The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-04-01
LAF0LEETTETA[KS
FOR SEAMEN'S LAW
Wisconsin Senat"y. Scores Critics
Of Msasur: ! 81; &c. A2:l&;st $751;.
of sa'-- e c.p;te:' 1
SAYS 1T WILL BUILD
UP MERCHANT MARINE
Declares President Wilson Will
Stand by Measure to
the Last.

MILWAUKEE,, March 3O.-Sena-
tor LaFollette ably defended the Sea-
mems act in a powerful speech be-
fore 1000 people here last night.
Speaking Of his work in congress he
said:
Shorter hours of labor, opposition
TO child labor. and the freeing Of the
american sailors through the pass
age OF the seamen's act were things
accomplished
Il want to say a word in behalf of
the seamens law which I know is
good for American seamen; it is a
good law for the American merchant
marine. If it can be built up at all
it will be built up under that law" he
said. 1t has been denounced as an
enemy of merchant marine. Let me
tell you something. Last summer,
after that bill was enacted and a CAM
paign conducted by the special inter-
csts, paid for by special interests-a
campaign through the great metro
politan newspapers Of the country
which printed denunciations and
falschoods of the rankest sort-I
came to be apprehensiye that possi-
hly even the administration at Wash
lngton might be misled and driven
to stand for the repeal or modifica-
ton of the seamen's law, which would
weaken and destroy. it's efficiency.
President Stands Pat.
II was out in the western country.
a long ways from the capital, but
I caused an inquiry to be made at
Washington and a reassuring answer
came from the White house. IT. said
President Wilson, the American mer-
chant marine cannot live under that
lust law-just to American seamen
and just to the American public-it
ought to die
There isn't a line in it but what
Will be helpful in building I'D a mer-
chant marine. Every line in it is
III the interests of the American pub
lc FOR human life at sea and for JUS
tice to the American seaman. There
was only one small body of men
under this flag of ours who had not
the protection Of the Thirteenth
amendment to the constitution.
DO YOU know that every American
seaman sailing the high seas was
subject to Imprisonment if he quit
work: Think of it for just one mo-
ment. Do you know what the effect
was? 1t was driving every American
boy who had love for the sea to
IND something else, with the result
that American sailors were SUD-
planted by Japanese, Chinese and
men from the Mediterranean who
: could be employed at SO a month.
Navy Is 10000 Short.
Our navy today is 10000 short
IN enlisted men. The American mer-
chant marine was once the leader of
all the world. The American mer-
chant marine ought to be the school,
ing place for an American navy, but
II you drive American citizens to COM
pete with SS month wages you will
drive them out; you will drive them
Off the sea. And when you have
no American sailors; when you have
no American merchant marine: when
YOU have only the cheapest men. the
cheapest labor in the world-if there
should come a time when you need q
navy where in Gods name will Won
find it.
"Why did 1.517 people go down in
the Titanic disaster? That vessel.
ripped by an iceberg, lay for two
hours on sea like glass, not a rip
pie, and yet 1900 souls were lost
while We, with our incompetent sea-
manship, had no provision for the
safety of human life"
When the senator apologized for
his depression from his regular
speech, a voice called "Go ahead:
give us some more; that's right.
You're good"