Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-06-17
CONGRESS MAY BAR )
ALL LIQUOR LADEN
SHIPS FROM PORTS
Busch to Press Bootlegging
Charge Attorney General
VIII Be Asked for Imme-
date Ruling
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
LEASED Wire Service to The Journal.)
Copyright, 1929


Copyright, 1927
WASHINGTON, June 16.-Con-
gress may prohibit all ships wheth-
er they fly the flag of foreign coun-
tries or the United States from en-
tering any port of this country if
liquor is carried aboard sealed or
otherwise.
This is likely to be the upshot of
the practice of the United States
sh1l'ring board in permitting the sale
CT lntoxicants outside the three-mile
limit in order to meet the competi-
ton Of foreign ships engaged in the
passenger-carrying trade.
The shipping board insists that
there is no law or constitutional pro-
vision which today prevents an
American ship from selling liquor
after the three-mile limit has been
passed. Instead of arguing the legal
ity or illegality of the practice which
alone could be determined finally
by supreme court decision, mem
.bers of congress have begun intro
ducing bills to provide that the pro-
posed ship subsidy shall not apply
to any ships selling liquor at sea.
Such a proposal, it is declared by
shipping board officials, would be
suicidal to the American merchant
marine, and that no amount of sub
sidy would enable American ships
to compete under those clrcum-
stances against foreign vessels.
IL order to carry on profitable
trade, and to get well-balanced
merchant marine useful in war as
well as peace, large ships, known in
marine parlance as capital ships"
are necessary as well as freight cac'
riers. These capital ships require
considerable passenger traffic annu
ally to keep them going.
wet" Ships Popular
If foreign ships can sell liquor
outside the, three mile limit they adj
NIT edly will get most of the pas
senger trade, according to official
estimates based on actual eXpe1'l
ence.
IL discriminate against American
ships, w!.1ie perm ting foreign yes
sells touching American ports to open
their bars at sea is regarded in con
gissS and elsewhere as inequita bic,
and the only way to prevent it would
be to forbid foreign ships to touch
American territory if they have
LIQUOR aboard.
This might tend to help American
vessels to some extent, but already
it is pointed out that the advantage
would work in the direction Of Brit
ISL vessels, for they would close
the.r bars after touching at Halifax.
transport all their liquor to shore,
and continue to New York without
inAoXicanus aboard so as to comply
with the suggested port regulations.
But in order to make fast trip
across many vessels under foreign
flags would hesitate to make stop
at Canadian ports because of. the
time that would be lost in the
roundabout voyage.
IN the transatlantic trade, there,
fore shipping officials think such q
proposal would enable American YES
sells to compete on more or less equal
terms with foreign ships. In the
Pacific, however, the fear is that
Americas merchant marine would
suffer. Vancouver, British Colum-
bia, is not far from Seattle. for in.
stance, and the American tourist
would be tempted to take his boat
at Vancouver instead of a United
States port. The Japanese passen-
Ee- vessels would continue, of
course, to carry liquor aboard, and
the American ships might lose much
of their passen ger trade.
When the matter comes up in con-
gress, therefore, Pacific coast mem
bers who at present are active in
trying to get a ship subsidy bill
through will find themselves con-
fronted by practical situation
which has little to do with the mer-
It's of prohibition. Senator Jones,
of Washington, one Of the prohibit
ton leaders in congress, will have
to decide a ticklish point.
The truth is that many of the
! spokesmen for the prohibition move
ment concede that the shipping
board has the law on it's side in the
present controversy and that an
American ship outside the three
mile limit is not subject to the en-
forcenent of the prohibition laws or
snv other statutes of the United
States except those which apply to
L
crews and other matters specifically
covered by statute.
This is a moot point and there
have been a string of decisions on
If in the courts for the last century.
The shipping board points out that
If an American ship is American ter
ritory it would be immune from seiz
ure during war when the United
states is neutral and that nobody
could be taken off an American shir
at sea. AS a matter of fact, the
Tinted States, in the famous contro
versv with Great Britain during the
civil war, asserted the right tC
search a British ship and remove
passengers.
If the ship were American territory
II would be an attack against the SOW
oreientv Of the United States. Dur
inc the recent war, American vessels
outside the three-mtle limit were
subject to capture and diversion from
1be;~ course ard the American gov
arnment never contended that an
American ship was American terri
tory. -
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