Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-05-03
HOW india IS MEETING QUESTION
PROHIB|AION Toll BY PuSSYFOO1
JOHNSON IN AUGUSTA ADDRESS

ception was held at which the peo-
pie OF this city were given a chance
to meet the speaker. Music was
furnished at this time by the Ladies'
Orchestra. Mr.. johnson came to this
city under the auspices Of the local
w. c. T. u, and the meeting was
most successful.
> Tells of Earlier Work
"Old Bishop Skinner had a great
deal to do in starting me Off chasing
John Barleycorn," said "Pussyfoot"
Johnson when asked by Journal
reported about his start in prohibi-
ton work.
He said that when he was in the
Nebraska State university, there was
a liveryman in the town who was
called Bishop Skinner because he had
long white whiskers and swore like
a pirate" Skinner went on the wat
er wagon and organized a "Red Rib
bon, Club" which met at what was
known as Red Ribbon hall. AS
student, johnson went to- these
meetings and while he was not
prominently engaged with them he
was associated with the work at that
time and has been much of the time
since then.
Mr.. Johnson told of his work on
papers in Kansas City, Chicago and
New York. When he was working
on a paper in Kansas City he was
engaged by Funk & Wagnalls to
work on the New York voice hand
ling much of their prohibition work.
This was in 1896 and until 1905 he
was engaged in prohibition news
paper work. He had worked much of
the time on special work such as in
vestigatiOns and has been very sue
cessful
In 1905. he was made chief officer
in the United States Indian work,
remaining in that position until 1912,
when he took up prohibition work
with the Anti Saloon league.
In his work as chief of the Indian
work, he has been instrumental in
convicting over 4400 men of all man-
ner of crimes from murder down.
Many of these men are still in the
penitentiary now. He says that the
sporting instinct was one of the
things that kept the men in their
work on the frontier with him.
Some men go and hunt cartridges,
grouse or squirrels and wear them
selves, out thinking that they are
having a good time. They do have,
and they have a better time hunting
h,,t tho <pr1ataSt
sport in the world is hunting down
great wrong. One gets a lot OF
knocks, but that makes one feel bet
ter when he had accomplished some
thing" He said this with particu-
lar regard to the work in which he
is now engaged. but he haid that it
was also applicable to the work
which he did when in the Indian
service.
1T is always intensely interesting
to me to work on a case and to chase
down the criminal. 1t is just like
chasing bears. you hunt and work
yourself to death and when you get
him you are happy"
His work had been along but two
lines then. until he took up prohibit
ton work. One of these<is detective
work and the other is literary work.
He has been with the AntiSaloon
League since 1912 and for the past
year has been working with the
World League Against Alcoholism,
of which the Anti Saloon League is
a part.
1.-THE people expect too much of pro-
hibition; they expect it will entirely
eliminate drink, and it won't any
more than the law against stealing
will stop stealing. Everyone still has
to lock up their house in>spite of the
law. There never was a law in the
history of the world that was not vio-
lated and there never will be until the
millennium, and that is long way
Off"
Mr.. Johnson then told of the law
which they have in England which
makes it a crime to get drunk. Not
withstanding this law there are near
~ 100000 convictions of drunkenness
in England and Wales every year.
But l don't know anyone there that
would be jackass enough to advocate
the repeal of this law just because
about 100000 get drunk every year."
The licensing system as advocated
by many, came in for a share Of his
attention. He said. THE licensing
system is merely q system Of lie sing
people to promote drunkenness for
profit That is what it amounts to,
and the State gets part of the profit.
Prohibition is just the reverse of that
The State simply puts itself in posi-
ton of hostility to drink rather than
encouraging it. That is the Maine
idea, and it has spread over the entire
world. In England. half Z people
commonly refer to it as the "Maine
Law" and a lot of them know of no
other State but Maine, but they know
of Maine because she started Prol1i-
hi'0r. The State of Maine made his
tory when they adopted prohibition
and stuck to it so long"
When asked if he thought that
would become q 'lost
art" in time. Johnson said that drunk
enness would steadily decline. but
that it would not entirely cease, any
more than stealing has ceased.
1.-THE time is very close at hand
when no civilized country would think
OF licensing liquor any more than it
would license piracy or slavery. In
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