Milford chronicle., 1963-12-13
Rep eul Took Place
Thirty Years Ago

Thirty years ago this montl
the M-fated "noble expert
ment" of Prohibition came {
an end = IA years of gan,
warfare, corruption and genera
disrespect for law and orde
voted out by the overwhelmin
majority Of an aroused public
This all came about on Dec
ember S, 1893, when Utah be.
came the 36th state to ratif
the Twenty First Amendment
which repealed the so-calle,
bone-dry Eighteenth Amend.
ment.
It vas a momentouS occasion
coming as II did In the mids
of great depression, but ther,
probably will be a few birthday
parties to mark what Congress-
man Emanuel Cellar (D-NY
called fthe return to good sense
the return to law and order,
the return to self-respect, the
return to nationality"
"The moderate use OF alcoho-
lic beverages In America has
now become SO much an accept
ed part of our social life anc
business life that few people
VIII recall that for IA years,
from January l6, 1920 to Dec
smber 5, 1898, the nation had
outlawed the manufacture and
sale Of alcoholic beverages, -
Thomas J. Donovan, president
OF Licensed Beverage Industries,
Inc, said.
"Prohibition was a failure.
u triggered an era of gang war
violence unparalleled In our
history. Il created an era Of un-
prscsdsntsd hypocrisy that
boosted per capita consumption
a distilled spirits from a pre-
Prohibition trend Of l.6l gallons
IA 1910 to LES gallons, the aver
Ags per capita consumption Of
the Prohibition years = and the
highest per capita consumption
sincs the l870's," the head Of
the distilled spirits industry's
public relations and research
organization added. "And now,
In q peak period Of national
prosperity, the per capita con
sumption figure averages a mod
crate LIS gallons over the last
Is years.
"Today's moderation trend is
fsrthsr reflected" Donovan said,
f'ia the fact that Americans now
are spending far less Of their
sxpendable income for distilled
spirits than they did In the Pro-
hfbition years. During the period
B47-l962, the percentage IS l.76
OF the consumer dollar, as COM
pared with 4.34 per cent in the
le2o-le33 period"
In place Of a legal, tax-paid
product manufactured to con-
form 70 rigid U. S. laws and
standards, Americans turned to
bootleg ''rotgut," SO poisonous
hat Il killed some, blinded thou
sands, sickened many. And, 1t
ieprived the United States gov
irnment Of millions of dollars
IN tax revenues.
BY 1888, the American people
awoke to the realization that
Individual morals and tastes can
not be effectively legIslated d.
Moreover, they had sickened of
hs years Of crime, racketeering
and social disorder which Pro-
hbition had spawned.
And so In that year, the Amer
lean alcoholic beverage industry
was reborn by the will and vote
OF the people.
Z is the only industry SO
created. It's products are the
only commodities mentioned by
name In the United States Con-
stitution.
"Today, the alcoholic bever-
age industry is a major Ameri-
can industry a vital factor
In the nations economic health
and welfare" Mr.. Donovan con-
tinued. "For example, the in
dustry's contribution to the
nations economy In 1862 totalled
more than $751; billion - includ-
Ing s2.7 billion paid by produc-
ing firms, wholesale and retail
licensees for the goods and serv-
ices needed in their businesses,
s400 million In business income
taxes and s4.8 billion In taxes
on its products contr ibuted to
Federal. state and localtreasur-