The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-06-19
REPUBS MUST TAKE CHOICE ID SETTLE
 BOOZE QUESTION
Subsidy Bill Passage Inter- woven With Problem of AL lowing American Ships
 to Sell Liquor
By HUGH ". ROBERTS Washington Bureau. The Age Herald
 5O0 DayidSOn IuiIdii


 Washington, June 18.-(Special,) ) The republican party in Congress is faced with the necessity of indorsing the action of Albert D :. Las'ser, chair man of the shipping board, in putting the United States government into the liquor business, or blasting the hope of the administration that the establishment of merchant marine might be the signal achievement of tt e administration.
 The governments proposed sub tidy of s32,0o0, 900 upward per an nun did not represent the entire sabsidy the government would have rendered those into whose care 1t would have relegated the shipping of the United States. With the money would have gone the permission to sell liquor. Profit from liquor sales within year would have netted shipowners another $32,000.o0o, it Is possible.
 It Is not certain that the repub- lican majority will refrain from in- dorsing the action of Lasker in mak- ing Uncle Sam the most extensive "bootlegger in the United States" Up to the present time, no one has ap- pealed to the Attorney General to rem der a decision adverse to that of the general counsel of the shipping board And it is said to be entirely probable that the administration forces in Congress will vote down an amendment to be offered by Repre- sentative Upshaw of Georgia, deny- ing shipowners who sell liquor aboard United States vessels, the right of partaking of the subsidy melon of $32,000.000.
 Thirst of Americans
 It is easily learned how the 'scan- dal' originated. It is a fine question of law whether or not the United States is entitled to sell liquor be- yond the three mile limit If the government wished to abandon it's morals, it's principles. it's constitution, 1t could easily retail liquor out at sea.
 MT. Lasker. as an advertising ex- pert. made a fine reputation. The President thought that he could ap- ply his "business" principles Tn solV- ing the shipping tangle. MT. Las ker's ambition was to make good. He found that Americans will not go to sea on vessels whereon liquor is not sold. He concluded to sell liquor, and secured a favorable opinion from his general counsel. He concluded to cater to the appetite of the rich, despite the fact that the government was turning a deaf ear to the plea of the poor man for his mug of beer.
 It is said that he went to the Pres ha inf ad prRS- ident that prohibitionists were not prohibitionists as far as their own appetites were concerned, when al sea-" in other words; and that he in formed the President that the sale of liquor was essential to successful operation of American vessels whether by the government or by those to whom the government ln- tended disposing of it's vessels.
 It is said that the President, like Pontius Pilate, washed his hands of the affair by declaring that Lasker, not he, was chairman of the shipping board 1t was then that Lasker put Uncle Sam behind the bar. His patronage, it is understood, displayed phenomenal gain.
 Conclusion of Lasker
 While neither MT. Lasker nor the President is a prohibitionist, neither has a scheme to interfere with the prohibition laws of the country. But both are deeply interested in mer- chant marine. It is known directly from most authoritative sources that the subsidy bill is closer than any other pending legislation to the heart of the President. It is known, also. that the President believes that a merchant marine is e question of now or never" and that the defeat of the subsidy bill would mark the retrogression of this nation.
 Anything within the scope of tech nicai law, it is believed. the adminis- tration would tolerate in furtherance of the marine. It is known that anybody in the United States can se-
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