The Washington times., 1920-04-14
.DRYS ARE GAINING
GROUND|N ENGLAND
Staid Britishers Now Alarmed
Over Movement for Pro-
hibition.
ny EARLE C. REEVES.
Infsrun aiouaI NeWs Service.

, Iat~rpaftoaai News service.
LONDON. April 14.-.Pussyfootism'
has passed the Joking stage In Brit
ain. The prohibition or temperance
Issue has reached such a stage as 10
warrant great newsps pers and even
great business houses taking q census
OF the opinion OF the nation.
Les than q year ago prohibition was
q national joke. The 'pussyfoot' was
a national smile institution. as much
SO as Punch.
All this was amusing to Americans
In England, who watched with almost
incredible wonder the extent to which
the opponents OF prohibition adyer-
tised the prohibition issue with their
jeers. The Internationai' News Service
reported at the time the fact that the
opponents OF prohibition were proving
"pussyfoot's" best friend. In music
halls. in cafes, in columns upon col
umns OF type. and on the bill boards
the friends OF demon rum have been
advertising to a public which really
didn't care for the fact that pussy
footism' Is a national issue, ma
tional menace, even.
The enemies of prohibition, not its
friends, have aroused the people,
awakening them TO q realization that
drink Is not thing to be taken for
granted as having always been with
rs and therefore always to be with US.
The Daily Mail. published by North
cliffe, was, at the forefront OF those
who a bare six or eight months ago.
were trying to laugh prohibition to
sn early death. Scarcely a day pass
ed without one to four direct or indi-
rect humorous slurs appearing in the
Daily Maii-the object always laugh
Ing to scorn the prohibition issue.
which was always referred to as
"pussyfootism." s'.-..
Today the same Daily Mail has sent
q special correspondent scurrying over
England, Scotland and Ireland to
sound out the country, much in the
came way that a New York daily
might send a scout across the country
today to gather the opinion of the
man IN the street regarding the i'm
pending, Presidential election.
"In tour OF tho British Isles to-
lay one detects three distinctive
states OF mind in relation to pro-
hibition." the Daily Mail reports.
'In Ireland 'pussyfoot is frank.
free farce.
, ain Scotland he is being taken
quite seriously.
In England there Is a tendency to
raise the Falstsffian tanltard and to
say uncomplimeutary thing anent the
intruder-7and yet ali the wiser men
are adding: We've got to look out!
"To mention prohibition in Eng
land eight months ago was to en-
counter -howls of deriston: today,
with the gathering of fresh forces
almost hourly. we stand confronted
with an estimated prohibition vots
IN this country of several millions.
LADY Astor's advent on, 1t Is
nsooted fnaynanys quarters. q prear-
ranged prohibition mission, backed BY
more than one powerful statesman;
the union in this liquor matter Of the
Presbyterian, Baptist. Congregational,
Methodist and other churches other
than the Church Of England and the
Roman Catholic Church; the desper-
ate condition Of housewives affairs
owing to the continued high cost of
living and the certainty that a re-
duction in one member of the family's
drink bill would simplify matters con-
siderably; the further certainty that
benefit accrues to the public health
by abstention from strong drink; a
widespread rccoil before drunkenness
and before the existing public house,
and also before a. good deal of the
Bad liquor being sold: the fear among
business men that they may be un-
able to keep pace with dry. toiling
America--these are some of the
things one finds propelling and di-
recting the public's mind today in the
liquor question"