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| Perry Herald - October 31, 1917 |
On the other side of the coin, by 1920 New York Governor, Alfred E. Smith, wanted no interference by the federal government in the matter of liquor sales as the state and county governments collected a large amount of revenue through liquor tax. Obviously, saloon operators were against it as well as legitimate liquor manufacturers. It would also cause a confusing problem for drug manufactures, pharmacists, and doctors as alcohol was often a main ingredient in prescriptions in the early 1900s.
A percentage of the general public, who enjoyed tipping one now and then, was against the idea for obvious reasons. Although many members of anti-alcohol groups were religious minded church goers, it soon became a conundrum behind the pulpit since wine was used during religious services by several denominations.
Most towns in Wyoming County, NY showed no great increase in crime during 1918-1933. There had always been laws in one form or involving liquor in regards to selling without a license or public intoxication, and since the advent of the automobile—driving while intoxicated. This was the first time, however, laws restricted having alcohol in your home, druggists in their ability to prescribe medication that contained alcohol, and wine during church services. Residents of a dry town, who were essentially good citizens, were now considered law breakers for having alcohol. ....
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You can read my upcoming release as a short on Prohibition in Wyoming County later in 2015.
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Stay tuned for more history tidbits throughout the month of April!
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Thanks for visiting my blog. It had to be an interesting time during prohibition, I am not sure I agree with the concept of it.
ReplyDeleteBetty
And everyone bootlegged, even the small villages.
DeleteThis is a nice history lesson here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog! :)
-Chrys Fey
Tremp’s Troops - A to Z Co-co-host
Write with Fey
Hello there.
ReplyDeleteJust making my way around the challenge.
Thanks for sharing.
Entrepreneurial Goddess
Just curious, is there a reason you are writing about Wyoming County, NY as opposed to another place? Are your writing based in this county? My husband has stories of his grandma running a "blind pig" a speakeasy during Prohibition.
ReplyDeletewww.mauijungalow.com
Yes actually I'm the assistant county historian. :)
DeleteI have read diaries of British Politicians that visited the US during prohibition, it is funny because their usual entries included quite a bit of drinking, and the ones in the US had some observing they felt better, drinking Iced Tea and non-alcoholic drinks...
ReplyDeleteFor or against, to be or not to be that is the question, AtoZ challenger at Barn & Beach
ReplyDeleteI like the comment from Maria Catalina Vergara Egan as I'm a Brit! We never had prohibition here. I don't mind a bit of iced tea but prefer a nice gin and tonic when I go to the pub. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteGreat info!
ReplyDeleteTo me, and many others, Prohibition was one of the dumbest things we ever did. The rise of organized crime came from it for one. It also helped bring about Nascar with the cars used for rum runners from what I read.
ReplyDelete