Evening star., 1923-05-04
Legality Of Floating Run, Isles
Outside Limit Puzzles Lawyers

Will the rum fleet recongregate off
New York? VIII its largest vessels.
frightened away by the first shot f1red
in the rum chaser war, return to
position outside the now famous lin
#" three miles OF shore? VIII the
rum feet Of sea-scarred. weather.
beaten old ships be replaced by pa
Iatial. floating "flling station" main
tanned by the united shipping of the
world, to unload and reload their
liquor just off the bone-dry limit?
These questions, put first in jest by
foreign shippers and American hu-
morists, assume the dignity Of Sc
rious, il picturesque. problems, fol-
lowing the declaration of this gov
ernment to dry up rything but the
waves all around America after June
10, in strict accord with the Supreme
Court decision.
Even an Anglo-American relief cor
poration half jokingly has been sug
gested. to organize an international
concern of huge financial backing to
Mt out the ''flling station
Cannot MoIest Them.
Officials of America have admitted
that under the court decision there
would be no way of molesting the
new rum row outside the limit. pro-
ferring liquor off incoming ships and
reloading ships on the outgo. Very
definite means of bothering that rum
fleet already have been resorted to
by the doughty coast guard cutters,
which have taken up a twenty-four-
hour-day stand off rum row to pre-
won't smuggling ashore. Even armed
seaplaneS may be brought into this
action.
No. the "smuggline" rum feet can
not exist in American official sane
tIon If il can be stopped by vigorous
attacks from the customs and coast
guard feet against small boats snug
Cling from and small boats carrying
supplies to the rum fleet.
But rum fleet or spirits filling
station. even of pretentious enough
floating out there for the legal pur-
pose of helping the shipping of the
world comply with this new inter-
pretation of American law would, in
the opinion of numerous students of
the situation here. have little diff
Guilty in establishing a more or less
permanent status.
Chance for Wet PARTIES
A live question is this: Could sea
going steam yachts from the United
States, under the Supreme Court de-
cision allowing liquor to be served
on American ships outside the three
mile line. dart out to the interna-
tional spirits floating warehouse.
stock up, and pursue a damp and
drinking cruise up and down the high
seas outside the limit How much
of drinking party could be carried
on by Americans with impunity. just
outside the clutches of Uncle Sam is
some thing officials of the government
don't seem as yet to have decided.
The customs. prohibition and coast
guard boats seem to be under orders
to act upon suspicion or iuforma-
tion" of liquor within the three e-mile
line. Officials have let it be known
IN no uncertain terms that IL a speedy
coast guard boat. for instance, should
take up the chase after a millionaire's
yatch suspected of having LIQUOR, and
should run over the three-mile line
and capture it outside. there would
be no danger of any kind of foreign
complications. Perhaps the govern
ment means to pursue beyond the
limit all American boats suspected
of touching only at the rum fleet and
returning soon to American shores.
The legal restrictions around