The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-28
PROHIBITION FEAR
HANGS OVER BRITAIN
w. e Johnson, American Dry
Missionary, Gets Blamed
for All That's Wrong
BREWERS SHOW FAILURE
United States Pointed Out as
Horrible Example, Of
Perils Of Drought.

Special cable to TIE NEW York HERALD.
Copyright, f92O by THE NEW YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau
London. Nov. "a.
The most talked of. the most amusing
and the most feared American in the
British Isles is w. E. Johnson. Not so
much Mr. Johnson himself, but that
which his nickname ("PussyfootD has
come to imply The name embraces
everything that Is the antithesis of the
freedom of thirst. 1t is a gaunt spectre
lowering over this land of liberal license
like a German Zeppelin. only more
dreadful to behold. And of course it is
American.
They blame him for the labor unrest
because he only let's the pubs" remain
open few hours day They blame
him for everything that goes wrong.
If they can't prove anything against him
they blame him on suspicion. because
they know his dire design They point
to the United States as the horrible eX-
ample Of his perils.
Now they are blaming Johnson for
what they call the "whisiey headache. "
They admit that a whiskey headache is
better than no whiskey, but his irritating
influence is there just the same. The
"whiskey headache" comes in the morn
ing from the "nightcap" of bedtime. He
has been charged and found guilty be-
cause he shipped all the bad whiskey out
of America, and now over here they are
mixing it with perfectly respectable
Scotch because Scotch is scarce. No
longer does r. e. Morse occupy his usual
place on the bedpost at dawn; the seat
has been taken by Mr.. Johnson.
And he is also blamed for taking all
] Of
hibition here this week. The expectant
public flocked in but couldn't even get a
nasal cocktail. All the pretty bottles
were empty Agricultural Hall, where
the exhibition was staged, usually exists
on smells The recent Grocery EXhibl-
ton smeled like Camembert, the Bakers
Exhibition smelled of hot dough, the
Agricultural Show smelled of--all sorts
of things. But the Brewers Exhibition,
alas was soulless. 1t was imagined be-
forehand that the brewers, maltsters,
distillers, mineral water manufacturers
wine and spirit merchants. caterers and
allied traders exhbition-to give it its
full name-would have circulated an
aroma calculated to watt across the At
lantic and swing the election for the
Rev. Watkins But nothing of the sort.
There were bottles, millions of them,
bearing the names Of claret. port, Bur
gundy. champagne But they We're there
in name only Nobody knew why, but
everybody knew it was Johnson's fault.
Agents of the brewing and distillnG
trades said that never again would beer
be strong or spirits at their old vigor.
We asked why. They shrugged their
shoulders.
Trouble soon broke out between the
official testers and a strike was threat
Gppd There was ETOuD of very sad
men present. They We're the judges OF
ninety-sx samples OF soda water and
ginger beer. Their fellow tasters called
them "pussyfoots" and they resented the
dispersion. They insisted that the test
ing of the windy waters" was the very
highest form Of herosm. But they suf-
fered all manner Of abuse and partcu-
! larly objected to being told to Ego back
to America"