January 16, 2003
BAN ON BOOZE
One of the great features of our national life when I was a kid was the concept of probibiting the use of alcholic beverages nationwide by setting up legislation which said it was illegal to do so. After surviving such an era, I think I may safely say it did not work.
I do not remember the actual campaign which resulted in the concept being built to such a peak that it became a law. Those were Post War years with "Kaiser Bill" in exile chopping his own firewood. In the "Roaring Twenties,"as those years came to be tagged, the law was ridiculed, disobeyed and questioned. It amazes me, now that I think about it , that it took until 1934, wasn't it, for the law to be repealed.
Our family did not seem to be too concerned about it one way or the other, but I can remember my Grandmother and other famly members talking about the way saloons once did thrive in every block of every city and talk about the terrible miseries of family in which the evil monster of strong drink was a genuine horror. I think we kids agreed that there was a need for reform and not only in that paricuar area of social life pof he early part of the century - new, then, just as our days are for us in the next century.
It was common in those days for residents in rural areas, in particular, to be engaged in other than farming as occuation. Entire areas were given over entirely to the illicit manufacture of any types of which came to be called "moonshine" - used widely as in comedy. The empahsis was, naturally, in isolated, rural areas.but there were functioning distiliing systems in the towns and cities as well. They were constantly being raided and trashed out, but they were back in business within a week. They became more and more complex over the years. but many were quite obvious and even “open”. As a young music dance band musician I worked in so-called “bootleg joints”. One, which was
raided from time to time, had a simple system. The investigators never noticed there was always a happy, black lady was always washing pots and pans. She laughed heartily as she stood there shining a big copper kettle. At the first, which, a the first signs of a raid, its contents had gone down the drain and a suddsy aroma permeated the area. Our family doctor, who served many people living on the mountin ridge above town could, from his porch on Sunday moring, point out scorers of rising [ plumes of smoke each an operating still. Their owners and operators outnumbered those forces working to see the end of such operations.
Today we have serious problems which demand attention and it might a mark of wisdom if we would remember what happened when we decided we could ban booze. It is becoming more plain every day that it is difficult to pass any legislation to control morality and human social conduct. Let’s not be too hasty in total eradication. When a thing is made to be a "no-no", that only spurs many people to seek ways to get around it.
Controls? Yes. Total bans? No.
A.L.M. January 17, 2004 [c423wds]
