Evening star., 1922-10-07
This Country Must Proceed En-
tirely Within the Law.

The decision of President Harding
that the operations of the dry navy"
shall be restricted within the three
mile ocean limit meets with the warm
approval of the editors. even Of those
who are ardent advocates of prohibi
ton. There is general criticism for
the inclusion of the customs regula-
ton of 1897 AS an effort to amend by
domestic statute an international law
which. editors insist. lis not a scrap
Of paper" and the belief seems to pre-
vail that liquor smuggling is not SO
serious as is action that might cause
serious friction with other nations.
THE three sea limit of national
jurisdiction is not subject to arbitrary
change by any one country" points
out the Baltimore Sun. 1T represents
an international practice based on
tionS may change it $ to themselves
in regard to some particular thing or
things. but none of them can do SO
arbitrarily without creating a danger
Gus precedent for future violations of
: international usage on the part of
others. The Presidents decision is .
step toward the recovery of sanity"
The fact that there was a Joker" in
the tariff bill causes the Newark News
to inquire. inasmuch as sit appears
obvious that the Anti-Saloon League
knew it was there and that few but
ardent friends of that organization
knew OF its existence. how many more
such jokers are there in the bill? Con-
gress, on this showing. passed a bill
that Congress, by and large, did not
read. or if it read it. did not realize
the significance Of The decision was
proper" the Indianapolis News holds
as it is written in international law"
while the Detroit Free Press points
out that ''it is always vicious to try to
enforce one law bv breaking another.
and it is decided imposition to ask
other countries that they renounce
their sovereign rights in order that
we may enforce a domestic statute.
II the extension Of the jurisdiction of
the prohibition agents is desirable.
the way to get it is through an inter
national agreement extending coastal
sovereignty"
In the belief Of the Boston Travel
er, while this new policy will make
the suppression of rum-running more
di ffiealt than before, 1t will make our
relations with other nations less diff
voluntary decision to keep within
proper bounds Is to be commended
as specimen of wise diplomacy.
Cheek and aggressiveness make
nation odious. just as surely as they
make an individual odious. If every
nation would willingly draw back at
the first sight of it's own shadow
encroaching upon the rights of 9TH
ers, the maintenance of world peace
would be a simple proposition" 1t
is recalled by the Buffalo News that
the customs regulation of 1897
never was enforced for the simple
reason that Great Britain and other
nations refused to recognize it. Such
an archaic rule never should have
been included in the tariff BILL In
patch. however. feels that "protec-
ton of nations shores against the
use Of adjacent waters for the pur-
pose of committing offenses against
it's domestic laws is no more i'm
portant to us than to any other ma
with any nation over the exercise of
such protection is wholly improb-
able"
The administration order docs not
the Norfolk Ledger Dispatch says.
and "unquestionably prohibition Off
GERS have gone far beyond their law
full authority hundreds Of times. In
deed, few Of them regard any laws at
all except those bearing on prohibit
action in searching liquor-laden ships
outside the three-mile limit is oracu-
IarIy denounced as violative of in
ternationl law. 1t would be we'll to
wait and see what the British and
American courts say about it." After
citing the laws affecting the case and
debating the effect violation Of them
would have on the maritime future
of the United States. the New York
Times points out that "ass between
themselves, Great Britain and the
United States can extend the terri
torial jurisdiction of each to the
middle. of the Atlantic, or clear
across, If they choose. Let them
agree, if they can, but this hugger--
mugger statutory prolongation of
the marginal sea Is mischierot's i'm
pertinence." While international
law is not to be- regarded as q scrap
Of paper" the Philadelphia Evening
Bulletin indicates its belief that "the
present smuggling problem reaches
beyond the rum question. Narcotic
fdrugs are coming in greater supply.
Birds of a feather get together and
smugglers find common interest and
agencies. Cuba. directly subject to
our influence. Is as frequent an Of
fender in shelterfpg. these schemes