The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-08-23
American Dry
Forces Invade
British Isles
(By United Press.)


pleting their plans, and marshallinf
J their "sturmtruppen" for might.
, offensive commencing this fall An,
Johnny Bull is sitting up and watch
ing with considerable interest, un
certain whether he ought to be anus
cd, sacred or angry.
Immediately the lid went on in the
limited States, William E. "Pussyfoot'
johnson, "Field-marshal Commander.
in chief" of Americas "dry" army
established a branch G. H. @. in Lon,
don, and proceeded to show local pro
h;bitionists just how to wage war or
ncoze. Hitherto, although there hat
been an occasional prohibition move
ment in Great Britain, the "drgs''
had made very little headwav. til,
only really prominent man identified
with the movement being the late Sil
Wilfrid Lawson, who aroused cortro
versy some years back by emptyine
his inherited wine-cellars down tht
drains.
Prohibition was represented in Eng.
land by the United Kingdom Alliance
but the organization was not vel
equipped with funds, and was out Of
date in it's methods that the "wets''
ceased to regard its members as any.
thing more dangerous than "bun-wal-
lahs," strange sect who participated
In orgies of tea-drinking and bun con-
sumption. But "Pussyfoot" Johnson
has changed all this.
Canon Masterman, president of the
u. X. A. recently visited America to
find out how the "wets" there had
been overwhelmed. He fixed up an
alliance with the Anti-Saloon League
with the result that another A. E. f.
was oOOIi OI GIlc liSH SCu5'
Johnson established himself quietly
in Fleet street.-the home Of news
papers and publicity, but so skillfully
were his opening moves made, that
he succeeded in avoiding attracting at
! tention for some monrns. Then he
disclosed himself. 1t would be rash
to suggest that he captured the pow
erful Northcliffe Press, but it says
much for his generalship and tactics
that he managed to secure a magnifi-
cent advertisement out of hostile
organization.
Lord Northcliffe's papers discover
ed his presence and taking up the
role of Dickens Fat Boy, the Daily
Mail proceeded to make Johnny Bulls
= flesh creep with lengthy stories OF
"Pussyfoot's" aims, antecedents
methods and chances of success. J
Bull was slightly amused, but as the
whole Northcliffe aritllery-the Times
Weekly Dispatch, Evening News
Daily Mirror, and others-joined ir
the attack British "wets" began tt
realize that they must get busy,
A big defensive campaign was open
ed, and hair-raising stories of Ameri
can prohibition methods were pub
lished, stories of Machiavellian Gun
= ming, hysterical campaigning and Ma
poleonic victories. The "wets" tear
fully appealed to that much critzet
, autocrat, the British Working Man
to repudiate the sponsors of grape
- juice and similar "soft" drinks will
fantastic names. They reminded hin
: of his old war-cry damn his eyes
whoever tries to rob a poor man o
his beer" And they succeeded il
, making Mr.. B. w. M. sit up ant
think "there might be something il
: it."
Meanwhile the much discussed
: "Pussyfoot" Johnson, satisfied witt
: his first demonstration, had departed
for Finland to organize an offensive
| in northern Europe, but he left g
: promise to return in the fall. The
full weight of the counter-offensivt
accordingly fell upon the poor ole
United Kingdom Alliance, which
"frightfully bucked" by the promi
nence given to it's aims, and the
promise of solid support from Ameri
can "drys" nevertheless wilted before
the storm of protest.
The announcement that many lead.
ing American temperance orators are
on their way to England to take part
in the fray gave the "wets" a popular
battle-cry, with the inevitable warn.
ing "Hands off, America. Mind your
own interference, or words to that
effect. The U. X. A. hurried forward