Greenwood daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1919-1926, 1920-01-16
PROHIBITION IN
EFFECTTONIGHT
Legislation Enacted BY Congress.
Makes Unlawful Manufacture of
Beverages Containing Alcohol.
Associated Press

Associated Press
Constitutional prohibition, effective
at midnight tonight, and the enforce
ment legislation enacted by Congress,
make the following provisions
Declare unlawful the manufacture
or sale of any beverage containing
one-half of one per cent or more of
alcohol.
Declare places where liquor is sold
in violation Of law to be common nu-
isances, abatable as such.
Search and seizure powers given
prohibition enforcement officers, ex-
cept for the search of private dwell
ings unless used for the unlawful sale
of intoxicants or in part as places of
business.
Liquor seized to be destroyed, veh-
icles and other property to be sold and
proceeds paid into United States
Treasury.
Advertising of liquor by any meth
cd prohibited.
Permit manufacture at home for
personal use of Misunderstanding ci-
ders and fruit juices. While 'snon-in-
toxicating" is not defined specifically,
the term Intoxicating" is construed
by law to mean one-half of one per
cent or more of alcohol.
Permit manufacture of alcoholic Ii
quors for sacramental and medicin-
al uses, under restrictions.
Permit manufacture of alcohol for
industrial and scientific uses.
Permit possession of liquor in home
if purchased before prohibition be-
came effective.
Physicians prohibited from pre-
scribing alcoholic liquor for patient
unless in good faith they believe it
will afford relief from ailment. Not
more than one pint can be prescribed
in any month for one person.
Complete records of sles, including
names of persons obtaining liquors,
required of manufacturers and drug
gists.
Various penalties for violation fix
ed, the most severe being $4,000 fine
and two years Imprisonment
EFFECTIVE AT 1901 A. M.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16-Constitu-
tional prohibition, becomes effective
at midnight tonight.
From 1901 a. M, the "manufact-
ure, sale or transportation of intoxi
eating liquors within, the importa
tion thereof into, or the expectation
thereof from the United States and
all territory subject to the jurisdic
ton thereof for beverage purposes" is
prohibited by the 18th amendment to
the constitution, and the United Sta
tes becomes the first nation of the
world to make such a provision part
Of its basic law. Congress has de-
fined an Intoxicating liquor as any
beverage containing one-half of one
per cent, or more, of alcohol.
Punishments for violation of the
law vary, the penalties running as
high as $4,000 fine and two years i'm
Complete records of sales, including
Search for contraband liquor is per-
mitted under warrants, except that
private dwellings may not be search
ed unless used for illegal sale or in
part for business purposes. Seized
whiskey and property used in illegal
sale or transportation are to be de-
stroyed, the owner having no proper
ty rights in it.
Approximately $500,OO0,OOO in tax
es has been collected annually on al
coholic beverages, which now will
have to be obtained by the govern
ment in some other way.
Prohibition sentiment, eliminating
in the epoch-making amendment to
the Constitution, has been growing
steadily in this country since 1903,
according to records compiled by the
Board of Temperance of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church.
Agitation for abolition Of the prac
tice of licensing the sale of liquors
did not come until 1S47, resulting four
years later in the enactment of pro-
hibition laws in Maine, the first state
to put prohibition into effect.
Women always in the forefront of
the activity to stop the sale of alco-
holic drinks, organized for concert
ed fight after the Famous Women's
Crusade, 1874. Their association
was later to become known through
out the world by the name of Women's
Christian Temperance Union, with a
little white ribbon.
MASONIC MEETING.
Greenwood Chapter 1O2 r. A. NJ.