Denver labor bulletin., 1915-06-19
Andreu Furuseth and His Work
By SENATOR ROBERT NJ LA TOILETTE

One morning in December, 1909. there
came into my office in the Capitol build
ing. n tall. hony. slightly stopped man,
with a face bespcaking superior intelli-
genee and lofty character. II was An
drew Furuseth.
lie wanted to interest me in the cause
of the American sailor. He was sailor
himself, h.. said. and he wanted to be
free" | did not know what he mssIt.
l questioned him. Surely there ~rre no
slaves under the American flag. Bonds
men there wcre-but Lincoln changed ell
that. And IL had been written in the
amended constitution. "Yrs." he said.
but not for the sailor. All other men
are free. But when the amendments
We're framed. they passed us by. The
sailor was forgotten.
asked him to tell me about i. Sit
ting on the edge OF a chair. his body
thrust forward, n great soul speaking
through his face, the set purpose Of his
life shining in his eyes. he told me the
story OF the sailors wrongs. He taid
little of himself excepting as drew him
ON TO speak OF the long, long struggle
of which he was the beginning, and IL
now finally the end. lie spoke with a
strong Scandinavian accent but with re-
discrimination.
Mind Like a Corliss Engine.
lie knew the maritime law of every
country: the social condition. the wage
level. the economic life OF every seafar-
ing nation. He was master Of his sub
icct His mind worked with the pre-
cision OF Corliss engine. lie was logic
al. rugged. tcrsc. quaint, aud fcryid with
conviction.
Born in Norway. the call of the sea
came to him ~ lad sixteen. lie stood
upon the cliffs and looked out upon the
infinite The life of the sailor, like the
| ocean. must be wide and free lie felt
its mysterious spell lie would be q
free seaman with all the world an
open door New thoughts were stirring
within him. He sailed away. thrilled
with the idea that his was to be free
mans Work.
His dream was shattered early bv the
| hard realities of life before III, mast.
| First in the boats aud later on the decks
of the merchant marine of every great
maritime nation he served rs a seaman.
| and everywhere conditions were the
same. He found himself a common Chat.
| tel He was owned by the master of
| the ship
| HHN men Hbh-'u. nc -alu, n'Nttu
into insensibility. / saw sailors try to
escape from brutal masters, and from
| unscaworthy vessels upon which they
| had been lured to serve. saw them
| hunted down and thrown into the ships
| hold in chains. ! know the bitterness
OF it all from experience"
Supplanted BY Orientals.
lie had seen ovcr-insurcd and under
manned ships 90 down at sea. with up.
| polling loss OF human life, all because
greedy owners would not furnish skilled
seamen to sail them; or provide lifeboIts
| for passengers and crew.
lie had witnessed the blighting effects
| of the worldwide shipping trust apon
| the scapowcr of the white race. To swell
| its enormous dividends he had seen this
great monopoly supplant white sailors
| with the low-wage. cheaply fed Orient
\ ais, until they swarm the merchant mar.
inc of every maritime nation. And he
had measured with the judgment of real
statesmansbip the future peril to Chris
tian civilization as the sea power slowly
but surely passes TO the Oriental races.
He would not submit to slavery. lie
could not abandon his beloved sea ca :
ing. His great spirit asserted itself. lie
studied the history Of the sea- lie found
] that there had been time when the sea