The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-08-26
OONERS IN ENCL AND ARE
 OPPOSING U. s.
Battle of Posters Waged by Vets and Drys; Labor Leaders Are Making Bid to Local Option.

London, Aug 6-(By Mail)-John Bull is suffering slightly from the American disease of prohibition fever and it has put him in a bad mood. The magazines are full of the new anti-1iquor campaign, there is a bat tie of posters going on in London streets and there has been an influx of trained campaigners from Ameri- ca-
 In a London club the other day a prominent M. P. was stopped in the lobby by a friend, who said: 'I want | to introduce my American friend, Mr.-."
 NO! No." cried the frightened M F., "T had a delegation of your l Americans visiting me this morning. I'm fed up on prohibition"
 | On the arrival of every steamer from America there is heinz added new recruits in the interest of the campaign for prohibition that is be- l ing waged here. Members of the W. c. T. U. are making the rounds of every member of parliament to con vince them of the results of the | movement; women like Mrs. Emma | line PankhurSt, of the militant suf- | fragette fame, are being interviewed | with view to enlisting their sym | pathies and active help. Lady As | tor, M. P.-who declared for prohi- l pAeAolI ID pe1ilS dVdidHCl0u WlLH Ie- | quests to speak at meetings on the | subject and great propaganda head l quarters are being set up in Lon don
 | Poster Campaign Against Drys i All this has a decided reflex on | public opinion. There is being spent in London a great deal of money in a poster campaign to offset the pro- 1 paganda. One reads great signs l a6 o1oj1 r iI, | Cromwell and Prohibition" and we read at the bottom, '"The agents of l the Anti-Saloon League are here.'' One of the most effective campaign posters deals with the question Of personal liberty. Parliament must supply what the nation demands" reads the poster.
 | In all the vigorous anti-prohibi- 1 ton posters there is still used the little figure Of Uncle Sam in the form of a nicrobe being pulled out l Of glass of beer. It is evident that | this issue of prohibition is being ! bounced upon in England by the cranks who would stir up strifs be- tween the two countries.
 "America's Loss EngIand's Gain"
 A well known whisky manufacturer takes full page advertisements in a number of British week1ies to sing a 1 hymn of hate against America. They | declare that it would be to their financial advantage to send their stock to America to be sold illegally but they have refrained by way of punishment to the American people. Instead they explain that America s loss is England's gain.
 Scotland, strangely enough is the center of the prohibition campaign, and this fact has made Phillip Snow den declare lately at a meeting that
 the Scotchman is the most ardent advocate of prohibition and the great est consumer of Scotch whiskey.''
 The first real political move was made by the Labor party in it's re- cent convention at Scarborough The move is a significant one, for it repre- sents the trend of opinion among the working classes in England. They were presented with a resolution in dorsing complete prohibition by a delegation from Scotland. Another resolution urged the public ownership and control of the liquor trade. | Votes Down Total Drouth.
 Total prohibition was voted down by heavy vote. They then went into discussion about public owner ship and control. It had been pro- | posed that the experiment made at Carlisle by the Labor Party be dupli- cated throughout the country.
 On the floor Of the convention | Phillip Snowden arose to spea k against the very experiment he had | been active in trying. He explained that in his mind the work he had done at Carlisle was failure. They had turned the public houses over to l municipal control, but that did not | solve the social problems at Carlisle | He stated the the profits from the first year of the public houses under | their control was so enormous that he | hated to publish the dividends, and | that a reduction in the price of their | liquors, he felt, would be ruinous- It | was pointed out, however, in a rebut- | tai speech that the chief of police was | delighted with the effect of public | ownership on the community, for it | gave him less to do.
 | MT. Snowden stated that municipal ownership would bring about a condi- ton in most communities where it | would be. to the distinct advantage Of the city to promote drinking among it's people rather than to discourage it.
 Move for Local Option
 The conference finally moved a To- cal option amendment. This resolu- tion stated "(1) This conference, be-
 lieving that the liquor traffic is a
 trade in respect of which the people
 as a. whole must assert full and un- | fettered power in accordance with
 local option, demands for this purpose
 that the localities should have con.
 ferred upon them facilities:
 "(a) To prohibit the sale of liquor
 within their own boundaries.
 "(b) To reduce the number of Ii
 censes and regulate the condition.
 under which they may be held; and
 "(c) If localities decide that Ii
 censes shall be granted, to deterr1in,
 whether licenses shall be under pri
 vate or public control'
 This resolution probably expresse
 the deliberate opinion at present o
 the English people. It is with horro
 that they sympathize with the Ameri can in his dilemma yet the horror i
 becoming each day more personal | for the Britisher real;%#s that tn | day of unrestrained license is fast go