New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-01
Whiskey Finds Champion
in Virtually Every Man
in the Kingdom.
POLITICAL TRUCE
NOW TO BE BROKEN
Price of Popular Brand To Be
Increased by so or 60
Per Cent.
tBy Cable 10 The Tribune. ]

London, May 1.-The governments
proposals for q further restriction of
the liquor traffic, as outlined by Mr..
Lloyd George, have caused an absolute
Juror throughout the country, and
are now the sole topic OF discussion.
| The salient feature of the situation
is the practical unanimity with which
the whole nation is rising against the
proposition to curtail liquor selling.
Two millions Of the flower of British
manhood have volunteered TO fight the
nations battles. 1t is the greatest
record that any country in the history
Of the world has even shown. And the
Al, 900 900 who remain at home rise as
one man to save their whiskey.
There is no doubt that the political
truce established at the beginning Of
the war will now be broken, and 1t will
take a great effort TO re-estsblish it.
Regardless Of the speeches made IN
Parliament, the declarations OF re-
sponsible men, the statements OF
Cabinet ministers and great employers
OF labor, the average man talks him
self hoarse in argument. He is being
absurdly penalized, he says. by pro-
hibitive taxes placed on liquors on &C
count of the faults of small section
of the community, which even then IS
earning wages sufficiently high 70 per-
nit of buying the whiskey, whlch me-
the average man, will henceforth be I'M
able to afford. Consequently, the old
party schisms have broken out afresh,
with the Tories tacitly hostile. the
Labor party aggrieved and the Irish
enraged.
Distillers Are Reticent.
The liquor interests, however, are
strangely quiet. The principal distillers
held a meeting to-day to discuss the
situation, but no report was issued, and
one and all refused to make a state
ment on the situation. The big brew
ers are taking the same line. but there
is good reason to believe they are mar
shalling all their tremendous forces to
prevent the proposals from becoming
law. To some extent the scope OF the
Chancellor's changec can be judged
from the statement made by member
of the firm Of Buchanan to The Trib-
une correspondent last night, when,
while refusing to discuss the general
question indicated that the price OF
ordinary whskey will be Immediately
increased by two shillings to two shill-
ings and sixpence a bottle, that is TO
say, an increase Of 80 to 60 per cent.
He added:
"What case has Mr.. Lloyd-George
made out against the workmen? Can
he prove that work stoppages are due
to drink solely, and not principally, or
even partly, to the fact that enlist
ments among the workers have beer so
numerous that fourth rate labor has
had to be engaged-men who are
physically unable to do more than three
or four days work weekly, men who
normally wouldn't get even the smell
of job. Why isn't he specific instead
of vague in his charges? At the same
time he is threatening to annihilate a
trade employing, directly and indirect
ly, two million people"
"A TeetotaI Pedagogue."
Fl. G. Robinson, secretary Of the Lii
said:
1.-THE scheme outlined by the Chan
cellor of the Exchequer resembles the
plan of burning down a pigsty in or
der to obtain the roast pig. Mr.. Lloyd
George has taken up the attitude Of
the teetotal pedagogue."
Nor is the speech greeted enthusiast
tically by the temperance party. Alex
ander Thomson, the principal figure In
the United Kingdom Alliance, in an
interview published to-day says:
"Those who listened to the Chsncel-
lor would incline to the belief that his
speech was too strong or his proposals
too weak"
With a reception like this it becomes
increasingly obvious that the govern
ment will have to use all its strength
and influence to put its proposals actu-
ally on the statute book.