Prohibition on Trial – On This Day in 1926

April 6 1926

THE first official investigation into Prohibition was begun today by the Sub-Committee of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has been charged to examine not only several measures designed to ameliorate the present aridity by permitting the sale of light wines and beer, but also the proposed “off dry law” making the enforcement of Prohibition more drastic.

The Wets [opponents of Prohibition] have the floor during the week, and their position was ably set forth by Senator Bruce. He charged Prohibition with blighting human happiness, debasing human morals, creating an underworld almost as thoroughly organised as the respectable world above it, and, worst of all, with corrupting all too many of those entrusted with its enforcement.

Mr Edge, author of one of the Modification Bills before the Senate, told the Committee that the present conditions were intolerable.

Mr Julian Godman, acting as counsel for the Wets, advocated legalising the manufacturing of beverages “not intoxicating in fact”.

General Andrews, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, was then put on the witness stand to explain the distribution of the enforcement forces. He stated that if he had 1,500 men at the Canadian and Mexican borders, instead of the present force of 286 men, he could dry up those sources of alcoholic supply.

He added, however, that smuggling from Canada and Mexico did not furnish the principal supply to the US.

“The real sources were”, he declared, “alcoholic diversions” – meaning the redistillation of non-potable alcohol, moonshining and smuggling from the sea.

Despite the many calls to end prohibition, it remained in place in the United States until 1933.

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THE Soviet authorities are no longer able to conceal from the people the truth regarding the depreciation of the chervonetz, which is causing alarm in commercial circles.

The Soviet Press has now published statements made by [Mikhail] Kalinin, the president of the Central Executive Committee, in February to the effect that even then the chervonetz had depreciated 10 per cent.

[Nikolai] Brinkhanoff, the Commissioner for Finance, is endeavouring to quell alarm by pointing out that the depreciation is merely temporary.

The Soviet Government, nevertheless, is contemplating further restrictions on imports and a further increase in the duties on postal parcels and luggage from abroad.

The “Ogpu” [secret police] has initiated a campaign against the rising prices, and many private traders have been arrested in Moscow.

With inflation in the Soviet Union spiralling upwards, many wrongly predicted its imminent collapse.