The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-05-06
PRESS ON LIQUOR DECISION

court nOlQS CnaC the laws 1OrD1Q IL
quor on any ships of any nation within
our waters, whether they are under
seal or not making no difference.
Prohibition officials say that this
solves many of their perplexities,
while others believe that it will lead
US into foreign complications. Still,
if the court has found our laws valid,
it is difficult to understand on what
basis a friendly nation would dispute
them. Of course, there is always
basis for diplomatic interchanges, but
our laws forbid importations of GER
tain other articles and the precedent
is established.
In the view of the Savannah News,
means will be provided whereby the
liners will "park their liquors" be-
yond the three-mile limit, and "ocean
travel on American ships, except per-
haps shipping board vessels, will re-
turn to its old comfort for those who
get thirsty between shores. American
vessels will be more nearly able to
compete with foreign ships" The
News, however, overlooks the posi-
bility, and even probability, of laws
forbidding liquor on American ships
even beyond the three-mile limit.
The New York Evening World sar-
castically remarks: 1.-THE decision
should prove highly useful in further
calling attention to the high percent
age of inanity in present prohibition
law when that law may be interpret
ed in a way to clash with the laws of
other nations, to drive shipping from
American ports and to lift the regula-
ton of the sale of liquor on American
ships to new heights of absurdity.
Must prohibition make an ass of a
nation?" Evidently, in the Worlds
opinion, our national star must rise
or fall with liquor.
Coinciding with the view of the
shipping board the Cleveland Plain
Dealer declares: $50 far as govern
ment-owned ships are concerned, how
ever, they should be operated on
strictly dry basis, regardless of this
court decision. A government which
insists that its citizens shall eschew
liquor in all it's forms cannot without
rank Inconsistency make itself a
liquor-selling agency. We do not en-
joy the thought of Uncle Sam operat-
ing as bartender on the seas" The
Plain Dealer suggests the possibility
of international misunderstanding
and of possible acts of retaliation.
Perhaps the foreign nations will even
deny liquor to thirsty American visit
ors to their shores.
A view held by many is thus ex-
pressed by the St. Louis Post-Dis-
patch: ''In order to take away the
disadvantages handicapping American
ships deprived of liquor in competition
with foreign ships having liquor we
impose our prohibition laws on for
eign shipping" If the Post-Dispatch
means to say that the supreme court,
in formulating its opinion, was in
fluenced by any such considerations
as suggested in the sentence quoted,
then the newspaper accuses the SUI
preme court. If it means that the
legislators were influenced by any
such motive, reply should be made
that undoubtedly the bearing of pro-
hibition on our shipping and foreign
commerce was, entirely ignored, for
otherwise there would have been more
specific application Of the law to mar
thine conditions. Likewise, the Co.
lumbia, S. c., State believes that the
decision is merely a gesture in the
name of prohibition that achieves
nothing for the cause but is irritating
to those people Of the world in COM
municating with u.s." Still, it would
be difficult, in every case, to de-
fend the doctrine that our laws should
be modified to suit those foreigners
who come to our shores.
It appears incongruous to the De-
troit Free Press that our laws should
permit ships of American registry to
carry and sell liquor on the high seas
or in foreign ports, but should forbid
ships Of foreign registry from bring
ing sealed liquor into our ports or
serving it on board while within our
waters. 1t may be answered that
most of our laws govern American
citizens only while they are within fed
eral jurisdiction, and that most of
our laws govern foreigners when they
are within our jurisdiction, SO there
is no real incongruity. The Free
Press thinks that "the general effect
of this decision is to transfer respon-
sibility for future dryness or wetness
of ships Of American registry from
the shoulders of the president to the
shoulders of congress-"
With great display of liberality and
altruism the Chicago Tribune shows
its readers how Americans desiring
to 60 abroad may avoid going in
American ships: middle western
travellers can travel by train to Mon
treal almost as cheaply and quickly,
and fully as comfortably as to New
Vork Thoro %hoxy will ha c1ooar ~