Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1921-05-19
EFFECTS OF PROHIBITION
Showing Some of the Extremes to
Which Some Men GO to Satisfy
Craving for Strong Drink.


Craving for Strong Drink.
The extremes to which some men
go to satisfy the craving for strong
drink since the country went dry
shocked the house judiciary COM
mittee at Washington Monday at
hearing on the Volstead bill to make
the prohibition enforcement law
more drastic.
Representatives of manufacturers
of flayoring extracts, patent medi-
cines and perfumes, in protesting
against added restrictions which
they claimed would interfere seri-1
ously with their business, were out
spoken in opposition to medical beer
and the sale Of connections mas
querading as medicine, but actually
used as beverages. The story of the
man who became drunk after drink
ing hair tonic, Jamaica ginger and
similar things crept in occasionally.
In a list of more than 100 prod
ucts, branded as "booze medicine"
some old bottles that had their place
on the shelves of country druggists
for more than half century were
paraded in full view of the commit
tee and denounced by spokesman
for proprietary medicine associa-
lions, who declared they had begun
indicating alcohol used in all their
preparations long before the eight
zenith amendment swept out the
bars.
There were frequent clashes. No
body said a word in favor of beer.
Patent medicine men told Mr.. Vol
stead that so far as they were con-
cerned he could go as far as he
liked with beers but they did not
agree with his announcement that
he would fight to prevent the use Of
wine as an alcoholic base for any
remedy.
Extract manufacturers were more
pronounced in their opposition to
the new tightening up measure, one
witness reminding the chairman
that his enforcement act had to be
in the house to give them chance
to live.
Charles D. Joyce, president of a
flavoring extract association, de-
clared no man had ever been able to
drink lemon extract in sufficient
quantities to make him drunk, and
live.
1.-THE only man who ever tried to
do it, to my knowledge" he said,
"had to line his mouth and throat
with talcum powder before taking
the FIRST swallow"
The witness was asked if he knew
anything of the practice of taking
the fire out of extract through
piece of bread, which soaked it up
like a sponge, but he never heard of
it. Nor had he ever heard of ia
maica ginger drinking fiends," he
added.
well, I've seen droves Of them"
said Chairman Volstead.
Everybody wanted to get rid of
the medical lbootlegger, some sug-
costing that his products be taxed if
he could not be suppressed. Repre-
sentative Hill, republican, Maryland,
who has introduced bill to repeal
the Volstead law, urged an amend
ment which would put prohibition
enforcement in the hands of the at
torney general. Asked if he thought
| it would lead to more rigid enforce
ment, Mr.. Hill replied he thought it
would.
"Then if you are trying 20 repeal
the Yolstead act, why so solicitous
about its enforcement" asked Rep
resentative Tillman, democrat, Ar
kansas.
'As long as we have the law, it
ought to be enforced" he declared.
But when you have law that is a
national joke because of nonenforce-
ment, it is calculated to bring all
laws in contempt"
While the Volstead law was being
shot at and defended, members of
the committee claimed it was not
near so drastic as Illinois and Maine
prohibition statutes.
Representative Hersey, republican,
Maine, referring to so years of pro-
bition in his state, told how it had
Worked.
"All have to say obout the Maine
prohibition law" replied Mr.. Hill,
was that my great uncle helped to