The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-18


Copyright, 1890, oy THE NEW YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,
London Oct. IL.
There is little doubt of a sweeping
victory for what is called prohibition
But they are not taking it meat" 1t
will be prohibition cannily diluted.
AS a matter of fact, what is called
prohibition in Scotland is more like
the Raines law than anything else.
While every politician and ALMOST
every interest with q voice in Scot
land are favoring prohibition" the
distillers, the wholesale liquor dealers
and serious drinkers alike are not con-
templating any great disturbance. An
important Speyside distillery has just
completed plans for a big new rail-
road siding and has made extensive
purchases of new premises. 1t has
even placed orders for a new plant to
be finished fifteen months hence.
The reason for this is that the vot-
ing, over which a hectic campaign s.
now being waged with w. e. ("Pussy-
foot') Johnson cheering loudly from
the side lines, will only decide whether
each of 700 parishes. out of a total OF
oil parishes in Scotland. will reduce
by % per cent. the number of drinking
places, cut out public drinking alto
gether, or whether they will go on as
at present. Three hundred parishes
already have no public drinking places
through the action of the landlords.
Step to Real Prohibition.
What all the noise is about is that the
regulation of drinking places has been
made a prohibition issue. and If the
movement obtains an impetus in Scot
land dry leaders announce that they VIII
demand of Parliament permission to
take up genuine prohibitive measures
notsonly in Scotland but also In England
and Wales.
SO far as the American part in the
campaign goes 1t is anomalous that Mr..
johnson has had hearty reception in
many places in Scotland, quite in con
trast TO the hostility manifested toward
him in England. But dry leaders ac-
centuate the statement that the Scot
land campaign is neither financed,
planned nor advised from America. Mr.
Johnson's striking personality made n
hit" in Scotland. and at a meeting in
Dundee night before last an aged Scots
AYE, he's no dour mon. Fen his
glass ee wrinkles :"
AT that Dundee meeting Mr.. Johnson
defined his own position.
II have not come to Scotland unn-
vited." he said Il have not given any
thing to Scotland, l have not organized
anything in Scotland. and l have not
given any advice or instructions regard
ing what she should do. l have simply
told how America went dry and re-
counted some OF the many blessings re-
sulting from IT,"
spirits i'm Many stores.
TO understand the campaign now GO
ing on there il must be remembered that
Scotland suffers from system whereby
every other grocery store sells spirits
old "shebcen." IL is q system which
was we'll known i'm New York before the
Raines law.
There is no doubt drinking is very
heavy among the industrial workers in
Scotland. and in this the climate is GER
tainly with them. But sentiment there
is so general in favor OF reduction in
the amount of drinking that there are
no politicians on the side of the VETS"
In familiar fashion the trade is
carrying on the fight with surprising
skill. vigor and intelligence. but almost
unaidcd by an organized source. To
one who saw prohibition grow in the
United States II seems that the dis
tillers in Scotland are making the same
mistake their American brethren made.
They are resisting reasonable legisla-
ton.
On the other hand the dry senti-
nent is so strong the politicians dare
not come out with the vets Every
candidate of practically all the parties
In the non-partisan municipal elections,
which are to be held in many places,on
the same date the liquor poll wills be
taken, have declared for either n re-
duction In the number of saloons or the
elimination of them altogether.
The Labor party IL solfdly for reason
able regulation. Ben Tillet spoke night
before last at wet" meeting in Dun
dee, but the Dundee Labor party.
which controls the local government. re-
pudiated him. and the only chairman
that could be found for the meeting
was the president of the largest dis
tillcry in town.
Women Against Liquor.
Sir Donald Macloan Herbert II AS