Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-30
By r. T. S.

Cartwright. 1922, by The Great Falls Tribune
Washington. Oct. 29.-National pro-
hibition headquarters here in Washing
ton has been more idle this week IL
getting the details of TIE methods EN-
plosea 10 prevent g too tree HOW OF
liquor in New Orleans during the
American Legion convention. 1t was an
interesting experiment Inc it was
found to work TO very good advantage.
The bootleggers were enjoined. A writ
of Injunction was sued out against
them in the federal courts. In brief,
they were ordered to show cause why
they should not be stopped from selling
LIQUOR during the period the young
veterans of the world war were TO be
in town. The b~ootleggers could not
show d very good cause why they
should not be enjoined, and so the in
junction was granted.
1t was directed against H score of
the best known bootleggers in the city.
This list Of the elite" singled out for
special attention in the. courts, was
made up of offenders who had been
arrested more than once for plying
their Illicit trade or "profession,' as
the more exalted 'leggers' choose to
call it nowadays.
The prohibition officials rightly
concluded that another arrest and re-
lease on bail would not deter the boot
leggers from unwonted activity dur
ing the legion convention. What
would a hundred dollar fine mean TO
them at such a harvest time? So the
idea of the injunction was evolved, for
under that the bootleggers caught sell
ing liquor could be arrested for con-
tempt Of court, clapped into Jail and
kept there as long as the committing
judge cared to hold them.
This was a new and somewhat dras-
tic application Of the rule of injunc-
ton and the necessity Of the employ
ment of that method of stopping the
b~ootlggers is not apt TO be lost upon
the dry representatives IN congress.
The Eolstead law soon is to be amend
ed TO provide far more severe penal
ties than those imposed. OF course,
the injunction could not stop the sale
OF liquor, for the dealers" enjoined
peddle their wares.
Verify the government Of injunc-
ton" makes strange bedfellows.
Washington has been specializing for
the last few days on still another phase
of the prohibition question, due to the
sweeping decision made in the federal
court in New York by Judge Hand,
who held that transportation of liquor
for beverage purposes by any ship. OF
any nation coming within the three
mile limit of the American shores
would be a violation of the constitl-
ton. The district attorneys have been
lifting their eyebrows n bit ~curiouSiy
and wanting to know if this means
the warship of other nations as well
as the merchant marine. A strict in
depreciation Of the law. as they see 1t,
would certainly include warships. for
transportation, according to Judge
Hand, is transportation, regardless OF
whether the flag be American or Jap
anese. There is the Likelihood. how
ever. that warships would be regarded
as coming under diplomatic immunity
from all the ordinary laws of the land,
even the Volstead actor thus far
there has been no real suggestion OF
stopping stores for the embassies ana
ambassadors here. even if these stores
contain beverage wines ana liquors.
When the British cruiser Raleigh,
recently wrecked in northern waters,
was In Washington this spring, there
was much entertainment IN board and
invitations to luncheon. dinner or tea
was a very coveted bit of pastime on
Surely it would be lese majesty if
ever a POSTMASTER aboard q British
ship should rise and say Gentlemen,
j give you the king" and then drink
rhe toast in water. There is an old
tradition that it is bad luck to drink a
toast in water. Probably this super
stition has its birth in the fertile brain