Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-09
ARMED MERCHANTMEN
AGAINST RUTHLESS PIRACY
Early Mariners Carried Guns to
Make Seas Safe for Stars
and Stripes.
WORSE THAN BUCCANEERS
Old Freebooters Were After Money
More Than Blood-Thcy Did
Not Kill Iiuthlcssly
(From the Records OF the Navy De-
partmcnt.)
Ri JtALPIt ID. PAINE.
FART I.
First to Meet the Foe.

First to Meet the Foe.
! For the most part the United States
! is still preparing TO launch its attack.
! vast in men and resources. against the
German empire. Armies that will be
counted BY millions. money rolling up
| into the billions, and the industrial
! energies Of the nation arc mobilizing
/ TO smash battle front overseas. Get,
ting ready is grimly earnest business
which lacks the thrill and pageantry OF
other American wars when. almost as
fast as they could be mustered into tho
| service. the regiments went marching
| OFF to engage the enemy. In the pres
| ent crisis the first martial note was
struck when Pershing's forces vanished
| in A night and rcappcarcd somewhere
| i'll France. but even there it was the
same arduous program or training.
waiting. and preparing for tho word.
! Meanwhile, for more than half 4
year. there has been brisk fighting on
blue water, single ship actions waEsd
with the dash and courage Of the best
Yankee naval traditions. and episodes
! to recall the fame OF those privatcers-
men OF the Revolution and 1912 who
| fought for glory well as for cargoes.
! To and fro across the Atlantic. DEFY
! ing the German submarines, the mer-
| chant steamers under the Stars and
Stripes have made hundreds OF voy-
| ages with navy guns and Eunners
| aboard. and one of these fine lads
might tell you. I'VE are giving the
country the first run for it's money"
Armed merchantmen. The phrase
/ is eloquent OF brilliant era of mari
! time history which this generation has
almost forgotten. when Columbia not
| Britannia, ruled the wave, and New
! England shippers fought with pike and
| car"onade 10 defend the freedom Of the
! seas. century ago. when their stout
East lndiamen explored new trads
routes on the other side OF the globe
| and sailed in quest OF ports mysterious
and unknown, there were always rows
or guns behind the bulwarks and crews
trained to man them. \ peaceful
voyage was novel experience These
tall merchantmen were hurried by nj
rates and nrivateers of dozen races
ana they expected to swap broadsides
or pile on canvas in stern chase all
the way from the Bahama Banks to
! the ports OF China, Sumatra. and tho
| Indies.
DEFIED FNEEDOOTERS
OF LAWLESS AGE
These American mariners were the
sons OF the earlier race of Colonial sea-
!
dangers so manifold as TO make their
hardihood astounding In vessels nor
much larger and far less seaworthy
than the lifeboats which hang from a
| liners darits. they had dared distant
voyages and the swarming freebooters
OF bloody. lawiess age upon salt
| water.
And yet through two centuries of
maritime conflict there was never an
! American merchantmen sunk with her
crew and passengers by privateer or
ietter-oi- mhrque snip. no matter what
colors she hew-Frenci. SDanisb,
Dutch English Such barbaritv
was practiced only by the outlawed
pirate with the black tia,: at his mizzen.
! and Ear less often than is commonly
supposed. In fact most real pirate.
were mere thieves who preferred plun-
der TO cutting throats and fought no
/ more than they had TO.
1t was reserved for the impcrial
German government. exponent Of n
twentieth century civilization so supe.
! Ei"r To All others that It has Its own
distinctive name of kuitur. to achieve
an hiamy unique in all the history OF
! The sea. the Wholesale slaughter and
, drowning OF merchant crews and the
! people tntrusted to their care. The
! drunken privateersman and his crew NJ
u
! sallows scrapinss. or the red handed
! ouccancer OF Tortuga would have
viewed such crimes as abhorrent and
| Incredible
rhe greet war in Europe has turned
military science upside down and
tossed most of it's prccepta into the
/ rubbish heap. Invention has resolved
| II into struggle OF three dimen-
sions--in the air. on the land, beneath
| the sca--a clash OF new factors hith.
/ erto undreamed OF. BattIeship heeta
! which were TO decide the mastery atloae
! ride idly at their moorinss. Nothing
! remains that can 40 wildly remind us
| OF other days as this story OF tho
! armed merchant ships which in 1917
are steering out to win their way 10
port IN order that precious merchan-
| disc may be conveyed TO those that
sorely need II. They arc armed not az
privateers. hut solely to defend them.
selves against unlawful attack pre-
cisc!y as were those old American mer.
chant Gects Of a vanished ora
ISSUE WAS BETOGGED
~ "WILLFUL MEN"
! During the long debate in the Senate
over the armed neutrality bill the issue
! WAS bcfoEged by the little group OF
willful men" The President asked
| n =