Evening star., 1923-05-03
u. S. STANDS FIRM
FOR DRY SHIPS, BUT
FACES HARD TASK
CONTINUED from First PaseD

Continued from First PaSe)
| coasts is imneasurably facilitated by
/ the definite establishment of everything
J within three miles as United States
! territory"
| 5 That Inconvenience European
! steamship companies Will sooner or
! later accommodate themselves to the
| new situation, without violent protest.
| because of the indispensability OF
| American patronage.
! In the Washington diplomatic colony.
! no fewer than 400 members OF which
f, enjoy iquor-importation privileges,
| the immediate alarm caused by the
Supreme Court decree has vanished.
, Embassies and legations will continue
! to be popular GASES in the District
! desert. lntoXicants cnn come in. as
of yore. as the personal belongings"
! OF the consigneeS. The are immune
from seizure by either the prohibition
| or customs authorities.
| Must Inform United States.
The only formality required is the
| existing one of notifying the State De-
partment and Treasury authorities that
/ a consignment is arriving and that it
! Will be fetched at the port Of arrival
/ by citizen or subject Of the ambassa-
| dor or minister in question.
! He must actually send for the liquor
/ III an ambassadorial or ministerial con-
4 veyance. No bone dried citizen of the
| United States is permitted to lay a
hand on il. nor may 1t be transported
! TO Washington from the Shipside in
an American railroad train. American
| truck or American owned automobile.
! Although President Harding now has
| supreme Court authority legally to re-
! store bars to Chairman Lasker's Ship
[; ping Baord passenger fleet, nobody be-
lieVes he will do 50. Congress is virtually
! certain to enact the supplementary leg
! islation suggested b. the supreme
\ nf 11oa ShtnS r.
ing the high seas. Politicians OF neither
party expect the republican administra-
tion to give such handle to the
vets" as even temporary restoratio9
of liquor to American shipping would
be. This writer is assured that dry
Shipping Board passenger vessels are
doing pretty well. II is not considered
| that such extra passengers as moistened
boats might attract between now and
1924 would compensate for the political
dangers involved
Much Wailing Abroad.
| There is wailing and gna.hins of
teeth i'll Lopdon. Liverpool. South
ampton. Paris. Cherbourg and Havre
over the Supreme Court decree, but,
las matter of unaiterable fact, Euro
pean governments are powerless to
appeal from il. The law is the
law" it was affirmed at the White
House this week. when. inquirers
sought the Presidents view as 10
what now is going to happen. 1t is
today just as much part of the
Fundamental, law of the republic that
no ship shall bring liquor within the
! three mile limit as the tariff or i'm
| migration laws are. Such laws are
| never submitted to arbitration.
Since the world court proposal
first was mooted. Secretary Hughes
has taken occasion to answer critics
by pointing out that Fundamental
domestic law could never become q
matter for arbitral Interpretation OF
repeal. All that Great Britain OF
, France or Italy can do about the
United States. cap in hand. and sug-
gest liberalized Interpretation oI
: modification. For the sake of the
: comfy of nations Uncle Sam may
T loosen up in some way or other
, but purely as an act OF grace Wher
Secretary Hughes is besought by for.
eign powers TO move in that direction
, he may agree to recommend certain
concessions to Congress.
Fear No Reprisals.
; Mere protests. however Nociferous
! viii get no foreign power anywhere
Our prohibition laws may strike over.
| seas peoples and governments as
ludicrous and arbitrary. but they are
lunquestionably laws and correspond.
ingly difficult to circunvent Prob.
ably the British and French line.
, may threaten inconvenience to the
american tfaSellnS pubic by making
, Canadian harbors either intermediate t.
or exclusive ports of call instead OF
New York, Boston or Baltimore. bu'
that will involve inconvenience to the
European companies. too. and sub.
stantial extra expense besides. NJ
European government is likely tc
enact repTisals against American
shipping. whatever happens. Patron
age of American globe trotters anC
exporters is much too indispensable
to the prosperity of European lines
to justify any policy Of revenge.
| The Department of Justice. which
for three years has been clogged with
cases arising from rum running, ship
seizures and misapprehensions re-
garding the three mile limit. is graft
fed over the Supreme Court decree
Primarily. it establishes the waters
within the limit as indisputably
American territory" On any number
of occasions. the contention has beer
set up that those waters were only
hybrid American territory, and ven.
turesome souls have comported them.
selves with corresponding abandon
1.-THE Supreme Court now has defined
beyond all question just what trans
fportation'' and importation" are
within the meaning of the Eolsteao
Iact Prohibition enforcement on the
coasts in consequence is bound 70 be
substantially easier.
Copyright 1928
DIAM CnNrEp ENSr