April 1926 — Subcommittee 
of 
the 
Committee
 on 
the
 Judiciary, 
US 
Senate, 
Washington DC

You 
have 
listened 
to
 testimony 
of 
shocking 
conditions
 due 
to 
corruption 
of
 officials,
 and 
lack
 of
 enforcement,
 some
 of
 which 
suggested
 no
remedy 
except
 a 
surrender
 to 
those
 who
 violate
t he
 law,
 while 
the 
propaganda
 of
 all 
these 
organizations 
is
 encouraging 
continued
 violation.

Permit
 me 
to
 show
 another 
side 
of 
the 
picture, 
and 
propose
 that 
instead 
of 
lowering 
our 
standards 
we
 urge 
that the 
law 
be 
strengthened,
 and 
in 
that 
way 
notice 
be 
served 
on 
law 
violators
 that
 America
 expects 
her
 laws to 
be 
enforced 
and 
to 
be 
obeyed . . . . 

Enforcement
 has 
never 
had 
a 
fair 
trial. 

Political 
patronage,
 leakage 
through 
the 
permit 
system,
 connivance 
at 
the 
violation 
of 
law,
 and
 spread
 of 
the
 propaganda
 that 
it
 is
 not
 obligatory
 to
 obey
 a 
law
 unless
 you
 believe 
in
 it,
 and
 to 
the
 effect
 that
 the
 responsibility 
for the
enforcement
 of
 law
 rested 
with 
the
 officers
 alone,
 when 
it
 should 
be
 shared 
by 
the 
individual
 citizen,
 have
 materially 
hindered 
the
 work
 of
 enforcement — all
 this
 within
 the 
result
 that
 the 
United
 States
 has 
not
 derived 
from
 prohibition
 what 
it
 would 
have
 derived 
had
 all
 the
 people
observed 
the
 law
 and 
had
 there 
been 
hearty 
cooperation
 of 
the
 press 
and
 the
 people . . . .

It 
is 
not 
easy 
to 
get 
at 
the 
facts 
about 
the 
effect 
of 
prohibition 
on 
health, 
morals, 
and 
economic
 life 
because 
they 
are 
interwoven
 with 
other
causes,
 and 
partial
 statistics 
may
 be
 misleading.

 But
 the 
elimination 
of 
a 
preventable 
cause 
of 
poverty,
 crime,
 tuberculosis, 
the 
diseases
 of
 middle
 life, 
unhappy
 homes,
 and
 financial 
depression 
brings
 results 
in so far
 as 
the 
law
 is
 observed 
and 
enforced . . . . 

The 
closing 
of 
the 
saloon 
with 
its 
doors
 swinging 
both 
ways, 
an 
ever‐present 
invitation 
for 
all to
 drink — men,
 women,
 and
 boys —i s
 an
outstanding
 fact, 
and 
no
 one 
wants 
it 
to 
return. 

It 
has
 resulted 
in 
better 
national 
health, 
children 
are 
born
 under
 better 
conditions,
 homes
 are
better,
 and 
the
 mother
 is
 delivered
 from
 the 
fear 
of
 a
 drunken
 husband.

There 
is
 better
 food.

 Savings‐banks
 deposits
 have
 increased,
 and
many
 a 
man
 has
 a 
bank
 account 
to-day
 who
 had
 none 
in
 the 
days
 of
 the
 saloon.



The 
increase
 in 
home
owning 
is 
another 
evidence 
that 
money 
wasted 
in
 drink 
is
 now 
used
 for
 the 
benefit
 of 
the 
family.

 Improved 
living
conditions
 are 
noticeable 
in
 our 
former
 slum
 districts.

 The
 Bowery
 and
 Hell’s 
Kitchen
 are 
transformed.



Safety‐first
 campaigns
 on 
railroads 
and 
in
 the
 presence
 of
 the 
increasing
 number
 of
 automobiles 
are
 greatly
 strengthened 
by 
prohibition. The prohibition law 
is 
not
 the
 only
 law
 that
 is
 violated.

Traffic
 laws,
 anti‐smuggling
 laws,
 as
 well
 as
 the
 Prohibition 
Act,
 are
 held
 in 
contempt. 

It
 is
 the
 spirit
 of
 the
 age.





Life 
insurance 
companies
 have 
long 
known
 that 
drinkers 
were 
poor 
risks, 
but 
they 
recognize
 the
 fact 
that  
prohibition 
has
 removed
 a
preventable
 cause
 of
 great
 financial
 loss
 to
t hem.

 The
 wonderful
 advances
 in
 mechanics
 in 
the 
application
 of
 electricity
 and
 in
 transportation
 demand
 brains
 free 
from 
the 
fumes
 of
 alcohol, 
hence 
law
 enforcement
 and
 law 
observance
 contribute
 to
 this 
progress . . . .

Your 
attention
 has 
been 
called 
to
 the 
failures.

 We
 claim
 these
 have 
been 
the 
result 
of
 lax
 enforcement.

 The 
machinery
 of
 enforcement 
should
 be 
strengthened.

Source: Hearings Before
the Subcommittee of the Committee
on the
Judiciary, US 
Senate, Sixty‐ninth Congress,
First
Session
(April 
5‐24, 1926),
on Bills
to
Amend
the
National
Prohibition
Act,
Vol. 1,
pp. 649‐651; pp. 1068‐1071.