrument Of torture Its
purposes are to make it dangerous for
any seaman to voice a. grievance, to
ask for redress, or to resent ill-treat-
ment, upon penalty OF being exiled
from the lakes. The plan is the most
rigid blacklist system have ever
known of. While modelled upon the
general line Of the notorious shipping
Federation of England, it is infinite
ly more dangerous to shipping.
1T is complete and entirely ire
sponsible system of espionage to be
applied to each Individual seaman. If
it is successful the rsult will be ter
rible. Once thoroughly established
not even its creators, the vessel own
ers, can control it.
Liberty-Destroying.
Entirely aside from its effect upon
the unions and the right Of the sea-
men to organize the kind Of men who
now man the ships of the great lakes
WILL, individually, be driven ashore.
Men Of our race, training and environ
ments, Americans, If you please, can
not be made to submit tamely to such
a misunderstanding system. When
such men can no longer struggle
against it, they run away from it.
- What Happened Elsewhere.
,'It was that system which deprived
England of her great body Of native
merchant seamen, which she is now
striving to rebuild. It was by such
methods, though not so drastic as the
Lake Carriers plan, that nearly ali
American seamen were driven from
the Atlantic seaboard years ago. The
many little towns and villages along
the coast which were at one time conn
posed very largely of American sea
men and their families now no longer
exist-the American sailor left the sea
in. disgust. The effect on the lakes
will be the same, in event the Lake
Carriers plan is successfully enforced
-. Lake Seamen Americans.
fOIIleI TIeSluenC ftOOSeVelt, IN
message to congress some time ago
called attention to the deplorable lack
of native-born seamen. There are not
now sufficient number available tC
properly man our navy in the event OF
war. 1t is on the great lakes only
that native seamen can now be OBJ
tained in any considerable number
Shall the United States be deprived OF
even this supply - seamen? Surely
not If we can prevent it.
Continuous Restraint,
"The Lake Carriers so-cal1ed swel-
fare plan, or espionage system, is con-
trived to automatically press down
ward; continuous system of re-
stra1nt, and once successfully estab-
lished will go beyond the control OF
even the vessel owners. Their own
success in its establishment would be
a defeat for them.
Il find, it difficult to bring myself to
believe that such vessel owners as ]
have personally came in contact with
during the peaceful times of the re-
cent past realize the dangerous char
acter Of this monstrous system thew
are endeavoring to force upon us. But
the past tells its own story, how can
it be, then, that they do not know?
I'VE are on strike against the en-
forcement Of this system" said Olan-
der, "and we are going to stay~on
strike until the obnoxious welfare
plan is eliminated from the lakes. We
can do nothing else.. We must fight
1t, we cannot resist it,