Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-10-10
DAUGHERTY'S LIQUOR
RULING To CD INTO
EFFECT OCTOBER 4
Delay in Enforcement Does
Not Affect American YES
sells, President Harding
Says in Letter to Mellon

United states after OCTOBER Ia Will
be subject to the prohibition against
the bringing of intoxicating liquors
into American territorial waters, 1t
was announced tonight at the treas
ury department.
Decision to defer in ting case OF
these craft enforcement Of Attor'
ney General Daugherty's ruling on
the prohibition Of the transporta-
ton of liquor cargoes or stores was
made by President Harding. The
executive, in letter to Secretary
Mellon, said any earlier attempt at
enforcement in the absence Of due
notice and ample regulation, would
be inconsistent with just dealing and
have tendency to disrupt needless,
ly the ways Of commerce.
"This delay in enforcement does
not apply to the sale Of intoxicating
liquor on vessels sailing under the
American flag" the president said
Immediate cessation Of such sales
was ordered yesterday by Mr.. Har'
ding after the attorney general s
ruling.
Masters Of shipping board vessels
were ordered today by Chairman
| Lasker to remove and surrender to
treasury officials all Intoxicating
| liquors aboard such ships. The or
der became effective Immediately as
to ships in their hcme ports and
will be made effective on those at
sea and in foreign ports on their ar
rival in the United States.
eff any officer or member of the
crew either on passenger or cargo
Ships" the order said, 'is found
thereafter to possess liquor on ships
he shall be Immediately removed
permanently from the service and
his violation of the law reported to
the proper district attorney"
Regulations Drawn
A notice to foreign steamship lines
and to lines operating privately-own'
ed American craft of the application
of the prohibition amendment and
enforcement act to carriers entering
American waters probably will be
given early next week.
Meantime Internal Revenue Com
missioner Blair is. having formulat
ed the necessary regulations to en-
force the law with respect to foreign
and privately-oWned American craft
Although not yet officially advis
ed of Mr.. Daugherty's opinion, the
| foreign diplomats notified their
home governments, with the inten
ton Of supplying official informa
ton as soon as it could be obtained
from the state department.
The general opinion of local
steamship men and experts in ad'
miralty law was that AttOrney-Gen-
eral Daugherty's position was back
| ed by numerous precedents. In
some quarters the belief was eX.
pressed that by prohibiting all ships
fro: bringing liquor into Ameri'
can ports, shipping board craft
would be placed on more even
competitive basis with foreign own
| ed vessels.
Transatlantic passengers will
shun dry voyages, however, was the
opinion of other shipping men and
may result in some of the big for
eign companies docking at Cana,
dan ports. Still others declared it
would be possible for large ships,
such as the Majestic and Maureta-
MIA to establish regular booze light
ers" outside the three mile limit,
where they would leave supplies.
That shipping board craft would
be at some disadvantages under the
new ruling was indicated in a state
ment issued by the American steam
ship operators association, which
declares that "even with it's inclu-
sion of foreign ships entering our
waters, it adds a further handicap
to American passenger Gamers in
the foreign trade" The statement
continues:
Enforcement of prohibition along
the line advised by the Attorney
General will doubtless arouse a wide
spread resentment against Ameri-
can passenger ships everywhere,
thus making it still more difficult
for our flag to maintain itself in
general overseas competition. If
the Interpretation of the attorney
general is correct, the law will be
obeyed, like all other laws, by the
merchant ships of the United States.
Congress Action Urged.
1.-THE action of the attorney-gen-
eral makes it all the more impera-
tive that congress should lose no
time in the enactment of vigorous
national aid or> the greatest of our
American steamship lines will most
certainly disappear from the ocean"
Carl G. Stunning, general director
of the North German Lloyd lines,
who sailed today on the America,
declared the ruling would without
can passenger ships"
Enforcement of the )hibition
amendment on sea as well as on
land was hailed tonight by individu-
al and organized foes of the Vol
stead act as a measure which Z5ould
speed the legalized return of beer
and light wines.
The association against the pro-
hibition amendment issued u state
ment giving it's emphatic approval
to the ruling of Attorney-G
| Daugherty.'
Pointing out that the association S
.atform held that $50 ,ong as the
prohibition amendment and the Vol
stead act are the law of the land,
they should be obeyed, tn" state
ment continued:
'In pursuance Of this viewpoint
we would urge that under the pro-
visions Of the Volstead law nothing
remains for the United States gov
eminent to do but to issue blanket
search warrants empowering fed
| eral officials to search every home
in the cour try; that all Intoxicating
liquor contained therein should be
seized, except where a householder
can prove that it was acquired prior
to the time the 18TH amendment be-
| can1a offectiVo -