Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1915-09-30
The LaFoIlette seamen's Bill.


Probably no act passed by the last
! session of congress has caused the
publication of more transformation
concerning its contents and effects
than the LaFollette Seamen's bill.
Carloads of white paper and tons of
black ink have been used in predict.
ing the utter ruin of the remnant Of
the merchant marine flying the Unit,
ed States flag because of the provi-
sions Of this act, so that it is a mat
ter of small wonder that President
Wilson has been severely censured
for having signed it.
Such light has been thrown on this
bill in the past ten days that gen.
eral revision of opinion on this act
Is now in process, owing to the writ
ings of Peter B. Kyne in the Saturday
Evening Post and the explanation of
the bill by its author. Andrew Furu.
seth, president of the International
Sailors Union, in the Labor Council
in this city last Friday night While
the bill is called the LaFollette meas.
ure, it Is generally known that Mr..
Furuseth is its real sponsor, and that
1t was the result of his labors at the
national capital for II years.
The press of the country appears
to have taken for granted the state.
ments Of the Ship Owners associa.
ton, and so far they have been gen.
orally accepted as truth. But, the
talk Of Mr.. Furuseth and the writings
Of Mr.. Kyne show the other side,
and make the calamity predictions of
the owners look ridiculous. To be.
gin with, the allegation that the bill
had not received due consideration
is totally disproved by the record.
The measure has been before con-
gress for many years and passed
both houses twice, being vetoed by
President Taft the first time, and the
shipowners and Furuseth were grant.
ed a number of hearings before the
committees, the reports of which fill
half dozen large volumes.
Furuseth and Kyne both explain
the transfer of the seven liners on the
Pacific engaged in Oriental traffic,
and show conclusively that the en-
actment of this law was not the i'm.
polling motive of their transfer and
sale. The five Pacific Mail liners
were controlled by the Southern Pa
cific railroad, for the purpose of Sc.
curing overland freight destined for
the Orient. The completion of the
Panama canal destroyed that source
Of freight, and, the law forbidding
the use Of the canal to railroad own
ed ships. together with the high price
of ships on the Atlantic at this time,
their sale is accounted for, especially
as the company received $3.50, 900
for them. The same is true of the
Minnesota, sold by the Great Northern
ern railroad for the same reasons.
The Robert Dollar company placed
their ships back under British regis
try, from whence they came under
the emergency act of September, 1914,
with their British officers and engi.
ners and Chinese crew-a crew which
works for $12 month and the men
board themselves. 1t is true that at
ter November 4, next, no American
ship will be engaged in the Trans
Pacific trade.
But, is the Seamen's act RESPONSE
BILE? For the Robert Dollar ships, yes.
The act requires that Is per cent of
the crew of any vessel sailing from
any port in the United States must
be able to understand any order given
by the officers, and forty per cent Of
them must be rated as able seamen.
This safety measure accounts for the
action Of the Dollar company with its
mixed officers and crews, and as the
law applies to vessels of all national
tiles, this company's boats will not
call at United States ports.
The bill also provides for such sani-
tary rules in the forecastle as will give
the sailor the same chance for his life
and health as are accorded to workers
on land by city ordinances, and it
abolishes arrest and Imprisonment for
desertion, in other words it applies
the provisions of Thirteenth Amend
ment to the Constitution, abolishing
involuntary servitude to the sailor as
we'll as the landsman.
This provision, says Mr.. Furuseth,
will in a short time equalize sailors