Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-06-15
LASKER'S LETTER
TO BREWER BUSCH

Board holds that neither the Vol
stea Act nor the cighteents Amend
ment apply to American ships outside
/ the three mile limit" Chairman Las
/ ker declared today in q letter to
Adolphus Busch. III. vice president of
| the Anhcuser Busch Brewery Com
| pany of St Louis.
Confirming reports that alcoholic
I drinks We're being served on Ameri-
can ships at sea, Mr.. Lasker asserted
! that the Shipping Board had approx
ed this custom both from the stand
/ point of legal right and from the
/ standpoint of the life and security of
our national merchant marine"
/ THE Shipping Board has permitted
and Will continue to permit the serv-
ing of liquor on its ships he contin-
ued, so long as foreign flag ships
are allowed to enter and depart from
our shores exercising that privilege"
Mr.. LaSl5er's letter was in reply to
a communicative addressed by Mr..
Busch to President Harding with ref
crence to alcoholic drinks being regu-
! larry served on Shipping Board yes
sells at sea. The matter had been re-
fcrred to him. HE Shipping Board
! chairman explained. since the preei-
dent is unacquainted with the sub
jcCt YOU cover
While it was true, Mr.. Lasker said,
That an assistant attorney general.
lin the prior administration" had
held that the prohibition laws We're
effective on American SHIPPING wher-
ever operated, the present general
counsel of the Shipping Board, his
two assistants and the chairman him
self. We're convinced that such an
opinion was not Soundly based and
had approved the inclusion of wine
lists as regulra equipment of boats
operated under the boards supervi-
sion, for use, however, only beyond
the jurisdictional Goa stall line.
Il do not believe l speak inadvis-
cdly,' Mr.. Lasker said, when | state
, that so long as foreign ships can en-
ter America serving liquor the lack of
that privilege might be the very de-
termining factor in the life or death
of the American merchant marine,
and that so long as foreign ships are
allowed the privilege of entering and
departing from American ports serv-
ing liquor, that same privilege must
be allowed our merchant ships.
IF the sale Of liquor be prohibited
on all boats entering or departing
| from American ports, there is no
voice in the Shipping Board that
would be raised in protest
Mr.. Busch attached to his letter to
the president the copy of an editorial
prjptaI i'm tho ('hicIuo ,rrib,,pa nf
May 6. 1922, following Il visit to the
editorial Offices by an official of the
United states Shipping Board.
Declaring there was an inSinuation
/ that the editorial had been "inspired
by that visit" Mr.. Lasker said
Il was the official who visited the
Tribune on May 9Th, and ! wish to re-
cord my emphatic denial that | in any
! way knew before or at the time of my
visit tile views of the editors of the
Tribune on this subject. ] did not dis
Cuss the subject Of prohibition with
the editors of the Tribune at that visit
or at any other time before or since
The fact is that | had no more adj
vance knowledge than any other reader
of the Tribune that it was going to
publish such an editorial.
Your mean insinuation regarding
uncorruptible officials and editors re-.
fleets on you alone.
II believe you to be thoroughly self
iSh and that YOU are acting in the hope
Of creating a public revolt against
prohibition so that you may again re-
vive the sale CT your liquors, utterly
regardless of ow YOU might hurt the
American merchant marine in your eff
fort to create situation to benefit
your brewery.
1T is, of course, notorious that the
Adolphus Busch who founded Your
brewery was possibly the kaiscr's
closest friend in America and that
YOUR family for many years has main
tanned A castle in Germany; your ac-
ton in any event will not displease
YOUR German friends whose greatest
hope Of a restored German merchant
marine is in hurt to Americas new
born merchant marine.
II refer to these extraneous facts
not in resentment. but that it may be
made clear that in my opinion you do
not come before the bar Of public
opinion with clean hands"
Mr.. Lasker made public at the same
time the text Of an opinion just rem
dered to him by Elmer Schlesinger,
general counsel of the shipping board,
upholding anew the legality of serving
liquor on American ships at sea.
The opinion cited numerous cases to
show that American ships outside the