San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-28
OUR MARITIME LIMIT

There must be some gentlemen in the
national prohibition enforcement "orh
who are possessed OF marvellously strange
intellects. 1t is not so long ago that they
attempted TO board British vessels on
the hi oh seas claiming that they had the
right of boarding and searching them Tor
alcoholic Liquor. They apparently forgot
that we al ore time came danger 'u>ty
near TO war with Great Britain because
enc OF our naval officers so lar forgot
himself as to stop and search British
vessel on the open sea.
As a matter of course the ptohibitve
gentlemen were informed that the United
States was not a sovereign nation on the
high seas and that she did not have the
right 10 stop and search the vessels OF
other nations for alcohol or any other
article or purpose under the sun. They
were. therefore, compelled to forego their
request for extra-territorial powers, II
that expression can be made to apply
TO a question OF jurisdiction on the water.
II seems however, that, recently,
fleet of boats loaded with alcohol in
various forms and combinations, came
TO anchor off the coast OF New Jersey
and that an extensive traffic was carried
on with interior points for time. Ise
trade had been going on for several days,
had been repeatedly mentioned IN the
newspapers and was matter OF COM
mon knowledge as far away as Texas.
The prohibition officers in Washington;
however. insisted that there was no rum
fleet off the Jersey coast. Later the facts
were proved to them, but it was then too
late, the liquor having for the most part
been carried into the interior. .a
Now in order to procure remedy for
the possible repetition of such an occur
renee some of the gentlemen connected
with the prohibition movement are. urging
that the United States make the maritime
limit twelve miles instead Of three. They
argue that no vessels OF small size will
be willing to lie off shore, twelve miles
out, there being too much danger in the
proceeding, which is probably correct.
However, the gentlemen seem to for.
get that the United States is not making
the maritime limit for the world. She
cannot even make it for herself unless the
other nations of the world agree to re-
spect it. The maritime limit is matter
for agreement, not for arbitrary declara-
ton by any nation. We, in America
would be highly indignant if Great Britain
suddenly announced that she had changed
the three mile limit off her shores to
some other distance, declaring that she
/; intended to hold the United States re-
sponsible for any infractions of the limit
she had made for herself. The chances
are that we would plainly tell Great
I Britain that she might make laws for
herself without consulting US but that
she could not make them for US.
The proposition is as broad as it is
long. We can no more make laws for
other nations than they can make laws
for US. Neither can we alter the mari
time limit without the consent and Co
operation of other maritime nations. Fur
I thermoIe, Our prohibition troubles are les:
d than nothing to them. The chances arr
a thousand to one that the maritime limi
will remain just where it is for a long
\ time TO come.