Arizona republican., 1922-06-15
SAYS
SALES
ALLOWED ON
j. s. VESSELS.
IRepublIcan A. p. Leased Wire]


WASHINGTON, June 14.-Sale of
liquor on shipping board vessels at
sea will be continued, Chairman Las
ker reiterated tonight, until a sepa-
rate decision has been rendered hold
ing such practice not legal under the
prohibition laws or until he has been
convinced of its illegality.
Mr.. Lasker maintained throughout
the day the position taken by him in
his letter to Adolphus Busch III, vice
president of the Anheuser Busch
Brewing company, st. Louis, despite
indications that it would be made
til esubject of attack in congress and
by dry organizations.
Officials of the department of JUS
tice refused to comment on the Situa-
tion, but in some quarters attention
was called to an opinion on file there
which was rendered by former Acting
Attorney General F'rierson in 1920.
Mr. Frierson held that the national
prohibition act was effective upon
ships flying the American flag
wherever they might be.
According to high department Off
cials a decision of the attorney gem
eral retains the official Interpretation
of the law until it has been revoked
by court decision or by superseding
opinion. Furthermore, they added,
such opinion always stands unless re-
quest for a review comes from the
same department or agency which
originally requested the ruling.
Mr.. Lasker's stand as to liquor
sales on board American vessels was
taken, he informed Mr.. Busch, on the
authority of an opinion rendered by
General Counsel Schlesinger of the
shipping board.
The chairman conferred today with
Attorney General Dougherty and
while there gave him copies of the
correspondence with the st. Louis
brewer. The matter of liquor sales at
sea was not the primary purpose of
the conference, Mr.. Lasker indicated,
but it was brought up incidentally.
Refusing to discuss his talk with
Mr.. Daugherty, Chairman Lasker de-
clared he would not ask the depart
ment for a new opinion, being en-
tirely satisfied with that rendered by
Mr. Schlesinger. He added that he
would not answer further letters on
the subject of liquor selling.
While there was no indication to-
night that there would be any move
by an executive department in the
matter, at the capitol, the Busch
Lasker correspondence provided con-
siderable discussion among prohibi-
ton leaders, coming as it did on the
heels of the attack yesterday on the
board by Representative Gallivan,
Democrat, Massachusetts, for permit
ting the sale of liquor on American
ships.
Neither the Gallivan speech nor
publication of the Busch correspon-
dence gave legislative leaders their
first knowledge Of liquor selling at
sea, however. During recent months
many of them have received wine lists
from American vessels mailed from
all parts of the world.
Representative Upshaw, Democrat,
Georgia, was the first to announce
publicly today that he would offer
an amendment to the ship subsidy bill
providing that no part of the federal
subsidy fund should be used by such
lines on whose ships liquor is sold.
A leading Western representative has
announced that he would offer the
same amendment and friends of the
bill said it seemed certain the issue
would have to be met unless the bill
was reported by the rules committee
with a stipulation that none but
merchant marine committee amend
ments would be considered.
There was talk tonight that such
an amendment would be considered
and jut squarely before the commit
tee probably tomorrow although lis
defeat there was predicted.
One ardent prohibitionist went so
far as to express the opinion that by
next summer a law VIII be enacted
prohibiting the landing in the United
States of foreign ships on which
liquor selling is permitted.
More than a year ago, as IN the
last congress, steamship officials ap-
peared before house committees in
support of the Edmonds bill pro-
viding that nothing in the Volstead
act shall prevent the carrying or
sale of liquors on passenger vessels
of either American or foreign reg
istry." There was the further pro-
vision, however, that ships stocks of
liquor should be sealed and not sold
within the three mile limit.
After steamship officials had testi-
fled that they could not compete with
foreign companies unless the law was
modified, the bill was put away, pro-
hibitionists asserting it would be
overwhelmingly deefated if presented
to the house.