TORMENTED TARS.

NZ Truth, Issue 160, 11 July 1908, Page 5

TORMENTED TARS.

THE YANKEELAND JACKIES:

Why They Desert Their Ships.

Americans Systematically Insult Bluejackets.

" Dogs, Niggers, and Marines, Keep Off the Grass."

Quite recently^ a sensational cablegram was received from the United States, m which it was stated that over a thousand seamen had/ deserted from the American fleet , since its arrival m Californian waters, owing to the "superabundance of hospitality." The fact is, however, that the complaint of desertions from the American fleet is an old one. It is not "because of "superabundance of hospitality" that men desert, but because of superabundance of insult. Albie Fosdick Ranson,, President of the BluejacJcets' Friends Society, deals with the "matter at length, and with emphasis, m the March issue of "The Arena." The writer of the article says, "To-day the desertions from our Navy have caused for it a diminished respect among foreign Powers, and a Chicago professor declared that patriotism is dead among us." The writer then goes, on to quote- as follows, what an officer, who was atone time pri a training-ship, has to say reeardinc deserters from the United States Nayy .— - , •-,,; . A large proportion of the enlisted men are boys ranging from 17 to 20 years. They come on board for their trial trip full of energy, ambition and patriotism. We give them shore leave, andi instead of welcome they RECEIVE NEGLECT AND INSULT. They become discouraged and homesick, then "jump ship." For the sake of its discipline, we must punish, and oftentimes that is as hard for the officers ' io give as for the boy to receive.-; They are. it appears, not lightly treated, the punishment for ■ desertion being from six months to a year m a naval prison, where they have to herd with the vilest criminals, and some of the criminal bluejackets, are '•' very vile. Says Ranson : — sln Charlestown Naval prison during the fiscal year, ending June 30. 1907, .516 prisoners were confined. Of these ; 176 were, deserters,, and 129 absent without leave (a distinction without a difference from desertion) ; the remaining 211 were guilty of various offences/; ranging from murder down. The prison originally built for 151 has held, anywhere from ' jbhat number up to 300.. " . Among these are hoys who, whilevcbnscientiously endeavoring .to do . -their duty. stumbled and fell over a mistaken idea of what constituted duty, boys who bad scarcely left their mother's, apron strings, before driven back, to her by a* consuming home-sickness : deserters from reasons of every kind; fraudulent enlistments^ embezzlers ; men who, had committed every crime ; m: the ; cal-. ! endar — here they,' are, tier on tidr,,, mingling m one great family. : , The writer then protests against 'Nay-: al offenders being; discharged while having no cldthes, except' the- Naval uniform ;> and he makes some remarkable statements abdut . the contempt with which American bluejackets '.are treated m jthe cities of the United Stages.. He say's : Can we expect Cpniress -to be interested m this matter \?" ..V . Not so long as ><we permi^ proprietors of \ public amusemfcnts -to' snut: their - v doovs m the faces* of- the enlisted men. and allow owners ;pi restaurants to refuse them food -when clothed m the srarb Which it should be our duty to honor. Not so long as we see. thesie patriotic boys walking the'^tree'ts of the city unwilling to look ; the passer-by m the face because of- ' ', THE SCiDRN UPON IT. In time of war. we pack our. valuables and '! flee, to an inland city, there to prate about our npblb cpuntry- and its brave defenders, we wear cap-ribbons and badges, and then, w.hen peace is restored, insult those whp stood between us and the enemy. . After a vigorous protest against the "penning up of ■ mere boys for months with hardened criminals," the President of the Bluejackets' Friends Society goes on to say of the deserters:— Many of them enlisted because of their love of country, . have been driven into that prison by one of three causes; i.e.. distaste of the service brought on by its monotony when kept for. months at one station, 'insults received ,on shore, or home-sickness. ~ Often it is a combination of three -causes. The cases are rare indeed, where lack of patriotism" or, love : . of,; evil has • caused their downfall. They ;come out discouraged .^disffraced.disf ranch ised s weak and inefficient to, face a world which is all acainsu them without: even honor to resums their work. We, the. .people; amona- whom their lives *V 0 Henceforth to be cast, haven't respect enough . for the service they; .disgraced. to confiscate whatever they possess, of. regulation clothes and give them civilians" m re? turn. . , . ..j.'l So far dp some people of the United States go m their insiijts to., their own • men-o'rWarsmen. that there are actually plfics there where _ rf BLUEJACKETS' ARE CLASSED* WITH DOGS ! The writer of the article from which we have quoted thus refers to such' insults, and to other causes of descrtio'n. :— , The largest number of desertions take nlace within the first year of service before the boy has become wonted to the change. We, through our Government, take them ft seventeen or thereabout, from' the street, the home, country nlaces where liberty was theirs m the fullest measure, restrict them to discipline which requires a radical change m their whole manner of lite. Our doors are closed aVainst themwhen on shore, we neelec^ , and insult them m every possible ' way, making them feel, that, while serving our country, they' themselves have no country. In witness of the truth of this statement go to Newport News, Virginia. Unless it has , been very recently removed you will see at the end of Ocean-avenue, a sign, which reads. "Dops, Niggers and Marines, Keep of! the Grass !" It is quite clear that' the public aud laws of the United States do not treat the bluejackets well. It is also fairly clear that if the average American read the letters m New Zealand . papers as to what should be dohe to welcome the bluejackets, he would regard the writers as stark, staring mad. Proposals, for instance, x to billet the men upon UNSUSPECTING RESPECTABLE PRIVATE FAMILIES are astonishing. Let the bluejackets be. made welcome ; but let men keep their wits. Some of the bluejackets may be bad men : some of them may be diseased. In either case, they would not be fit to be received into the bosom of any respectable man's family. Let us greet kindly and hospitably the fighting sailors from the United States. ' Let them be treated much better than it is evident, they are treated m their own country,, but, as for homes, the proper home for the bluejacket is his ship.