The San Francisco call., 1910-11-01
ship CAPTAINS
CzARS At SEA
Master OF Vessel Sole Law
Aboard His Craft and None
May Disobey

Imagine mayor. or a jduge of cir
cult court. or a county sheriff, or town
| marshal of a village of $500 popula-
tion stepping out into the street and on
general and self-imposed authority
picking up citizen. ordering him to
| cell and clapping irons on him for
safe keeping.
Wouldn't the bird of American liberty
! set UP a scream? asks the Chicago Trlb-
une wouldn't the old and badly
cracked liberty bell resonate in dis
cord? And remember that In this setz-
ure OF the American citizen no friend
at hand could come forward and oner
and impose the right. of bond for his
friend. You'd cry out something about
Russia, wouldn't you? You'd say some
thing about anarchy. perhaps.
Just at this season when 50 much of
American manhood and wonanhood
and childhood is going abroad Ii is
well for all of them to think over this
proposition. For after one of the great
| trans Atlantic passenger steamers
| leaves the three mile limit OF New York
| the passenger is in foreign tertiary on
| the high seas. English. French, Ger
man-whatever the flag at the mast
! head-the ship is section of its faith
| erIand floating in the high seas where
only maritime laws regarding It's tran
| sit in times of peace may hold check
upon the czardom of the ships COM
| mander. on or off the bridge.
No czar has more power within his
territory than has the captain of the
great Atlantic liner on the high seas.
He is on an island of his country $
| ownership floating island. having a
/ population of 500 employees and looking z
after the welfare of perhaps 5000 pas
sengers. He is practically the admin
istrative. executive and judicial single
individual such as exists rarely on the
map of. present day civilization Aside
| from his authority over mankind he
may have $1,000, 600 Of vessel under him,
to say nothing of the international
mails and millions of gold in transship-
ment.. -: ..s-
T.: Shall one wonder that the passenger
of position and place in his particular
portion of the worlds map seeks and
appreciates a place ."at the captain 5
table?' For, after all. the average
world appreciates an autocrat. Give
to this autocrat. a mans framework, an
appreciation of his powers, "a dress that
becomes his power and dignity-and
even American iiberty cheers at sight OF
him.
There's the captain is a whispered
bit of comment made million times a
year in the beginning of the passages OF
great ocean steamships. And generally
the captain looks the part
!. 1t is not so much his uniform either.
Ordinarily the captain is not young.
There is gray in his hair. .nustache or
beard. That young man fn his TWEEN
ties, no matter what his schooling for
beginning the work, isn't called at a
moments notice TO the captains bridge.
He must have his maximum of training
for six or seven numbers below before
he is called to the foot Of the ladder.
There are no forms of writs or war
rants necessary. There is no court at
which the passenger or the seaman may
give bond. In that instant OF sudden
great emergency which arises the cap
tain's word Is more than written law: il
is the unwritten common law OF the
high seas. in the spirit of which the
vigilante committee of the wild west OF
the United States rose, lawlessly law
full.
Today the captain of the great liner
may step into the palatial cabin and COM
nland other. He may go into the smok-
ing cabin and stop the game of cards a
which the sharper is playing for his
stakes. In case of refusal. that ancient
right of mo depriva lion of liberty
without due process OF law becomes
a farce. The cellroom CIR even the iron
manacles of the captains authority may
be used upon the individual who has
paid $500 ors 900 for his suite of rooms
and his passag ge- On the high seas the
captains ship becomes an autocratic
democracy. The individual in the hrst