Evening star., 1923-07-11
Discard Volstead Act.

Developments pushed the matter TO
Its present delicate situation today
through disclosures that the govern
ment had decided to operate entirely
under the customs officers and tariff
act instead Of the prohibition officers
and the Volstead act.
instructions were sent by S Par
ker Gilbert. acting secretary of the
Treasury. to customs officials through
out the country, advising that forfeit
ure proceedings could best be han
died under section 593 OF the tariff
act" and that customs officials were
to retain custody of such liquors as
they had seized, and to "repossess"
themselves of liquors which had been
turned over to the prohibition direc-
tors.
This course could better be pur-
sued. it was pointed out. than that
through prohibition directors. Ger
tificates of custody We're ordered to
be turned over from customs officials
to district attorneys for use in for
feiture proceedings before the courts.
To Return Liquors.
Prohibition Commissioner Haynes is
sued instructions to his directors to
return all seized liquor turned over
by customs officials except that which
proceedings under the national prohi-
bition act. 1t was not revealed what
percentage of the thousands of gallons
which were taken. had already been
started on its way through the courts
under the EolStead act.
So far no foreigner has been arrest
ed, nor have any criminal proceed
ings been instituted in this connec-
ton. Thousands of gallons of bev-
erage liquors have been seized by
the customs officials from the vessels
of several foreign powers. but the Of
flcers of the ships bringing in this
liquor in violation of the ship liquor
ban have not been molested. Most
of the vessels from which the liquor
has been taken have sailed again
from American waters.
Fail TO Clear TangIe.
How the officers of ships which
have surrendered their liquors and
left American waters are to be prose.
cuted was not made clear by those
who are pressing for their prosecu-
ton.
Whether any more ships will ven
ture into American waters with bev-
erage liquors on board, in violation
of the ship-liquor ban, was a ques-
ton around which the whole matter
seemed more or less to hinge.
II no more ships come in. it will re-
lieve the situation immensely. In
formal indications have come to off,
cials that perhaps no more foreign
vessels will attempt to break the
ban. But what is to be done. it Is
asked. about those ships which have
already broken the law, whose liquors
are now to be haled into court as
smuggled goods. and whose officers
are most of them now on the high
seas?
May Have More Teeth.
Was 1t the embarrassing provision
of ship seizure in the Volstead act
which led the government to aban-
don court proceedings under that law
1t was asked today, or was it rather
the hope that courts which have been
unfriendly to cases brought under
the prohibition act might be more
, disposed to act favorably upon cases
brought under the tariff act?
Has the tariff act longer teeth than
the volstead act? The criminal pros
; ecution tooth of the tariff act already
has proved so long that it is worry
/; ing those who desire to bring an end
as soon as possible to the interna-
tional embarrassments of the ship
liquor snarl