The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1923-11-08
FIGHT 12-MILE
LIQUOR Zone
Operators See Menace in Grant
ing Foreign Vessels Right
to Bring in POtabIeS.
y. S. DRY OFFICIALS HOPEFUL
Runners May Get Rum 20 Miles Out
British Premiers Pass on Final
Draft-Drastic Restrictions on Liq-
uor Brought into American Ports.

Washington.-A hot fight against
ratification of the proposed treaty ex-
tending the three-mile limit to twelve
and permitting foreign ships to bring
liquor into American ports under seal
is in sight, with the American ship
operators leading the attack.
At the present moment the Anti
Saloon League is standing on the side
fines, waiting further information be-
fore leaping into the fray.
The dry leaders were delighted or
Iginally with the idea of extending the
three-mile limit to twelve. They be-
lieved and hoped right up until the
agreement with the British govern
ment was attained that it would work
miracles in stopping smugglin5 Of
liquor.
However, came the news of the an
nouncement by certain British oper-
ators that they would deliver liquor
to rum runners twenty miles off the
American coast, and assuming to guar
antee dividends on the enterprise.
This bare announcement had the ef-
feet of a cold shower on the enthusi-
assn of the drys.
Wayne B. Wheeler, general counsel
for the Anti-Saloon League, issued a
statement indicating that the league
was waiting for the particulars before
committing itself, but asserting the
opinion that the bringing in of liquor
for crew rations was against the let
ter of the constitutional amendment
itself and not merely the Volstead act,
which could be modified by act of Con-
gress.
The dry leaders are hoping earnest
ly that more complete information
rom London will show that search of
suspected rum-runners will be permit
Ted beyond the twelve-mile limit and
that much the same tactics which
stopped the flow of war supplies to
the South during the Civil War will
nut down the rum smuggling.
Officials of the government, how
over, concerned with prohibition en-
forcement, are still highly enthusiast
tic about the effectiveness of extend
ing the twelve-mile limit. They point
out that held off shore at such dis
lance, signaling to the bootleggers
ashore would be impractical, which
would compel the delivery at arrang-
ed spots on the ocean at designated
times.
Such a practice they point out,
would be highly dangerous to the rum
runners and to the ships bringing the
liquor to those points off the coast,
especially if the coast guard demon
strates the ability to check such
traffic, as every one concerned in the
government believes it will.
Drastic restrictions applying to LID
uor brought into American ports I'M
der seal will be insisted on by dry
leaders, it was announced, and House
and Senate leaders ara confident these
restrictions will be written into law.
They insist that before the present
ruling of the Supreme Court, barring
chips with any liquor whatever from
American ports the amount of SNUG
Cling from such ship stores" was ire
mendous.
They will propose to Congress that
each ship on entering an American
port with liquor shall be carefully
searched by prohibition officials and
surveyed as carefully on its departure,
to see that the same amount of lid
uor goes out that has come in.
The curb on smuggling made posi-
BILE by twelve-mile limit, and the pre-
caution with regard to ship stores,
make the whole proposition one which
the dry leaders, it was said unofficial
ly will rather favor. There is much
to be said on both sides, they say eau
tiously, but on the whole they think
they will profit by the exchange.
The ship owners, it was said, al
ready are getting ready to fight the
whole treaty They care nothing
about the extension of the three-mile
limit, but are deeply concerned over
permitting their competitors to carry
wines and liquors.