The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1920-02-27
The Board States Prohibition
Would Hurt Business
FORMER BOARD OPINION
IS GREATLY OPPOSED
Many Arguments Against Present
Contention
The HAND OF THE VETS Is seen

been involved in the discussion of the
question Of whether or not the United
States should sell ships formerly be-
longing 10 Germany.
In statement BY John Barton
Paync, giving the reasons for the pro-
poSal to sell the ships, he included
the following: In view oil prohibi-
ton and Of the actual conditions the
board deemed il probable that pas
sengcr ships could not be operated
by the Shipping Board at profit.
indeed it feared that serious losses
would result
In a letter to the President from
the chairman of the board the follow
ing paragraph was a part.
1T seems to US. in view OF Ma
tional Prohibition policy, if operated
by the Shipping Board we could not
sell liquor thereon. and if we do not
it IS doubtful whether we can operate
them without loss in competition with
the ships Of foreign countries having
;be privilege OF selling liquor z
The contention OF the Shipping
Board that Prohibition will either
compel the sale OF ships held by the
government or their operation at
loss has been given great publicity.
Every item OF news tending to up
held the Shipping Boards contention
has been printed by the newspapers.
While The question Of Prohibition
viii probably not be determining
factor in the settlement OF the gov
crnnent's ship problem, the argu-
mcnts made i'll this connection should
not go unanswered
! A dispatch in the Herald Examiner
presents the following facts relative
to the situation:
! New York, Feb. 15.-Admiralty
lawyers demolished today the argu-
ment that Constitutional Prohibition
+ prevents the successful operation of
passenger shipping under the Amerj-
can flag. They pointed out that Con-
gress has the power to put American
ships on a full equality with all ship
ping touching American ports.
by simple amendment TO the
/ Nolstead act, Congress can prevent
foreign ships that sell liquor from
getting port documents at any port
in the United States. they asserted.
THE United States also can get the
cream OF the passenger traffic on the
Atlantic by another simply enacted
law. they said. In the past, lines an
der foreign flags have found one Of
their main sources OF support in bring
ing immigrants to this country
In an editorial appearing in the Chi
cago Herald Examiner recently the
argument that Prohibition will COM
pei the sale of government ships is
answered as follows:
IF 100000 Americans by choice
live and prosper under Prohibition,
we think an American merchant ma
rine can survive under Prohibition.
We do not believe that the morals
and habits OF the American people are
different on the sea than on the land.
IF it is necessary to sell American
ships. or to operate them under the
British flag for the sake of the profits
OF the barroom, why not put one or
two OF our states under the British
| flag also for the profits OF the liquor
traffic?"
When the question of Prohibition
was first raised in connection with the
sale OF government ships the editor of
The Issue wrote letter to John Bar
ton Payne, chairman Of the board,
setting forth facts tending to prove
that the prediction being made rela-
tive to the effect OF Prohibition upon
passenger business would prove as
groundless as other wet predictions.
In reply Mr.. Payne wrote as to the
effect of Prohibition: "All | care TO
say is, that in view of the national
policy. it has not seemed to me wise
that we should sell liquor on the gov
ernment ships. The effect of this is
matter of pure speculation"
During the war the Shipping Board
made the statement that beer and wine
were necessary to insure efficiency
in the shipyards. This statement
brought forth an avalanche OF proof
showing that the Shipping Boards
contention was not based on fact