The Holly chieftain., 1923-06-07
SUPREME COURTS DECISION
BARS ALL BEVERAGE LIQUORS
FROM TERRITORIAL wATERs.
ALLOWS MEDICINAL RUM
NO BAN IS SET ON MEDICINAL
OR sAcRAMENTAL LIQUORS
BY RULING.

Washington.-The treasury tossed
m the international doorstep its new
regulation carrying out the Supreme
Court decision barring all beverage
liquors from territorial waters Of the
United States after 1901 q. M
June 10.
No loopholes have been left, accord
Ing to treasury spokesman. and the
courts recent construction Of the dry
law will be rigidly. applied.
Having failed to find any way by
which conflict with foreign laws could
be avoided, the treasury based Its new
ship liquor rules on literal reading
Of the courts opinion and prepared to
let come what may. Its only hope Of
alleviating a situation, which most Of
ficials agree will be embarrassing to
international commerce, was said to
lie in remedial legislation from the
next Congress.
Except for the exemption granted
medicinal liquor, the usual immunity
accorded diplomats and the privileges
allowed foreign vessels of war, the
regulation permits Of no inbound pas
sage of alcoholic beverages. Consider
alton is given, however, to ships
forced by the extremity of distress to
put into an American harbor.
Concerning the hope among foreign
maritime powers of relief from what
is regarded as one Of the most dras-
tic interpretations ever given by the
Supreme Court some treasury officials
felt that Congress might find way
of circumventing the import dead
line. -,
Specifically the regulations provide:
No merchant vessel, domesttce or for
eign, may lawfully carry as cargo
within the territorial waters Of the
United States any liquor for use for
beverage purposes liquor for non-bey-
erage purposes may be transported
within the territoriay waters of the
United States under permit in accord
ance with the provisions with section
98 of regulations GO )medicinal and
sacramental.)
AS regards the exemptions accorded.
the regulations have set down restric-
tions that require permits and reports
Of character and quantity sufficient
to give the government complete
check on all liquor thus brought into
the barred zone or landed on American
soil. VA
No limitation is prescribed for the
amount of medicinal liquor which any
craft may possess in American waters,
the regulations stating only that a
reasonable" quantity may be retained
for such non-beverage purposes until
the master of the vessel has had "a
fair opportunity to obtain either per
NIT or certificate Of medicinal need.
The possibility Of some lines cancel
ling their sailings to America Is re-
garded as far from remote. The Span
ish Royal mail Steamship Company is
said already to be onu the point Of
cancelling the monthly sailings OF Its
liners to New York en- route to Havana
and Vera Cruz with cargoes Of liquor.
On the other hand, there are indica-
tions that both the British and the
Japanese companies will conform to
the regulations in the hope that solu-
ton of their difficulties will be found
in due course.
ut is unlawful for any United States
or foreign vessel within territorial wa
ters Of the United States to carry or
possess as stores any liquor whatso-
ever for beverage use"