The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-04-27

Believes Seed In, =
Ireland WIN Bs Il Pro-
hibition Column Long
] Before That Time.

New York, April 16.-The Britisf
Isles will b dry m decade. large
part OF Scotland will vote dry IA ths
November election and ireland, under
whatever form she obtains seif-gov.
eminent, will establish local optf0r
soon, says william b, johnson, who
has just returned to the United
States, after campaigning Tor prohi,
sbition in Europe for the last year and
a half.
He will be In this country unti1
September. when he will return to hil
ofdces on Fleet street in London
which are in operation during hi
absence.
The surface indications" he said
do not seem to warrant my predic.
ton that England will be dry within
this decade, but there are powerfu
economic and Industrial developments
which do. I have talked with scorea
OF Industrial leaders, who have come
to me-, for / did not 60 to them, and
they agree with my prediction.
They are convinced that they can
not compete with dry America They
are not total abstainers or prohibit
tionist& They are merely captains OF
industry to whom the economic arr
gument Of prohibition seems unan-
swerable. The labor leaders are also
pushing the dry campaign and the
trades unions have just formed a
committee to promote state purchase
Of the liquor trAfic for the purpose
OF removing the vested interests from
that trafiic. When they have eiimi-
mated these interests they will be
ready to take further steps.
The National Labor party have
gone TAR beyond that. At their gem
erai conference recently they declar-
ed for absolute prohibition. Their
organs arc Vail espousing the dry
cause. It il true that some classes
Of labor demand beer. but to say
that the British laboring man as a
whole must have his beer is libel
on him. s,ge
'srhe Independent Labor party.
which u regarded ~ the brain OF the
about $4,000 members has an In
flnence for the dry cause ont OF all
proportion to that membership. Most
IT the labor members of parliament
even those elected by the trades
unions themselves, are members of
the Independent Labor party. In
ot1aer words. thu JnAependent Labor
p2rty which fNrYi0hSs the brains.
md Observation-Disclosures r party, which
furAishes tn votes. IRE for the dry
4. |. u. ~. !. |.
tkAf Gver hsfork Since October there
lave been mors than 1000 prohibi-
tfon meetings III Great Britain. The
United KinGdonN Alliance since Oc-
tober have held 500 prohibition meet
ings In England alone, and that is
only one -Qr8AniEation. The dry
measure b eetting more discussion
in the public prints than any other
one subject outside OF the peace
trouble
Meanwhile the vet organisations. are
putting up big light They are
spending money like water. most of
Il for advertisement. public neetinrs
and even scare labels on whiskey bot
ties, Recentlv they put Que $1,000
200 labels wAr1ffng the buyers OF the
whiskey that they must hustle or lose
their drinks. They have even employ
ed Raemaskers TO draw wet cartoons.
He waA good on war pictures but he
does Not seem to hnd 30 much inspira-
Non in the drink campaign.
II Ireland gets self government. IN
one Parliament or two. she will have
local option among her first advan-
taEas~ and with that intoxicants viii
90 out Of 4 large part Of ireland.
Both North and South show this
promise. OF ulstsr's .thirty-six mem