The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1923-07-05
CONGRESS- CALL
NOW CONSIDERED
High Officials Agree Curzon Has
Ended Hope of Relief in Met
Ship SnarI by Diplomacy.
MAY SEIZE LOWERING BOATS
Enforcers of Law Believe They Can
Act Outside Three-MiIe Limit
Without Treaty--Must Await
the VIII of Congress.

Washington. the rejection by
Great Britain of the American pro-
posal for treaty in which it was pro-
posed to allow foreign liners to bring
liuor under seal into American terri
torial waters ip return for a proposed
extension to twelve miles Of the limit
of visit and search for contraband
goods, officials frankly admitted that
there could be no hope Of settling in
ternational controversies regarding
the American prohibition laws until
Congress has met and modified the
law
No official reply has been receiveH
to the Hughes twelve-mile limit treaty
proposal, either from Great Britain or
any of the otheh powers approached
Lord Curzon's positive declaration in
the British House of Lords, however,
is generally accepted as sounding the
knell Of the proposed treaty and end
ing the possibility Of relieving an en-
barrassing, If not dangerous, situa-
ton. by means of diplomatic negotia-
lions.
1t is considered quite possible that
the situation may take turn in which
a special session of Congress to deal
with the problem may be necessary.
Only the President has the constitu-
tional authority to cam an extra SEES
sion. Before leaving for Alaska he
declared he entertained no thought Of
calling a special session.
do
velopment as an aftermath of Lord
Curzon's speech was the assertion in
an authoritative quarter that there
was reason to believe the United
States Government possesses the
right to seize vessels lowering about
the three-mile limit regardless Of
whether a treaty is negotiated with
the powers concerned.
: While officials refused to comment
for quotation on the speech Of Lord
Curzon, no offense was taken over his
frank statement of the British point
of view. One part of Lord Curzon's
statement, however, was not relished
by official Washington-his statement
that "the real motive of the American
Government in bringing the matter to
head is in all probability their de-
sire to put pressure on US to put
check on the traffic in contraband liq-
uor carried on British ships"
Denial is made that the American
government seeks to "coerce" those to
whom it has made its treaty proposal
for a twelve-mile territorial limit On
the contrary, it is declared in a re-
sponsible quarter that the United
embarrassing situation and to "regu-
larize" in most tactful way a thing
which a lrge body of American opin-
ion, lay and expert, holds that the
American government might have
done legally without treaty, namely,
to seize rum ships outside the three
mile limit, even when under the pro-
lection of a foreign flag.
British vessels have been lowering
just outside the three-mile limit aiding
in smuggling liquor into the United
States. Great Britain has deplored
this use of its flag but his not inter-
fered with the traffic, and, it was
pointed out in responsible quarter,
Great Britain has always said the
United States has no right to touch
these vessels.
The late Lord Salisbury held that
when ship Outside the three-mile
limit unloaded Illicit goods into its
own boats for transmission to within
the three-mile limit, such ship became
liable under the law. The State De-
partment has also taken such view,
but the court has recently held that it
made no difference whether or not the
unloading was carried on by the small
boats Of the ship In question.
In his absence no official is qualified
to say whether the President would
summon the new Congress to consider
modification Of the Volstead act to the
limited extent that would be necessary
to relieve the administration from its
present international embarrassment /