The Washington herald., 1915-04-18
Prohibition in Commons.

Prohibition In Commons.
| The Kitchen Committee OF the House of Com
| mons has prohibited the sale OF Intoxicating
liquors in any part of the House. but beer is still
supplied to the English army canteen. These APP
pear to be the net results OF the agitation for pro-
hibition in England by order of the Cabinet The
| outcome may be disappointing to the professional
| prohibitionsts in this country after they have
| held up the governments OF Europe as models
for this government. and enlarged upon the pre-,
dictons OF Lloyd George accomplished facts
but it is never safe to say exactly what Britsher
will do until he does it. That the great
| trouble in Europe before the war began. Nobody
in any other European Capital knew what Lord
Grey would recommend and the British Parlia-
nent decide to do, until the blow fell on little
Belgium. Then the British lion went into action
The House OF Commons has been the British
government for good many years and the Cab
met represents the House rather than the King;
and the cabinet may lose its head at any hour
OF any day when majority of the House refuses
to follow it.
In this prohibition agitation tho House has
shown no disposition to follow the arbitrary sug-
gcstions OF the Chancellor OF the Exchequcr and
Premier Asquith informed the House Wednesday
that prohibition Il question for the House and
not for the government 10 decide. Thcreupon the
Kitchen Committee which has control of the in
ternal arrangements for the comfort of members,
resolved that there should be no intoxicating
liquors sold i'll the House restaurant the private
press bar maintained for the exclusive comfort OF
the newspaper correspondents who have access to
the press gallery. The CORES pondcnts were cvi-
IDENTIFY acquainted with the customs in Maine,
Kansas. Georgia and other prohibition States in
this country. and finding comfort in the word
SALE" the only prohibition, Immediately invest
ed i'll private lockers. The cable report does not
inform whether the NJ. P'S followed the cx-
ample OF the respondents, but Englishmen like
American ways and have great confidence in the
adaptabv of newspaper correspondents even
though they censor their dispatches, and the
Kitchen Committee did not prohibit tho consump-
ton the privilege OF giving away drink to
thirsty ncighbor.
The plot thiclcn> when VIC arc told that the
chairman of the Kitchen Committee is brewer
and that the other members OF the committee were
selected solely because OF their high regulations
connoSseurs OF wines and stronger beverages
The committee did just what Speaker Reed did
many years ago when he abolished the bar in the
Capitol. without any pretcnse of setting UP a
standard Tor the people. He prohibited the sale
OF liquors in the Capitol just he prohibited the
sale OF souvenirs and other things which might
be attractive to tourists
1t also announced to the House OF Com
that beer is still furnished to the army cam
teens and there was present intention OF pro-
libiting the sale OF beer to the soldiers in the
field through the agency OF the cantcen. These
official announcements to the British House OF
Commons dispose OF much OF the speculation re-
garding prohibition in England and in the armies
of Europe. The German and English soldiers
have their beer, the French and Ausrians their
wine. and the Russian soldiers are promised all
the German beer and French wine they can cap
ture. This tumbllng OF the prohibition house of
cards in Europe may be disappointing 10 the pro-
hibitionists this country but the war itself is
the great illustration that human nature is not !!
easily changed when millions OF men willingly
and enthusiastically take up arms to fight each
other, without any very definite idea as to the |
cause OF the war, and ministers OF the gospel in |
each country pray for the success of their armies |
We cannot very well draw moral lessons from
this war; at least until it is ended and we cannot
determine whether all Europe is going dry until |
the aridity appears fixed condition
King George, the Cabinet and the members
of Parliament are setting example of self |
control over selfindulgence in this crisis and so
are the heads of other governments engaged in
the war, and that is a good way to deal with |
the people, especially when all able-bodied men
are enlistng to fight. Prohibition and conscrip-
ton bear pretty strong resemblance to each
other and it is said that Russia is the only gov
eminent that has so far rcsorted to either