LeRoy Pennysaver & News

LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - JANUARY 5, 2020 by Lynne Belluscio As we all think ahead to the coming year, and we raise a toast to the old year I couldn’t help but think of what folks were think- ing about a hundred years ago. As most of you know, the 19th amendment which granted women the right to vote, had passed the House of Representatives on May 21, 1919 and two weeks later was passed by the Sen- ate. The amendment read: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” Women in many states, such as New York, were already allowed to vote be- cause of state amendments but the 19th amendment guaranteed the vote for women in every state. Al- though the amendment had passed the House and the Senate, it still required rati- fication by 36 states before it became law. Against all odds, Tennessee ratified the amendment on August 18, 1920 and Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification and on No- vember 2, 1920, 26 million women were entitled to vote. This year, as we pre- pare to celebrate the ratifi- cation of 19th amendment, women voters will turn out in record numbers to cast their ballots in the Novem- ber elections. What better way to celebrate a century of women’s suffrage. But most of us have forgotten that there was another amendment to the Constitution that was en- acted in 1920. It went into effect in January 1920. It was the 18th Amendment which prohibited the man- ufacturing, transportation and sale of alcohol within the United States. It was ratified by Congress a year earlier on January 29, 1919 and was to go into effect one year later. It was known as the “noble experiment” in an effort to reduce crime and corruption, solve social problems, improve health and hygiene, and reduce the tax burden of prisons and poorhouses that saw the impact of people ad- dicted to alcohol. It was a long time coming – just as the 19th Amendment. The temperance movement had many supporters, who also supported women’s rights. In fact, many suffragists, such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stan- ton had been temperance supporters. LeRoy had a very active Women’s Chris- tian Temperance Union. So far, I have found little infor- mation in the 1920 LeRoy Gazette about prohibition, but four years later, the police and federal agents were very busy in LeRoy, closing down speakeasies and stores that were selling liquor, beer and homemade wine. As it turned out, the 18th amendment had ex- actly the opposite effect of what the law was in- tended. Bootlegging and illegal production of alco- hol increased the number of deaths from “poisoned liquor.” The death toll rose from 1,064 in 1920 to 4,154, five years later. Public opinion had turned against Prohibition. The advent of the Great Depres- sion made matters worse. Some people argued that the ban on alcohol removed job opportunities, especial- ly for returning veterans from the War. Others said that the government need- ed the revenue which had been collected on alcohol. While others claimed that it was impossible to enforce the new laws. A nonparti- san group, the Americans Against Prohibition As- sociation, began lobbying for repeal. Franklin D. Roosevelt ran his presiden- tial campaign with a plank supporting repeal. Ernest Woodward, president of Jell-O, and an ardent Re- publican, joined with Roo- sevelt, a Democrat, in his support for repeal. Finally, in February 1933, Congress adopted a resolution adopt- ing the 21st Amendment which repealed the 18th Amendment. It is told that Auggie Busch, who owned Budweiser Beer, was giv- en an eight-horse team of Clydesdale by his family, the day prohibition ended. So, imagine New Year’s Eve 1919, when folks gathered to welcome in the new year. Women were once again hoping to vote in the November elections. And everyone, who was raising a glass of champagne or sitting at a bar with a beer, believed that it would be their last legal drink. Somber and sober times. 1920 – Update a Century Later