The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-10-07
Attorney General Also
Bars Ports to Foreign
Craft With Booze.
FIGHT IN COURTS
EXPECTED AT ONCE
Political Chiefs See Boost
For Subsidy Bill in
Daugherty's Decree.

Attorney DeHeTdl bduBneIly IN n
sweeping decision yesterday ruled
liquor off American ships throughout
the world and prohibited the entrance
into American waters of foreign ships
carrying liquor. scaled or open.
The decision forces Chairman
Lasker of the Shipping Board to dis
continue the sale of liquor on all gov
ernment ships. outside the territorial
limits of the United States, prevents
the carrying of liquor anywhere in the
world by any privately owned ships
flying the American flag. and bars
American ports to the ships of any
nation. unless their liquor stores are
disposed of before they enter the ter
ritorial waters of this country.
Reverses Former Ruling.
The Attorney Generals decision,
which has been hanging fire for many
months. reverses The ruling OF the
former counsel for the United States
Shipping Board, Elmer Schlessinger,
OF Chicago, and is predicated on deci-
sions of the United States Supreme
Court in several cases.
There will be no difficulty encoun-
tered with respect to enforcement OF
the law as ii relates to American
ships, but the decision is certain TO
precipitate international complica-
tions with the big maritime nations
of the world.
Already, the Attorney General
understands, foreign shipping in
terests are prepared to tight in the
courts and they will apply for
temporary Federal injunction re-
straining the enforcement of the
ruling against them until its valid
ity can be tested in the courts.
This course may operate to prevent
the immed ate holding up of the
big transatlantic liners which
daily enter American ports from
Europe end South America and
the Pacific fleets from Asistic
waters flying the flags of fore gn
nations.
Likely to be Upheld.
That the ruling eventually will
be upheld in It's application to for
eign ships is generally regarded
here as certain. This will make
it necessary for the big foreign
lines to make some arrangements
whereby they can dispose of liquor
stores outside the territorial waters
of this country Of else cease to car
ry liquor stores at all.
Political leaders see in the ruling
a boost for the pending ship sub
sidy legislation, inasmuch as it will
have a tendency to bring to the
support OF the merchant marine
bill dry Members of Congress who
have been threatening to vote
aga nst 1t, because of the govern
ment's attitude in permitting the
sale of liquor on A merican ships,
an attitude which they held to be
inconsistent with the prob bition
law.
Confers With President.
The decision of the Attorney Cen
eral Daugherty and A. D. Lasker,
Secretary of the Treasury Mellon.
1t was followed by a conference at
the White House yesterday after
noon in which the President, Secre-
tary of State Hughes, Secretary Of
the Treasury Mellon, Attorney Cen
eral Daugherty and \ D. Lasker,
chairman of the Shipping Board.
participated.
President Harding, in letters 10
Chairman Lasker and Secretary of
the Treasury Mellon. formally ad-
vised them of the new ruling AMI
ordered that they take immediate
steps to comply with it. Lasker is
directed to discontinue the transport
and service of intoxicating Nquors
'on all ships owned, operated or
leased by the United States Shipping
Board"
Orders Regulations Drawn.
Secretary Mellon was directed to
proceed to the formulation of regu-
lations for the enforcement of the
law, and such notice to the agents
of foreign shipping lines touching
American ports or docking therein
as becomes the circumstances, and
commits us to full enforcement of
the law"
Mr.. Harding made 1t clear that
the ruling would be invoked only
after foreign ships now on the high
seas had completed their voyage
back to their home ports. In the
matter of American private and
Shipping Board vessels the ruling
will date from the beginning of
their next voyage from a home port