The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1911-04-29

the fear 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 face. the sailor I'M
der the stars and stripes Is far too often de-
serter. 1t Is idle to argue that 1t Is In the nature
Of the sailor to wander, to desert one master for
another, and that therefore laws are necessary to
prevent the disorganization of the merchant ma
rine. Every occupation has its devotees to whom
1t calls In an insstent voice, and there thou
sands Of men who follow the from choice The
answer to the question, why Is the sailor legally
slave. must be found in inquiry into the condi-
tons from which he seeks to run away. II he
likes to follow the sea there Is no reason why no
should forever try to leave 1t or 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 back to the ancient
laws of the Norseman and to the code that gov
erned the sailors of the ancient cities on the
shores Of the Mediterranean In the north the
laborer on 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 same voice In
the laws regulating the conduct of his companions
and himself. The laborer of the south was a chat
tel slave land and on sea- He was usually
prisoner of war and his body and soul belonged to
his master He was chained to his seat in the gal
kinds was considered to be debasing and per-
formed only by slaves
The Island of Rhodes gave to the Medter-
ranean its maritime law, and the Roman code was
patterned after that of Rhodes. When Rome con-
quered the countries of the north, she gave them
her laws for the regulation of labor the sea as
we'll as on land. The allpervading idea of Roman
civilization was that labor is debasing, and the
laborer on land was serf and on the sea he was
a slave The maritime power of medieval Europe.
which was expressed through the laws Of BARGE
Iona and later through the allpowerful Hanseatic
League of cities was 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.
When sailing vessels replaced the galley, 1t be-
came necessary that the sailors status slave
be maintained by rigid laws against desertion.
Freedom of action necessary for the operation
keep the sailor bound to the ship because injury
might come to the vessel through his desertion.
| And so his status 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
! was in the hands Of every man on board while
| the vessel was at sea or in foreign ports.
| The progress OF civilization has relieved the
ship-owner and the master OF the hazard of the
| sea. Maritime Insurance has been devised to pay
for losses through acts OF God. II . ship sinks at