Arizona republican., 1922-06-15
Our FIoatinq Bars

We trust that it is not true. Representative
GaTiyan asserted in the house on Tuesday, that the
transatlantic of shipping board carry
ing wine-lists catalogues of forgotten beverages.
and that they are prepared to fill orders, perhaps
even within the three-nile limit An American ves-
sci is American soil for essential purposes herever
It may be- and If the volstead act cannot be enforced
on an American ship it be enforced nowhere.
There there are no elusive bootleggera to be
dealt with All operations are necessarily conducted
under the observation Of the officers and attaches
&C the ships who in sense servants of Ehe gov
ernment though they not prohibition enforcement
officers But necessary prohibition officers should
be stationed ships An American floating bar
is something that cannot be concealed. 1t cannot
escape the attention of the government and he gov
eminent cannot evade the responsibility for its
existence.
e If the shipping board is aware of the wet char
aeter of its boats-and it cannot be unaware OF any
wetness that may exist-it should do one of two
things: make them dry, or ese if it finds IT neces-
sary to keep them wet in order to compete with
boats of foreign register it should widely advertise
the alcoholic accommodations is prepared to- furnish
passengers and not trust to such casual and uncer-
tain publicity Mr. Gallivan has offered.
We are willing to concede that America,l liners
are at a serious disadvantage They are losing
lot of trade and a lot of money. Never beftre was
there such rruption of Americans for ElErope as
there is and has been through the present season.
1t began early. Most of the bookings have been
made on foreign boats by otherwise patriotic Amer-
cans and reservations had to be made weeks in ad-
vance, so burning had become the national thirst.
Not long ago we We're told by Phoendcan on
the eve of his departure European tour or
several months that he was looking forward TO many
features OF his outing with pleasure. His nsnd was
especially fastened upon He himself stand
ing in a long line watching the Statue of Liberty
recedng to point which the bar would be thrown
open when he would receive his reward fpr eight
years of abstemiousness in Phoenix, for he had had
no part with bootleggers, home brewers social or
society clubs but had strictly obedier to Mr..
Volstead's law as he would always be within its
jurisdiction.
1t cannot be offered by the shipping board
excuse that it ought to make its liners attractive
to tourists in order to recoup itself for the losses
which it has suffered from many causes. When
we adopted prohibition we expected to make great
financial sacrifices We gave up in the first place
traffic. We expected to spend many millions in tbs
enforcement Of prohibition.
1t is true that we regarded these sacrdficies as
investments which would bring US multiplied divi-
dends in the shape of the greater efficiency of
of citizens and believed that we would be
spared the expenditure of much money in the prose-
eutoa of crimes which have their origin in alcohol
But the financial effect of prohibition was re-
garded as something almost negligible. We were
prepared to accept whatever gains losses there
might be; to pay any price that might be necessary
for a greater measure Of happiness.