Southwest Washington labor press. [volume] (Hoquiam, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1925-05-01

desire to go to sea realizes that in
signing an agreement he sacrifices
all the rights he has on land and
cannot ship, unless he relinquishes
his liberty as a man, he will refuse
to go. a
See Ship Changes
"And the tools of any artisan go
to those who know how to use them.
This is true of science, mechanical
and of maritime efficiency. The ship
which is the tool of the men who OPP
crate it, will go to the nation that has
learned to use it and it is the Orient
al who is doing that more and more
today.
"Under the maritime laws of every
nation except America, the seaman
is slave from the time he signs his
contract until it is terminated, either
automatically or by the will of the
master. The seaman has no will of
his own that he may exercise with
out going to jail"
Furuseth's life has been one long
battle for the seaman. He came to
America and to San Francisco in
1880, and for six years sailed out of
this port as an able-bodied seaman.
In 1885 he helped to organize the
Pacific Coast Seamen's Union, which
is now known as the Sailors Union
of the Pacific.
In 1892 he was a leader in the or
ganization of the international Sea-
mems Union Of America, which has
its headquarters in Chicago.
Opens Fight In 1887
He began the fight against the
seamen's Imprisonment law in Amer
lea in 1887.
He was successful in 1895 in hav-
ing the imprisonment eliminated as
far as coastwise vessels were con-
cerned.
Then, in 1898, all American ships
in American harbors were prevented
from imprisoning seamen who left
their ships in port.
In 1918 came the great triumph
of his labors when the United States
Congress passed the La Toilette act,
which prohibited the imprisonment
of deserving seamen from foreign or
American vessels in any American
port.
Futile Effort
In 1908 he had attended the In
ternational Transport Workers Fed
Grafton in Vienna, but failed to OBJ
tain approval of an International
law. In 1910 be attended the same
conference at Copenhagen and his
measure was endorsed, but nothing
was done later in the matter.
In 1918 he attended the Conference
on Safety of Life at Sea at London
as one of the American representa-
tives and the only one who repre-
sented the seaman. He attended to
what duties it was necessary to per-
form on the committee on which he
was named and then resigned and
came home realizing the futility of
accomplishing anything for the
sailor in a conference made up of
men controlled by shipowners.
Later when a treaty was submit
ted to the United States Senate as a
result of this conference he helped
to defeat it.
s. Labor Section
He was an onlooker at Paris in
1918 and watched the organization
of the labor section. It was this la
Dor section, known as the Interna-
tional Labor Commission, which met
in Genoa in 1920, with Furuseth in
attendance.
Since then he has been constantly
in communication with Albert Thorn
as, director of the International Labor
Office at Geneva, Switzerland, in an
effort to break down the determine
ton of the commission to continue
this system, but without avail.
Now, fearing that through an
adoption of this proposed code, the
feudal system will be solidified in
ternationally and thereby become al
most impossible of dissipation for
many years, he plans to visit the in
dividual nations with his appeal
against it.
To Block U. s. Move
And not alone to prevent this
qualification of the obnoxious law in
all countries, but to prevent it's sub
mission to the Senate of the United
States, where the shipowners would
concentrate their efforts to have it
accepted in notification Of the La
Toilette act, Furuseth starts on an
other crusade for the salvation of
the men who follow the sea for life
and the fulfllment of it.
Determined purpose looks out at
you through the small gray eyes Of
Andrew Furuseth, large ndse ac-
centuates it, q deep-furrowed face
proves e eonAanuatss ana a thin