The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-07-26
SEAMEN STRIKE
NOW Threatened
Senator Clarke's Piseonholing
Involuntary Servitude Bill
May Prove Disastrous.
MARINE TIE-UP IS LIKELY
UnioR Men Here Disheartened Over
Legislative Situation
at Capitol. -

A nationwide strike of American sea-
men that will tie up shipping on the
Pacific Coast, endanger the successful
opening of the Panama Canal to vessels
of the United States, and seriously affect
the seaports of the East, is threatened
because of the failure of Congress to
consider legislation abolishing the in
voluntary servitude of American seamen.
Members of the seamen' IS union now In
Washington stated that the men have
become so disheartened with the pro-
crastination practiced by members of
Congress with regard to passing this
legislation that they not only have de-
cided to strike, but that the strike will
be one of the most bitter contests ever
waged by American labor.
Clarke blamed for Delay.
The situation is regarded as acute in
the extreme. and a last appeal will be
made to those having charge of the COM
merce committees of the House and Sem
ate TO take action before it ID too late.
Blame for the condition of affairs yes
terday was put squarely up to Senator
James p. Clarke of Arkansas. chairman
of the Senate Committee on Commerce.
Clarke halls from Little Rock, Ark,
where he is a director in every corporate
interest in the city and adjacent terri
tory. HIS opposition TO labor legislation
is well known and has been exploited on
a number of occasions.
The LIE Toilette involuntary sertitude
bill, the measure approved by the sea-
men, has been referred to the committee
of which Clarke is the chairman and a
definite promise was given by Clarke to
the author Of the measure to take the
bill under consideration at the earliest
opportunity Chairman Clarke's promise
was so worded that Senator La Toilette
and the labor men were led to believe
that immediate action would be taken
on the measure.
This promise was exacted some six
weeks ago but since then no action has
been taken by the committee. despite the
plsas of those interestedin the measure.
Senator Clarke himself, when seen yes
terday by The Herald reporter, evaded
the issue.
Clarke was born in Yazoo City. Miss.
in 1854. He entered the political field in
1856, when he was elected to The House
of Representatives of the Arkansas legis-
lature Almost Immediately his attitude
toward union labor became evident. He
was a member of the State Democratic
machine. and as its representative in the
State Assembly he opposed a number of
bills looking toward the anticipation of
the Arkansas laboring man. Later, he
WIS elected to the State Senate, becoming
in turn States attorney general and Gov
ernor before entering the United States
Senate II 1903.
Fight q Long One.
Since he has been in Washington he has
at different times eXerted his influence
to delay labor legislation, notably that
relating to American seafaring men. as
eXemplifed by the action he sanctioned
at the Sixty-second Congress. when an
e-Hasculated seaInans bill was passed too
late to be enacted into law. This measure
came to President Taft during the close
of the Sixty-second Congress, and was
left unsigned when the Wilson admins
tration was ushered into Office.
The fight of the seamen, championed
lately by Senator La Toilette, has been
waged in Washington for over a score
of years. By one expedient or another the
successive administrations have put off
the passage CT bills bringing relief to sea-
men, while the American sailor has con-
tinued to work under conditions that exist
in no other civilized country.
Senator Clarke today admitted that the
La Toilette measure was resting in a
pigeonhole Of his desk in the commerce
committee room, and admitted that he
had promised consideration for the meas
ure. He dismissed the subject however,
by stating that scores of other mea sures
were on the committee calendar, and in
timated that his corDmittee would be I'M
able to give its attention to the seamen
bills for weeks, and perhaps months, to
come.