The Washington times., 1921-01-12
JOV|AL WRITER
RAPS DRY LAW
Gilbert K. Chesterton, joIliest OF
English literati, RegaIes Re-
porters in New York.

NEW YORK, Jan. l2.--Gilbert X
Chesterton, the noted English au-
thor. arrived Monday on his first
visit TO America. Massive Of build,
portly, ruddy-faced and as jovial as
many of the delightful characters
he has portrayed in fiction, the
writer of England's best contemp-
orary essays, was a passenger on
the Cunard liner Kaiserin Augusta
| Victoria.
SLAMS PROHIBITION HARD.
All the way up from Quarantine,
and later at the Biltmore, he RECALLED
reporters with his nrst Impressions
OF America. He discussed timely
| topics In his inimitable way, slammed
| prohibition and capital, and held that
| England was entirely wrong in her
treatment OF the Irish.
Chesterton looks anything but the
| noted author. A powerfully built
man. weighing about $50. with a mass
Of shaggy hair tinged with gray and
a long tawny mustache, he resembled
more a thrifty longshoreman in his
sunday go connecting clothes
HIS DIMINUTIvE HAT.
On his shock of hair rested a dimu-
nitive hat that contrasted strikingly
with the size of the head over his
broad shoulders was thrown a faded
cape that seemingly had seen better
days.
But there is a merry twinkle in
rhesterton's eye that detracts from
his striking makeup and appearance,
and leads one to think only of Chester
on, the author. lie scented the time
worm Interrogation of what he thought
ii New York's skyline as the liner
steamed up the bay, and said:
Fine. It's great. And the Statue
If Liberty--it's a wonderful sight
And then the next momentous ques-
tiOn-prohibition-b from the
| author the admission that for ever so
long he had been fast and hard on
| he water wagon" He said:
while / have not had a drink OF
| any kind OF fermented concoction in
| mighty long time, / think it is all
wrong. l don't want to appear in the
| iiTht OF criticising your laws. but
| . think II wrong to curtail the lib
| crty OF people. / don't drink cocoa
but II any country should forbid that
| beverage I think il would be unjust.
! What say about the injustice of pro-
| hibition in this country applies the
same to the tendency in the same di-
lection in England, France, and north
| .rn Germany.
reaction against prohibition some
day.
CHANGER OF SLAVERY"
This will come when it is ap
parent that the trend of capital is
| withhold things from the labor
ing classes. If carried to the cx-
| ~ pnaap n sort NJ clayerv
In your country this would seem TO
be a violation of personal rights as
| set forth in your Constitution. /
am not speaking of the abuse OF
LIQUOR, but of the trend nowadays
to make a machine of a man on the
ground of increasing inefficiency.
Perhaps it may startle you, hut
I am a Bolshevist. BY that l mean
democratic Bolshevist, and not a
Socialistic Bolshevist. I do not be-
lieve in any one class, either the cap
italists or official. ruling the masses
/ believe that the best interests of
freedom will be obtained by a general
distribution of property among as
many of the people as possible This
would, of course, entail the breaking
up of the large landed estates OF Eng
land, but il is the only means to an
end.
IRELAND SHOULD BE FREE"
CAS- for the Irish situation l thinl;
they and the English have both been
wrong. The Irish people deserve and
are entitled to their freedom but
they hurt their cause by attacking
the allies during the war. The Eng
lish reprisals in ireland are deplor-
able. l firmly believe there is not
Il single excuse for British govern
mental control in Ireland If Eng
lsh had only given irelad home rule
twenty years ago there would be no
such condition as prevails there to-
day
! England has certainly committed
abominable outrages in Ireland. and
yet the Irish should not have re-
gardcd England as her enemy when
the nations were fighting for world
democracy. At heart. the Irish were
in sympathy with the allies. but be
cause of their bitter hatred for Eng
land they sought to hurt the big
cause by attacking her
THE Irish question today has be-
come boresome to the English pco-
pie. We can only look for the best
in the near future"
Chesterton will remain here about
| two or three months. lecturing in
various cities as far west as Chicago.
| His first lecture, THE Ignorance Of
| the Educated" will be given in Bos-
ton.