Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1911-04-07

the lear 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-
savement staring him In the face, the sailor un-
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
rine. Every occupation has its devotees to whom
1t calls In an 1nsistent voice, and there thou
sands of men who follow the sea 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 If he
likes to follow the sea there is reason why he
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 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 chat
tel slave land and sea. He was usually
prisoner of war and his body and soul belonged to
his master. He chained to his seat in the gal
ley and lashed to his task. Manual labor of all
kinds was considered to be debasng and per-
formed only by slaves.
The Island of Rhodes gave to the Mediter-
ranean it's maritime law, and the Roman code
patterned after that OF Rhodes. When Rome
quered the countries of the north, she gave them
her laws for the regulation of labor on the sea
we'll as on land. The allpervading idea of Roman
civilization was that labor Is debasing, and the
laborer on land a serf and on the sea he
a slave. The maritime power of medieval Europe,
which was expressed through the laws of BARGE
Iona and later through the all-powerful Hanseatc
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 chatte slave
When sailing vessels replaced the galley 1t be-
came necessary that the sailors status a slave
be maintained by rigid laws against desertion
Freedom OF action was 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 a slave maintained by
law on the principle of common hazard" All the
laws OF the Hanseatic League stpulate 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
'aor losses through acts of God II ship sinks at