The Monmouth inquirer., 1923-06-21
U. S. WET SHIP
TREATY PROBLEM
Government Proposes IL Mile
Limit of Search for Admission
of Sealed Liquor.
TO RESTRICT SEIZURE
Woud Apply Only to Illicit Goods and
Not Violate Broad PrincipIe--Bar-
gain Arrangement offered Sea
Powers in Informal ParIeys.


Washington.-Wit the last loop
hole for escape without embarrass-
ment. on the ship liquor question ap-
parently sealed. the Administration
seems hopeless of any satisfactory
solution of the problem.
News from England is to the effect
that the British Government persists
in refusing to give any consideration
whatever to the proposal of this Gov
eminent that the three-mile limit be
extended to twelve miles, so as to
make it easier for American prohibit
ton forces to prevent the smuggling
of liquor into the United States.
On top of this, constitutional law
yers here are in virtual agreement
that the proposal which the State
Department has been considering, OF
treaties which would at the same time
extend the three-mile limit and also
protect ship stores of foreign vessels
within American waters, would be
thrown out by the Supreme Court just
as fatty as the high court dashed
New York's hopes of az per cent
beer.
Secretary Hughes made public for
the first time letter which he adj
dressed to the British Ambassador
last June asking for an extension of
the three-mile limit to twelve miles,
and also for closer British surveillance
of the transfer of American ships to
British registry and the supplying of
rum runners generally with liquor in
British island possessions. He also
made public the reply of Sir Auckland
Geddes, giving the fiat objections Of
the British Government to any extern
sion of the three-mile limit, but prom
Using to have investigations made of
the complaints of liquor smuggling.
Apparently the hope had sprung up
in the State Department, since the
embarrassment of the various foreign
governments over the Supreme Court
decision which forbade foreign ships
to have any liquor ON board even I'M
der seal, and no matter If it was in
tended for ship rations, that bargain
might be made.
The theory was that under treaty
which protected ship liquor under seal
while in American waters, and which
also in other sections extended the
three-mile limit to twelve miles, every
one might be satisfied and the embar-
rassment be avoided.
Word now comes, however, that the
British are as determined against any
extension of the three-mile limit as
ever. Even more important, however,
is the opinion held by eminent lawyers
here that the Supreme Court decision,
which has caused SO much. interna-
tional trouble, was not based on
mere act of Congress, which might be
overridden by a treaty, but on the
Eighteenth Amendment itself, and
therefore any treaty made in conflict
with it's terms would also in all hui
man probability be held unconstitu-
tional by the Supreme Court.
A rather curious phase of the situa-
ton is that while the State Depart
1lOAL w 90 putting O0L ACOAOAo anu
growing hopeful that the ship liquor
problem and that Of checking Snug
Cling might be disposed of at one
diplomatic swoop by the simple ex-
Eedient of treaties which would over
ride the present law, the White House
was announcing with emphasis that
the administration had no choice in
the matter and could do nothing but
enforce the law.
The court declared it was necessary
to interpret the Eighteenth Amend
ment in order to decide the case, and
it proceeded to interpret it before deal
ing with the law. 1t held the amend
ment covered both foreign and domes-
tic shipping within the three-mile
limit.
at contains no exception of ships of
either class" said the decision, land
the terms in which it is couched indi-
cate that none is intended"