"Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it. - Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill was a wise man back when he partied with President Franklin Roosevelt and folks like that, but he was dead wrong about that history thing.
Note for school kids - Add this to your list of quotes: Those that fail to learn from history are stupid. - Uncle Brice
America is on the verge of changing adjectives from greatest to stupidest. Some thought that happened back when George Bush was re-elected president. Do you remember that newspaper headline over in Churchill's country, How Can 59 Million Americans Be So Stupid?
To my UK followers I say, Hold on, we ain't done bein' stupid, yet. To stay on this historical theme, let's subtitle this article:
Lessons from the 18th Amendment
Kiddies, back a long time ago there was a special interest group called the Anti-Saloon League. It took 'em awhile but they shut out their aginner competition known as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Now you should know that an aginner is someone or some organization whose main purpose for existence is to be against something, kind of like Mike Huckabee's presidential aspirations as a one-anti-plank candidate, but I digress.
Oh, yeah, and a saloon is the old-timey version of a nightclub that serves adult beverages. There's a lot of good ones in Little Rock and you probably should check out the Entertainment page, but I am not suggesting that you participate in such activities unless you're old enough (by law) and want to (by desire).
Anyway, the Anti-Saloon League, as you might imagine, was against saloons serving adult beverages to adults who wanted them. These folks drew most of their support in the South and a few rural areas of the North (kinda like the Republican Party today). The supporters were mostly Baptist, Methodists, Disciples and Congregationalists lead by a few preachers.
The Anti-Saloon League became the most powerful lobbying group in America. They really didn't care whether or not members of Congress drank adult beverages; they cared about how they voted on the issue of keeping everyone else from drinking.
Okay, here's a question with an answer that may or may not be found in today's history books. You know, I hope, that there is a Democratic Party and a Republican Party that offer up presidential candidates every four years. Do you know what the oldest third party is that still offers up a presidential candidate every four years? It's the Prohibition Party!
I hear your mind whirring in disbelief. Uncle Brice, you can't be serious! Yes, my child, I'm as serious as the lack of cash flow in America's financial system. But hold on to your disbelief for a few more minutes. Congress actually passed the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution on December 18, 1917 and referred it to the voters for ratification. As you might guess, three weeks later it was approved by the State of Mississippi and then by Virginia and Kentucky before a month had passed. On January 16, 1919 five states approved it: Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Wyoming and Utah. That gave the amendment the 36 states it needed, and on January 29 of that year acting Secretary of State Frank Polk certified the ratification. Arkansas had voted for it on January 14, 1919.
The 18th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States became the law of the land. Here's what it said, "After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited."
Did you catch that part about beverage purposes? What that means is that churches could still serve alcohol for Communion. But the Anti-Saloon League wasn't done or wasn't happy with the Amendment or something because their leader, Wayne Wheeler, drew up more legislation. It stated that "no person shall manufacture, sell, barter, transport, import, export, deliver, or furnish any intoxicating liquor except as authorized by this act." It also defined intoxicating liquor as anything that contained more than 0.5% alcohol: one half of one percent. And it repealed any laws passed by any state that didn't agree with it. Yes, it passed Congress and became known as the Volstead Act.
Think about this: cocaine was still being put into Coca Cola until 1929, but intoxicating adult beverages were outlawed in 1920 when the 18th Amendment, enhanced by the Volstead Act, went into effect.
So, how'd this turn out?
Ever heard of the Roaring 20's? What was once regulated and taxed was taken over by criminals and led to us learning about folks named Tom Denison of Omaha and Al Capone of Chicago and Hot Springs. By the way, you can still book a stay in the Al Capone Suite at the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs, about a leisurely hour drive from Little Rock.
There's a lesson to be learned from prohibiting stuff. Prostitution is mostly illegal and is probably one of the mostly unreported and untaxed sources of income in America. Marijuana is illegal and is the Number One cash crop in California, again unregulated and untaxed. And I'm thinking folks who want to completely outlaw abortion don't remember what it was like before Roe vs Wade. Women were getting abortions in back alley rooms, etc. There were no medical guidelines and many procedures were less than sterile. Go back and watch the movie, Dirty Dancing, for an example.
Arkansas prohibited smoking in restaurants (and I'm in favor of that) but many restaurants had to build patios for smoking patrons or get a waiver from the law by prohibiting anyone under age 21 from being inside the restaurant.
Now, let me be honest. I don't know the answer that will please everyone, but I do know that those who don't learn from history are stupid!
By the way, the 21st Amendment to the Constituion repealed the 18th, but it wasn't fully ratified until 1933. As might be expected, our friends in Mississippi never ratified the 21st Amendment, nor did our friends in Georgia nor our Mardi Gras friends in Lousiana.
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