The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-11-17
SIR GILBERT PARKER ON
PROHIBITION IN AMERICA
BY SIR GILBERT PARKER
Famous English Author
lin anInterview with Milton Bronner,
AlEA

Correspondent for NEA Servec)
LONDON, Nov. 16.-American pro-
hibition does not Away prohibit-and
yet, judging from my recent personal
observations while in the United
States is doing me great good.
1 saw an account of how a rich
mans house had been robbed of $75.-
900 worth of fine liquors.
If I We're a workingman that would
almost make a bolshevik or at least
a socialist of me.
The Curse of the Laws.
That is the curse of American pro-
hibition laws; the rich man can fill
his cellar and have a supply on hand
for the rest of his days. The poor
man gets either bootleg whisky or
nothing at all.
Speaking generally, the execution OF
your law is a farce.
There is a we'll known restaurant
in New York where they advertise
wines on their menu cards. This is
against the law, but apparently the
place isn't raided. / dined in ia
nous New York restaurant with an
American friend. Cocktails We're
served openly. There isn't a hotel in
the city where you can't get liquor.
I drink very. very little but am
frankly against prohibition. To be
quite truthful, when | was out in Cal
ifornia l found / wanted to drink
whole lot. There was the excitement
of cheating the government. That is,
of course, a testing way of putting 1t.
1 found in California if you paid
the price you could get almonst any
kind of drink you wanted. There was
no good gin, but excellent port, claret
and whisky.
The point is this: there are many
men who want a drink and who can't
afford to pay $15 or $40 for bottle
of whisky. Therefore, if they drink
at all they get rotten stuff.
But in spite of my opposition to pro-
hibition, l think really the United
States has immensely prohted by even
the prohibition you have got. / dined
with a member of the present Hard
ing cabinet whose name is at least
well known in England and all Europe.
He said to me:
Il viii tell you what converted me
to the films When prohibition first
came in the United States, the own
ers of the large factories found their
workmen restless and disconnected.
They brought in the fims-not only
films of a general amusing character,
but films connected with their own
particular line of business.
What was the result? The. men
lost their discomfort. Men drink, as
a rule for entertainment. They have
found new entertainment in the film
and became better workmen through
the agency of the film. That condi-
ton now exists, I believe, in most
places in America"
Another example. I was out in Ari-
iona when it was being turned from
a territory into a state. You got what
you wanted to df4nk out there then. A
year later the state went dry, this
long before the nation did.
l went out there again in 1917 and
the shopkeepers told me the working
men generally had more money to
spend and spent it for better things as
a result of prohibition.
Predicts Beer for u. S.
I want to make a prophecy about
the American III movement 49, ~ -
II predict that the United States will
alter its prohibition law so as to al
low American beer to be used.
l viii make another prophecy, too.
i think we will have comparative pro-
hibition in the United Kingdom with
in five years. The women's vote viii
do that, and, first of all, in Scotland.
England will never give up its beer
and / don't think it should The
American climate is totally different
from the English climate. The gloom
of the English winter is very great,
what with its fogs, its dampness, it's
sullen skies. That's why we drink tea
over here in the afternoon. 1t is not
habit alone. There is a psychological
reason for 1.-THE effect of the climate
upon the human body.
1 never feel the necessity of after
noon tea in America do feel it here