Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-11-07
THE .WET" NAVY

lHE ~WEl NAVY
TT a vast and various feet Of ships under
i foreign coors were concentrated In sigl't
Of the American coast line and engaged IN
mancuvers carefully planned to sinugge
unlimited quantities Of furs or diamonds or
opium into the United States there would
be an uproar between the State Department
and the embassies and m indignant ana
swift resort OH the Governments part to
direct diplomatic and legal action. WASH
ington and, indeed, tue people of the coun.
try, would properly feel insulted nnd
humiliated. There would be general per-
vading sense Of world getting gradually
more lawlcss.
Smuggling and the attendant spirit OF
piracy were supposed to have gone forever
from the face Of civilized waters. Yet w.
find the Treasury Department and those OF
its departments that are supposed to enforce
the liquor laws seemingly bnf!ed an"
helpless in the presence of the Whisky fleets
that now are thick along the Atlantic coast
line
The whisky shippers and the traders OF
the British West Indies and their asso'
ciatcs In this country make no effort to
conceal tho nature of their business. They
do everything but advertise 1t in the news
papers. For so long as their ships remain
on tho deep water side Of tho three mile
line they nrc beyond interference from any
,of the established authorities OF our own
lor any other country. They are making
more money than they would have made II
they had struck oil. And they say that
they will so on doing business until way
is found to stop them.
Now. a way to stop them should not be so
difficult to find as some people suppose.
Any person, native or foreign born, who IS
found conspiring to frustrate a Federal law
is liable to prosecution and a term in
Federal penitcntiary. Liquor smuggling IS
no longer a casual business. 1t Is a highly
organized and heavily capitalized industry.
Most Of the whisky shipped north from
the bahamas is purchased by agreement In
this country before it Is put aboard the
carrying vessel. Agents of the Treasury
Department have found that at least half OF
the money invested in liquor carS"cS Is
American. They have found. too. that most
Of the business is directed from New York,
where what is perhaps the largest smuggling
syndicate ever organized has its financial
Headquarters.
Thus far tho Government has been
endeavoring to check the smusglers BY the
old and time honored method Of coast
patrols and scout vessels. But it stands to
reason that If n better way is not found,
and II all the coveS. beaches and inlcts are
10 be constantly surveyed for the power
boats that do messenger work between
whisky ships and the land. Congress will
have to appropriate hundreds of millions 10
build new and novel navy of small ves-
sells and provide for its personnel.
The Government isn't likely to ask for
any such appropriation. What II can do
and what it ought ia do is to concentrate
its police forces on land for an assault on
tho nerve centers of the smuggler's bund.
II few If the financcrs of the overseas
bootlegg!ng business were clapp'd into
pcnitentiaries other promoters might hesi-
tate before soin. into the business Of back
ing whisky ships.
Most Of the trouble with Nolstcadsm-
aside from such defects as may exist in the
prlnciplc or letter of the HC'is due to the
disposition Of many officials TO view its
failures with comrlacency.
There Is supposed ~ he something funny
about lot of laughing shippers playing
cantemp'uously with general law of the
United States. But they aren't in the least
funny. They are a challenge 10 the dignity
Of the Government "f tho United States and
TO the national self-rcspect Of Americans.
And those 100 per cent American citizens
promoters Of the smuggling trade ought to
be made to realize this, and made to realize
II Mt once.
Since there - no law to limit the trans.
nortatlon Of whisky on the high seas the
British Government is without power to
check booze shipments from the Bahamas.
A shin has right to take on my cargo at
cny port in times of peace: The skinner
loading up with whisky in the West Indies
may merely say that he IS going to Halifax
or Norway or the North Pole CHALLENGED
anywhere beyond the three-me line, he
need make no explanations 70 anybody. A
few distracted submarine chasers scurry!ng
about in shallow water will be helpless
against him.
But II tho Treasury Department will 90
about the business Of enforcement seriously
and raid few New York Office buildings
.he rum shippers. lacking their pay and
fnancial support, may before long BEGIN to
seem genuinely funny