The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1924-01-15
Advent of Whisky Runners Leads to Activity
in Smuggling All Kinds of Contraband Into u. S.
By BOB DORMAN
NEA Service Staff Writer
1924, by NEA SerVi,

Copyright. 1924, by NEA Service)
ON BOARD THE U. S. S. SEN
ECA, OFF THE ATLANTIC
COAST, Jan. 15.-The Seneca is
steaming along the coast line Just
inside the twelve-mile limit, check
ing up the activities of the Rum
Fleet.
But it is not only with the SNUG
Cling of contraband liquor that she
concerns herself, although that, at
present, is the main thing; but it is
with the constantly growing men
ace against the custom laws Of the
United States as applied to other
forbidden articles.
For several generations, SNUG
Cling as a business had practically
ceased. But with the advent of pro-
hibition there came into being or
CARNATIONS that took advantage of
the situation to obtain for them
selves enormous profits.
So comparatively easy was the job
that these same organizations have
now turned their eyes and their tai
ents to other means Of profit in
evading the law; such as smuggling
narcotics, diamonds, ETC., and the
landing of undesirable aliens.
Two Reasons for Ease
The two outstanding reasons for
the ease with which smuggling has
been revived, say men in the service
who know, are:
1. Lack of proper equipment for
the coast guard service, which forms
the first line of defense against
smuggling.
2. Lack of proper legal authorize
tons.
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 fifteen knots
an hour; while the slowest, the
Manhattan, can do only ten.
The. smugglers as a rule, use fast
motor boats, most of which will
make better than sixteen knots an
hour.
With the vanishing of the profess
sional smuggler, the service devoted
most of its energies to the aiding Of
vessels in distress; to the destruc-
ton of derelicts and other menaces
to navigation; to the patroling of
the sea-lanes to warn shipping of
iceberg dangers; and to aiding the
custom officers in the boarding of
incoming 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 smugglers
got an edge.
LOOphoIes in Law
And they got another in the legal
aspect or the Sltuatlon- For, law
yers say, several loopholes exist
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 delegat-
ed that right to any officer Of the
government; and it is behind the
failure to confer that right on its
law enforcement officers, that many
a guilty smuggler captured on the
high seas, has gone free.
Another legal difficulty arises from
the fact that no uniform interpreta-
tionAof the dry law has been made.
Itflsed to be that when one court
decided a point in law, that ruling
was established as q precedent and