The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1913-01-17
RELIEF FOR TARS.
Congress to Abolish Slavery
Aboard Merchant Ships.
PATHETIC PLEA OF SAILORS.

Ask to Be Delivered From lntoIerabIe
Conditions of Servitude-Provision
of the Wilson Bill Now Pending In
the Senate.
The final session of the SiXty-second
congress may be made notable by the
enactment of legislation granting free
dom to the last of American slaves.
One hundred and seventy-five thou
sand American seamen will be liberat-
ed from the condition of serfdom in
which they live if the plans of the Re-
publican and Democratic leaders are
carried out.
The house of representatives already
has passed a bill making long step In
this direction and at the same time as
surfing greater protection for those who
travel across the seas or the great
lakes. The senate proposes to act in
| line with the house, and the result is
expected to be a measure which will
make the life of the merchant sailor
more endurable and more attractive to
those young men who have the itch of
the sea-"
No more pathetic memorial was ever
presented to congress than that OF
| American seamen in behalf of legisla-
ton to alleviate the conditions of their
labor. Among other things this memo
| rial said:
1--WE stand in the same relation to
! the vessel as the serf did to the es-
tate, as the slave to his master. When
serfdom was abolished in western Eu-
rope we were forgotten by the liberia
| tors and our status remained. When
the slaves of the United States and
| Brazil were emancipated our status
continued When serfdom was abol-
shed in Russia no change came to us
1--WE now raise our manacled hands
in humble supplication and pray that
the nation issue a decree of emancipa-
| ton and restore to us our right as
brother men-to our labor that honor
which belonged to it until your power,
expressing itself through your law, set
upon it the brand of bondage in the
interest Of cheap transportation by wa
| ter"
What the seaman suffers is indi-
Gated by the following;
He may be arrested and imprisoned
for desertion.
He is compelled to live in a place
| six feet long. six feet high and two
feet wide space which has been de
scribed as too large for coffin and
100 small for grave"
| He is compelled to sign away. in the
! foreign trade. a certain sum of the
wages to lie earned in order to get EN-
| ployment.
He must obey any order from the
master or other officer or go to prison,
but if crippled for life by injury there
by received he has no remedy, because
under late decisions the officers are
fellow servants"
| He must in obtaining employment
compete with the unskilled and desti-
| tute
He knows that vessels are generally
undermined both as to skilled and
rs to numbers of men employed
| He knows that in his calling he will
not he able to earn sufficient money to
marry and keep a family.
During the closing days of the last
session the house passed a bill father
ID 10y Representative Wilson of Penn
'ylvania ITO abolish the involuntary
/ servitn1e iu posed upon seamen in the
merchant marine of the United States
and in foreign ports; the involuntary
servitude imposed upon seamen of the
merchant marine of foreign countries
while i'm ports of the United States;
/ 70 prevent uuskilled manning of Amer
! can vessels 10 encourage the training
# boys for the American merchant
marine: for the further protection Of
/ ife at sea and to amend the laws rela-
i've to seamrn
The percentage of seamen who de
sert from American vessels is relative
/ 'y small. a law passed in 1898 abol-
/ shed the penalty of Imprisonment for
/ assertion in ports of the United States.
Canada. Newfoundland, the West In
/ lies and Mexico. 1t is claimed the
/ Imprisonment penalty applying to de-
sertion in other countries is a dead
/ etter.
The Wilson bill abolshes the I'M
usual penalty Of enforced labor. per
mits civil damages to be assessed
against desertiou in the collectible
ermS of forfeited pay, provides for
he relinquishing of contract by sailors
IN foreign vessels. prescribes that OH
all merchant vessels the sailors shall
while at sea be divided into at least
-wo and the fremen into three
s:itcbeS and requires the employment
Il Il sufficient number Of men TO han
lie the ship aud TO care for the life
boats.
Instead Of the men being confined to
'eventy-tUo cubic feet Of space they
will hHve l,u cubic feet If the bill
becomes q law They will have better
food. more liberty and I'm general bet
er living conditions.