85 Years Ago
Prohibition was the death knell for many American businesses--particularly breweries, wineries, and distilleries. Always anxious to avoid a return to Prohibition, the United Brewers Industrial Foundation ran a series of ads promoting beer as the "America's Beverage of Moderation" and encouraged consumers to avoid "black sheep" retailers who might bring discredit to the product.
Later, this message was picked up by the Conference of Alcoholic Beverage Industries in their long running "The Old Judge Says" campaign.
The Old Judge was always having folksy conversations with his fellow townsfolk, explaining the fine points of government policy. Curiously, his conversations always revolved around what a dumb idea prohibition had been. Here’s an example:
Judge, would you mind tellin’ Charlie here what you told me the other night walkin’ home from lodge. I can’t word it just the way you did.
Sure thing, Tim. Here’s what I told him, Charlie. There’s no such thing as votin’ a nation, a state, a county, or even a community dry. We had proof enough of that during our 13 years of prohibition. What you really vote for is whether liquor is going to be produced legally or illegally…whether the community is going to get needed taxes for schools, hospitals, and the like, or whether this money is going to go to gangsters and bootleggers. That’s the answer, boys…simple as A-B-C.
In other conversations, he concluded that
It all goes to prove what I’ve said time and time again, Chet…prohibition does not prohibit. Same thing happens every time…as soon as legal liquor is voted out, bootleg liquor with its crime and corruption moves right in.
and
It’s not hard to figure out. As soon as the distillers stopped making whiskey and devoted their entire facilities to the production of industrial alcohol for the Government…the racketeers muscled in again.
Like the United Brewers Industrial Foundation, the Conference of Alcoholic Beverage Industries, Inc. was clearly concerned that Prohibition might make a comeback.
