New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-10-16
Bryan Ignores Other Nations
Protests on Nelson and
la Toilette Acts.
PREMIUM UPON DESERTlON
Measures Relieve Seamen OF
-. Penal Responsibility -
Union Lobby Said To
Be Working.
IRON The Tribune Bureau.l


Washington, Oct. 15.-The unprece-
denied provision that foreign citizen
a sailor, may bring suit against the
CAPTAIN of a foreign ship in the Ameri-
can courts, lbelling such ship to COM
pei payment of wages, even though
such navment may be contrary to the
laws of the nation whose flag the yes
sci flies. is contained in both the Nelson
and La Toilette seamen's bill, when
the Senate has agreed to take up on
Thursday and to vote on week iater'
The Nelson bill contains the qualify
ing clause that such suit may be
brought only where it can be shown
that a majority Of the stock In sum
vessel. or the company which owns IT,
is owned by Americans, but the La
Toilette bill, which he will urge IN the
form of amendments to the Nelson
measure, contains no such qualifca-
ton.
Both bills. moreover, remove entirely
all the penal character from the deser-
ton Of sailors and direct" the Presi-
dent to abrogate all treaties which may
be at variance with this provision.
All penalty for the violation of the
sailors contract to stick by his ship
until she completes her voyage. other
Of
half the pay due such sailor, Is re-
moved. thus, in the estimation of mari
time authorities, putting a premium on
desertion
Both bills provide for the abrogation
OF treaties in conflict with their pro-
visions. irrespective OF how important
other provisions in such treaties may
be to the United States, or the diff
culties which might be encountered in
negotiating substitutes therefor, minus
such provisions.
The Nelson bill provides that the
President Immediately on passage of
the bill shall notify all governments
with whom the United States may
have treaties which contain provisions
contrary to those Of the bill that such
provisions will be terminated as soon
thereafter as is permitted under the
terms Of the treaty. The La Toilette
bill, however provides that "all
treaties in conflict with this act be and
hereby are abrogated. and the Pres
dent Of the United States is required at
once go to notify every nation having
such treaty.
The chancelleries of most of the
countries represented automatically in
the United States are already alarmed
by the prospect of the passage of one
or other Of these bills, or a compromise
between the two, and such enactment
would be certain to precipitate serious
foreign complications. Many foreign
nations have already filed protests with
the Department of State, to which Sec
rotary Bryan has not paid the slightest
attention.
The impetus behind these bills is the
Seamen's Union, which is most eff
fectively represented in Washington by
a paid lobbyist, one Andrew Furruseth,
a Dane. and one Of the officers Of the
union. Furruseth spends a considera-
BILE part of his time in the offices Of the
Senator from Wisconsin, Mr.. La Fol-
lette. and is credited with being able
TO exert powerful political influence
with union men, both in the states Dor
dering on the Great Lakes and along
the seaboard.