Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-05-16
JOHNSON PREDICTS
 DRY ENGLAND IN
 THE NEXT 10 YEARS
Economic Reasons Will Prove Factor. Crusader
 Says

New York. May 14.--W. E- Johnson, the temperance crusader, who recent ly returned from England with a glass eye twinkling in his countenanee in place of one lost when he was rough ly handled by students in London, expressed the belief that England will be dry In decade.
 T predict that Great Britain will be dry in 10 years" he said. Sur face indications don't warrant that prediction, but q powerful economic current does warrant 1t. l have talk ed to a score of British captains of industry, and they believe that the time is not far away when all of Brit ain will be dry. The reasons are largely economic.
 Economic Reasons Count.
 American prohibition hangs as an economic weapon above the heads of England. Heads of British industries are convinced that they cannot com pete successfully with dry America. These men are not total abstainers or prohibitionists, and they are the men who control things in England. Already the labor leaders are mostly dry. Trades unions have formed committees to promote state purchase of the liquor traffic for the purpose of doing up the vested interests. When this is attained, labor will probably take steps in advance. The National Labor party at it's general conference few weeks ago declared for National prohibition. Labor orators are es- pousing the dry cause. The lndepen- dent Labor party, which is the brains ! of the Labor party, is in favor of it. Members of that party present labor l in Parliament.
 1 "Fhe temperance forces in England ! are more active by far and are bet ] ter supported by far than ever be- l fore in their history. Since October there have been more than 1000 pro- hibition meetings in Great Britain. Since October the United Kingdom Alliance alone has held 809 prohibi- 1 tion meetings.
 "The prohibition issue is getting more into discussion, public print and newspapers than anything except the peace fight. But the wet oreaniza- I tions are putting up an awful fight.
 They are spending money like water < wasting most of it. They are do- [ l 5,000,000 labels printed and pasted on whisky bottles, warning the peo- pie to get up and hustle or they would lose their liquor
 If Ireland gets f-government either with one or two Parliaments, they will have the local option as i one of the first things. And with the local option drink will at once go out of Ireland Whether they get Par lament for the North and one for the South, or one for all of Ireland. its heads-you lose; tails-we win Twenty-three members of Parliament from Ulster, led by Sir Edward Car son, are fighting for the local veto The Sim Fein movement is three fourths dry movement
 Scotland Also Dry.
 l. "A large part of Scotland will go ary' by the next election. There they vote by parishes. Tn the in- dustrial cities of less than 25.000 the employers and employees are lining up. A large part of the Highlands, the whiskey making section, will 90 dry :"
 Johnson was asked if London would be difficult to bring into line lie replied that he thought it would
 but the laws are enforced better m London than they are in New York, aren't they?" reporter in- lquired.
 l Well, I don't know" Johnson. an swered. "They have laws against stealing in London, and somebodv stole my watch there"
 1 T should think that England wopld |
 be hard to convert to prohihition , \ hazarded reporter, "because the |; tngllsh are more inherently a drink E ing people than the Americans were p
 That's a point in our favorp ex- pialhed Johnson. s'We have found that the towns where the situation was very bad were the easiest in gat to go dry In towns where condi- 7: tons are bad and hell's to pay morn ing, noon and night the people want to change things"
 when are you going back to Enc. land ?" was asked
 Not later than September was the answer was
 Are you going to take up the cam palgn again then ?" reporter inonir- ed p''s sei inauir-
 "sure!' Johnson answered.
 l2-POund Nugget