Prohibition in Jefferson County

This article from 1908, ~12 years before prohibition, immediately acknowledges the challenges prohibition creates. Before the federal government passed the 13th amendment, states like Oklahoma passed regulations on liquor trafficking. The author proves the effectiveness of prohibition through the effects of state laws (already banning the trafficking of liqour) and argues that the local/state governments have been successful despite enforcement challenges. The author cites Anheiser-Busch’s $1,000,000 loss after Oklahoma banned the traffic of liquor in its state as evidence and rejoices in the fact the $1,000,000 worth of alcohol was taken out of the hands of consumers. The authors also states the fact that “the saloon is the greatest crime producer in the world”. His reasoning suggests that with prohibition would come the closing of saloons and a significant decrease in crime.

While this article was written many years before the 13th amendment was passed, and the author discusses clashes between pre-prohibition state regulations on liquor and the federally-overseen distribution of liquor, it has value when thinking about Missouri’s relationship to prohibition. This issue must have been in many Missourian’s minds as 1920 crept closer, and affected the way the responded to prohibition when it did occur. It’s possible that many of them, like the author of this article, celebrated temperance or the banning of liqour wherever it occurred, and created the environment in which the German immigrants saw their cultural heritage drained away.