The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1946-02-05
Fair Enough
BY wEsrBRooK PEGLER
Copyright, 1915, by King Features Syndicate

The case Of the civilian sailor who served
in the Merchant service during the war IS
| coming up for consideration by Congress by
way of demand that he now be regarded
as forgotten and underprivileged hero.
| He now wants all the benefits OF the I'll
bill of rights and all the further benefits that
will be voted the men and women Oh 1ne
armed services in the future.
That many of these sailors were brave ana
performed important service IN very DANGER
GUS conditions will be conceded at the outset,
although for every hero there were at least
two ship-jumpers, drunkards and thieves, tne
files of the Navy and Coast Guard contain oe-
tails of dsgraceful record OF misconduct
ranging from mutiny and defiant lnsubord1na
ton to drunkenness on watch and pilfering oil
cargo.
The fact of first importance is that the
great majority of the merchant sailors chose
the merchant service for the very reason INA
they preferred to remain civilians. This usual
ly meant that they could pick their ships ana
voyages and take time off ashore between
cruises. During the war several proposals
were made that, in the interests OF dlsclpnne
and efficiency the merchant sailors be en-
rolled in the Navy. They fought this because
it would have meant that they would be re-
duced to Navy pay and brought under Navy
discipline. The National Maritime Union,
which has been dominated by communists
and fellow-travelers from its beginning, even
rejected with scorn, proposal that the Ucalted
States award a government discharge button
to disabled merchant men. The union bosses
wanted none of that The union would issue
Us own insignia, If any were necessary to
identify these sailors as union men, not as
American patriots
In the Navy, they would have been dressed
in the Nays uniform which communist mer-
chant sailors derided as a monkey suit and
would have Ia ybora 1rl,o, ,yS
ordered. In the merchant service, they were
high-salaried job-holders, working under legal
contract with civilian corporations at rates of
pay which were fantastic by comparison with
the Nays. With the exception of a few who
could not meet the Nays minimum require
ments as to physique, health and intelligence,
they were free to enter the Navy at any
time and thus make sure that there could bel
question of their eligibility for all benefits
granted to service veterans.
The unions opposed their absorption into
the service because, as naval men, they would
have been lost to the unions. They could not
hold Soviet meetings on naval ships and send
delegations to the bridge to present demands
to the captains as they constantly did in the |
merchant service. The unions could not try
them before communist kangaroo courts and
set them the beach for terms extending up
to SO years for 'un-unionlike conduct which
meant anything from a condemnation OF COM
munsm to an exchange of harsh words with
some illiterate drunken Caribbean mutineer.
1t is now being argued that for the very
reason that he was free to take time ashore
between voyages, during which he drew no
pay, the merchant sailors margin over the
Navy man was less than it seemed The truth
is. however, that all those who wanted to sail
continuously during the critical time had I'M
interrupted employment at a minimum of SITS
month. Meanwhile enlisted naval sailors of
the armed guard detail, taking exactly the
same risks on the same ships, received only
the legal pay for their ratings and received
time ashore in port only at the discretion of
their superiors. Meanwhile, also, these blue
jackets were prosecuted afoat through an Or
ganized campaign Of sneering and ridicule Of
their patriotism. In many cases they lived
on food sharply inferior to that of the civilian
crews.
During the most dangerous days. the CT
william sailor drew a bonus of $125 for each
port that his ship touched in the war zone. If
she made Liverpool, Cardiff. Barry and Ply
mouth on street-car run, he drew $500 in
port bonuses, a bonus of 100 per cent above
his base pay and bonus OF SIS for every day
in the war zone. The bluej acket received Meth
er bonus overtime, which was another
large ingredient in the merchant sailors in
come.
In addition to insurance of $5OO0 free, the
corporation, had right to sue his employers
for personal injuries before juries of civilians
and he was entitled to hospital treatment for
illness or injury, plus pay, at reduced rate,
during that time.
The unions and the lobby on behalf of the
present demands are exploiting the bravery
and the sacrifice of the many civilian sailors
who were lost during the most dangerous days
and the service and daring of the survivors
who sailed with them. It is even demanded
that alien communists be automatically natu-
rallied and given the benefits that Congress
voted for patriotic service men. They say
nothing of the service and patriotic sacrifice
of bluejackets who also died came through. /
Artful efforts have been made to deny adj
vantages which the merchant men enjoyed
and which the unions Dragged of when they
were enticing young landsnen recruited by
the merchant service, to join their ranks.
There is no confusion or doubt, however. Their
own figures in their own publications prove
that the merchant sailor had great advan-
tages over the bluejacket and elected to re-
main civilian, rejecting the benefits of the
CT bill of rights, in favor of the enormous
pay and other valuable considerations. II
NHNT TT0NC II