Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-06-22
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WINS OUT

o0o~Al company
KEY wrench into the cog wheels OF
the administration when he wrote
a protest tc President Harding ov-
er the open bar maintained on the
George Washington, a government
owned vessel. But the monkey
wrench has been extracted, the
wheels repaired and Uncle Sam
will 60 on selling cocktails and all
sorts of drinks on the George
Washington both on its outgoing
and return trips 80 long as 1t is
outside the three mile limit we are
told by Chairman Lasker Of the
government shipping board. He
saws that in this decision he is act
ing on the advice of the private at
.torney of the shipping board. But
why 20 to him? It is the duty Of
the attorney general of the United
States to advise the government OF
the law. Such decision is the law
until it has been set aside by the
courts, or a new decision by the
attorney generals office in default
of court action. Now the attorney
generals office has already decid-
ed this question. 1t was decided
under the administration OF Wood
row Wilson by a democratic attor-
ney general. The decision was
that the Volstead act follows the
flag and is binding on American
ships. Until it is reversed, and it
has not yet been reserved by the
present attorney general. it is the
law of the land and Chairman
Lasker and the administration are
left in the position of violating
the law. It is said that Attorney
General Daugherty will soon re-
verse this decision of his p%redeces-
sor. but he has not done it yet.
and until he does so the govern
ment shipping board is left in the
position of a stubborn lawbreaker
just like the bootleggers. The
Springfield Republican discussing
the administration position we'll
says:
Chairman Lasker emphasizes
the commercial necessity for the
wine card on the tables of ocean lin
ers operated by the United States
shipping board. The shipping
board fleet is now being run at a
financial loss with every passenger
ships bar wide open. Selling cock
tails does not make these ships
profitable. That the financial case
for government bootlegging on the
high seas is sheer humbug is viz
tually proved by Mr.. Lasker's ad-
vocacy of getting the government
out of the shipping business as
soon as possible. The government
stands to lose money by the mil
lions whether or not John Smith
gets his Scotch on the George
Washington.
Passenger liners are not the
only vessels in a merchant marine
there are scores of freighters to
one passenger ship. But MI. Lask-
er's life or death argument for the
sale of whisky on shipboard is ap-
parently based on the view that
carrying passengers with an alco-
holic content is the main business
Of a merchant marine. He might
be reminded that a considerable
proportion of transatlantic trav-
elers who can afford other than
steerage accommodations are dry
from principle and would not resent
the absence of the wine card a.
dinner.
THE overemphasis on the wine
card afloat is calculated to play the
dickens with the ship subsidy pol
icy which Mr.. Lasker so eloquently
advocates when he is trying to get
the government out of the shipping
trade. His legal opinion as to the
ultramarine reach Of the 18th
amendment is sure to be overturn-
ed when the courts get around to
it, even if Attorney General Daugh-
erty we're accommodating enough to
rel the opinion of his predeces.
sor. The private owners of Amer
lean shipping, therefore, must look
forward to flying the colors OF
Volstead when the fly the colors
Of the United States. But who
could feel encouraged to 60 into
the shipping business even under a
system of government subsidies if
what Mr.. Lasker says is true7 AS
long as foreign ships can enter
America serving LIQUOR he de-