The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1911-04-22

the Tear OF the foreign dungeon and the certain
return to his ship in irons holds him to his con-
tract. And even with the fear of certain re-en-
slavement staring him In the Sface. the sailor un-
der the stars and stripes is far too often a de
serter 1t is idle to argue that 1t is In the nature
OF the sailor to wander, to desert master for
another and that therefore laws are necessary to
prevent the disorganzation of the merchant ma
rne. Every occupation has its devotees to whom
1t calls in an insstent voice, and there are thou
sands of men who follow the sea from choice The
answer to the question, why is the sailor legally a
slave, must be found in inquiry into the condt
lions from which he seeks to away. If he
likes to follow the there is no reason why he
should forever try to leave 1t to leave his
master and his flag except that the conditions
under which he is forced to work are intolerable.
And here lies the answer.
The earliest known facts about the condition
of the laborer at sea take us back to the ancient
laws of the Norseman and to the code that gov
erned the sailors Of the ancient cities the
shores of the Mediterranean. In the north the
laborer land and at sea was free man. The
sailor had the same status aboard his vessel that
his brother had in the Morse towns. He had the
same freedom of contract and the voice in
the laws regulating the conduct of his companions
and himself The laborer of the south was chat
tel slave on land and on sea- He was usually a
prisoner of and his body and soul belonged to
his master He was chained to his seat in the gal
ley and dashed to his task. Manual labor of all
kinds was considered to be debasing and per-
formed only by slaves
The Island of Rhodes gave to the Mediter-
ranean its maritime law, and the Roman code was.
patterned after that of Rhodes When Rome
quered the countries of the north she gave them
her laws for the regulation of labor the sea
well on land. The all-pervading idea of Roman
civilization was that labor is debasing and the
laborer on land was a serf and on the sea he was
slave. The maritime power Of medieval Europe
which expressed through the laws of BARGE
Iona and later through the all-powerful Hanseatic
League Of cities, maintained through Roman
maritime law. 1t gradually overpowered and OBJ
liberated the law OF the north and the free sailor
ceased to exist Since that day the sailor has
been chattel slave.
came necessary ttat the sal or's status slave
be maintained by rigid laws sgainst desertion,
Freedom oil action necessary for the operation
of sailing vessel but II still necessary to
keep the sailor bound to the ship because injury
might come to the vessel through his deserton.
And his status as slave was maintained by
law on the principle Of common hazard All the
laws of the Hanseatc League stipulate that II any
harm come to vessel while any sailor is absent
from shipboard, the absent sailor shall pay the
damage. The safety of the vessel and her cargo
in the hands of every on board while
the vessel at or in foreign ports.
The progress Of civilization has relieved the
ship-owner and the master Of the hazard Of the
Maritime insurance has been devised to pay
for losses through acts of God. II ship sinks al