Evening star., 1922-08-16
Prohibition Enforcement Is Our
Own Problem.

1t just won't do! That seems to be
| the consensus of opinion on the vari-
Gus suggestions to dam up the flow of
contraband liquor into the United
States by some drastic, even II un-
lawful. method. The search and seiz-
ure proposal, whereby United States
revenue and dry cutters could halt
British shipping wherever located, is
a potent cause for mirth. Memories Of
to feel kindly along such lines. One
suggestion fairly well received is that
by understanding granting of clear
ance papers from Bermuda and West
Indian ports which acknowledgedly
are fraudulent be ended. On the
whole, however, editors consider that
until other nations adopt prohibition
along as best 1t can with arresting the
smugglers only after they actually
enter American territory.
1T just won't do" says the Newark
News. ut is too jolly Rogerish. The
British may and probably will CO.
their nationals of liquor into the
United States. But what they most
emphatically will not do is to delegate
to any nation a power whose exercise
is a cause OF war, and in a quiet way
they have made American statesman
Not even to bolster sumptuary
measure written into American or
ganic law. Would we 60 back on 1912
and do 1t ourselves?
In the opinion Of the Buffalo Times
the point that in 1912 the search was
beverages. is immaterial. 1t was
search and seizure-outrage on
American shipping by foreign
power-the treading of American
decks by British heels. against which
Scott fought his battle at Lundys
Jackson his at New Orleans. The
prohibition-goaded officialdom which
is asking England to allow her ships
to be searched for liquor admits that
it cannot keep it's own ships dry. The
International imbroglio in which pro-
hibition is involving US with England
is replete with menace"
But in the view of the New York
Post "if friendly governments start
ships clean from their ports and hold
their merchant marine responsible.
according to their several codes, they
do their duties by us ANYTHING fur
ther would be in the nature Of favors.
and favofs are most unaettfMg in
the international sphere, where every
nation desires to be most favored
nation"
The Detroit Free Press recalls that
"as late as 1890 the great maritime
nations still hesitated to permit their
vessels to be searched for slaves on
the high seas, though a very limited
right of that kind was granted in
the seas that lies between the African
hunting ground and the Asiatic coun-
for slaves. The United States can
not expect Great Britain and France
to regard the liquor traffic as equal
in infamy with traffic In human be-
ings. But there ought to be no diff
Guilty about securing British cooper
alton in preventing smugglers from
using false but official papers in the
prosecution OF their business.
Asking 'is it not time to call
halt?" the Baltimore Sun suggests
that ''in our mad attempt to work
miracles by law are we also to imi-
tate Prussianfsm and undertake to
enforce a new principle and prece-
dent of ocean jurisdiction? Are we
prepared to fight the world and sacri-
fee the lives of American citizens in
order to make the United States safe
for prohibition?" While the British
government naturally would be will,
ing to do anything in reason to aid
the United States, the New/Bedford
Standard says that there is no ques-
tion that the British government viii
accede to this view," but it suggests
that lone thing the British govern
ment can do is to put stop to the
issuance of double sets of clearance
papers and the fraudulent transfer of
ships to British registry"
The Petersburg Progress and Index.
Appeal points out that the LIQUOR
traffic is legal in British possessions.
The government hardly could make
the expectation Of liquor a crime
when its domestic sale is leRalized,
It is not likely that The sympathy
Of the British foreign office will ex.
tend 50 far as to yield to the United
sells flying the British flag on the high
seas and seixing csrgoes of strong
drink believed to be intended for de-
livery in the United States"
Incidentally, the Wichita Eagle re-
calls that neither In 1919 nor since
has great Britain "disclaimed the
right Of search. and on several oc-
casions has proclaimed it anew. In
this connection an Interesting ques-
tion arises with reference to the pas
senger ships of the American Ship
ping Board.s These ships carry and
sell intoxicating liquors publicly and
notoriously Will the United States
assert its right to search with refer
ence 70 these ships within It's own
waters or elsewhere? These ships,
to the United States gov
ernment and flying the United States
nag, are> United States territory
wherever they are. They carry their
cont ra nd cargo of LIQUOR into all