The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-06-22
Challenge Accepted
 By Government Officers
By RAYMOND CLAPWPER tBy Leased Wire To The Age-Herald)


 WASHINGTON, June 21 - The United States has accepted the chal- lenge of Britisht shipping interests to a showdown on the right of this government to prevent liquor from being brought into American ports.
 American customs officers will board the Cunard liner Berengaria in New York harbor, break the seals of the British government that lock it's liquor stores, and seize the contra band. The same procedure will be followed when the White Star liner Olympic arrives few days later.
 The British ship owners will pro- test to Washington and this govern ment will then rule formally on the right of its customs officers to break the seal of a foreign government in searching for forbidden commodities. Then diplomatic negotiates or court action or both may follow. The con- troversy has so many tangled aspects that officials do not know just what course the dispute will take ulti- mately.
 The British government, 1t is un- derStood here, comedies the right Of the United States to break it's seals and search for contraband. This is custom of international law which is generally recognized and has been tested many times before. There fore, the matter at the moment Is one involving only the United States and British shipping interests. But the connection between the British ship ping companies and their government is so close that both will be involved as the matter proceeds.
 The decision te breaE the British seals was hastily reached after q day of conferences between Secretary of State Hughes, Secretary of the ,,I hibition enforcement officials. The state department is ready to support the action of the American customs officials when they board the Beren- garia and the Olympic. New York agents of the Cunard and White Star lines have been advised of the intend- ed course of procedure by H. C. Stewart, collector of the port of New York. All parties recognize that the liquor seizure Friday will be a test case to determine whether there is to be any leakage in the liquor tight interpretation of the Volstead act made by the supreme court recently.
 Little doubt is felt that the Ameri- can view will prevail.
 Officials here realize they are about to tread on thin ice in breaking the seal of foreign government even though the right to do this is recoE- nized by all governments. Nations nave been SONSrned Oy an unWrltten rule of reason in exercising this right. and if the United States ad- heres to the limit of it's technical rights in this issue it is only natural that foreign governments should wish to retailate in ways that would be irritating to American shipping enterprise. For instance, France, Great Britain and other countries have laws requiring that all ships putting into their ports carry certain liquor stores for medicinal purposes. But American ships will have no way of conveniently complying with this should the requirement be insisted upon.
 Any nation has the right to de- eide what commodities shall be brought into it's ports and is answer able to no other power. Therefore, any government. in moment of in dignation at the American attitude. might adopt a freak list of contra band and apply it. This is not eX- pected, but it is one of the con- tingencies that must be taken into consideration.
 It is no secret here that high of- ficials of this government believe the ban on sealed liquor is absurd and without warrant. But until that pro- vision of the Nolstead act can be stricken out they hold that 1t must be enforced as directed by the su- preme cOurt