Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-01-22
Coast Guardsmen Handicap
ped by Many Legal Loop
holes Left for Foreign Reg
istry Ships
RY BOB n0RMAN
Copyright, 1924, by NEA serviceD

tJOpyrlEhLt 16G4I Dy MA SeLN4Ac'J
On BOARD THE u. S. S. SEN
ECA, OFF THE ATLANTIC
COAST, Jan. 19.-The Seneca is
steaming along the coast line just
inside the 12-mile limit, checking up
the activities of the rum fleet.
n But it is not only with the SNUG
8gIing of contraband liquor that she
concerns herself, although that, at
present, is the main thing; but it is
with the constantly growing menace
against the custom laws OF the Unit
ed States as applied to other forbid
den articles.
For several generations, SNUG
Cling as a business had practically
ceased. But with the advent Of pro-
hibition there came into being or
the situation to obtain for them
selves enormous profits.
So comparatively easy was the
job that these same ordinations
have now turned their eyes and
their talents to other means of prof
it in evading the law; such as SNUG
Cling narcotics, diamonds, etc, and
the landing of undesirable aliens.
reasons Tor CIncn
The two outstanding reasons for
the ease with which smuggling has
been revived, say men in the service
who know, are:
First. Lack of proper equipment
for the coast guard service, which
forms the first line of defense
against smuggling.
Second. Lack of proper legal au-
thorizations.
The New York district comprises
roughly 240 miles of coast line from
Montauk Point, Long Island, to Fen
wick Island, off the coast OF Della
ware, and extends seward in a
southeasterly direction about $50
miles.
To patrol this district the coast
guard service has only six sea going
ships, the fastest OF which, the
Gresham, is capable Of Is knots an
hour; while the slowest, the Man
haitian, can do only 10.
The smugglers as a. rule, use fast
motorboats, most OF which will
| make better than 16 knots an hour.
With the vanishing of the profes-
sional smuggler, the service devoted
49,
vessels in distress; to the destruction
OF derelicts and other menaces to
navigation; to the patroling of the
sea lanes to warn shipping Of ice
| berg dangers; and to aiding the Gus
tom officers in the boarding of in
coming vessels at New York.
This developed a type of ship
called 'long- legged" 1t was suit
able for the long cruises made neces-
sary by the many duties which took
the vessels of the coast guard far
out TO sea. But to enable them to
carry sufficient supplies for long
/ trips, speed could not be taken into
consideration. And the susglers
got an edge.
Legal LoOpholes
And they got another in the legal
aspect of the situation. For, law
yers say, several loopholes ex' :.
through which the smugglers are
able to escape the clutches of the
authorities.
The law Of the land provides that
! the United States has the right to
board and examine any American
! vessel in any water for the purpose
! of enforcing the laws of the United
States.
But-congress has never delegated
that right to any officer Of the gov.
/ eminent; and it is behind the fail.
ure to confer that right on Its law
| enforcement officers that many
! guilty smuggler captured on the
high seas, has gone free.
| Another legal difficulty arises
! from the fact that no uniform IN.
te"nretation OF the dry law has been
made
1t used to be that when one court
! decided point IN law. that ruling
! was established as a precedent and
! accepted in all other courts in the
| country.
| But today, in dealing with liquor
law violations, each court seems to
nave become law unto itself.