The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1923-02-08
Prohibition

London.-Great Britain's one prohi-
bitionist member of parliament, Edwin
Scrymgeour, now universally known as
'the man who beat Churchill, predicts
that in the next general election, as
Stunning it will be five years hence, the
cause which he represents will sweep
the country.
This sanguine prophecy was made by
Dundee's newly elected dry champion
soon after his maiden speech in the
House of Commons, not in the tones of
dreamer flushed with his first burst
Of victory, but in the cool, deliberate
manner of a. man who thoroughly be-
lieves he knows the working of prac-
teal politics.
Mr.. Scrymgeour made his statement
to representative of The Associated
Press.3 He is a kfnd-faced Scotchman.
slightly bald, and apparently about
fifty-five years of age. His rather
large though well-formed lips bespeak
his kind manner, although there is a
definite suggestion Of frmness in the
long, dropping gray moLstache out
standing description of his general ap-
pearance. Clad in an ordinary uncreas-
ed Scotch tweed business suit, with a
large watch-chain stretched across his
breast, from which a well-worn cruci-
fix is suspended, Mr.. Scrymeour at
once gives The impression that osten-
tation is certainly one characteristic
entirely alien to his nature.
L.. -
ested in your victory said the CORE
spondent, grasping the large, rough
hand of the Scotchman.
$50 I hear" he replied in an unmis-
taxable Scotch accent.
"On what basis do you predict dry
victory in the next general election %
asked the correspondent.
"Well, in the first place." he answer
ed, "since my election l have received
every day a stack of letters that high"
and he measured with his hands held
up to his congratulating me on
my victory. The writer's of virtually
all these letters say they are going to
bring pressure to bear on the members
from their several constituencies to
support the bill intend to introduce.
If that does not work the people of this
country at the next election, taking a
lesson from Dundee, are going to nom
mate avowed PROM bitionists and my
prediction is that there will be enough
elected to force prohibition bill
through Commons.
"The people of this country are
learning that it's good supporting
temperance candidates on the promise
to do anything to stop, or even regu-
late, the liquor traffic. We don't want
temperance; it never amounts to any,
thing. What we want is absolute Grad
ication, and no other program will sat
isfy US.
"We may not be able to pass a bill
through this House, but we're going to
make a start. One of the first things
I intend to do is to draw the attention
of the government to the fact that re-
CARELESS of the rightness or wrongness
of prohibition, we are antagonizing a
friendly country, the United States, by
countenancing the shipping of vast
quantities of liquor to the Bahamas
and other British islands off the At
lantic coast, which we know is intend
ed for smuggling into America. It's
ridiculous to imagine that the amount
of liquor now going to these places is
only sufficient for British inhabitants.
The recent correspondence between Mr..
Hughes and Ambassador Geddes clear
ly indicates that we must be careful
not, even tactily, to interfere with the
enforcement of the laws of a friendly
country.
when Mr.. Johnson Mr.. serymege-
our avoided the word Pussyfoot--
'came here there was a storm of pro-
test against his alleged interference
with the affairs of this country. Well,
the SANG argument should hold true
in our attitude toward the enforce
ment of prohibition in the United
States. Of course, however, we prohi-
bitionists know Mr.. johnson did not in
terfere with the affairs Of this country.
He merely came, at our invitation, to
tell US what had been done in the Unit
ed States and to let US, draw our own
conclusions. 1t has been allsg0d that