Many of us were not at all sure of the sentiment in communities like the Far and Middle West. We knew that the South, for reasons best known to itself, had favored large arid territories; but the East had remained insistently wet. Therefore, it was a big surprise, when the Literary Digest’s returns began to come in, to discover that in many sections a reverse feeling flourished from that which had been anticipated. It must have proved a shock to the Anti-Saloon League, in its smug complacency, to learn that many citizens, like a man I met in Omaha, declared that he was greatly in favor of Prohibition—until we got it.
Indeed, many feel just like that. Conditions are164 certainly intolerable wherever I have been. Drunkenness may have disappeared from the sidewalks, but it has taken to the taxicab; and though the corner saloon has gone (I hope forever) the hip-flask has taken its place, on the south-east corner of many an individual.
So much had been said and written of the feeling of the country, that the Digest (the editor-in-chief is a Prohibitionist, if I am not mistaken) went right to the heart of the thing, in no uncertain manner. Much discussion had taken place as to the temper of the people, and there seemed no way of arriving at the truth.
Ten million blanks were sent out, to every kind of voter. The Bonus for Soldiers and Sailors was more or less tied up with Prohibition. Therefore it was deemed wise to try to get the popular sentiment on both questions at the same time.
The questionnaire, in the form of a ballot, was as follows:
Secret Ballot on Prohibition and Soldiers’ Bonus No Signature—No Condition—No Obligation Mark and Mail at Once
PROHIBITION: (Put a cross (x) in the square only opposite the policy you favor)
A. Do you favor the continuance and strict enforcement of the Eighteenth Amendment and Volstead Law?
B. Do you favor a modification of the Volstead Law to permit light wines and beers?
C. Do you favor a repeal of the Prohibition Amendment?
Mark (X) in ONE
Square Only
SOLDIERS’ BONUS: (Put a cross (x) in the square)
Yes No
Do you favor a Federal Bonus for all American Soldiers and Sailors who wore the Uniform during the World War?
It is important to Mark and Return This Ballot Immediately.
Every precaution was taken to obviate dishonesty;165 but I suppose as there never was an election without trouble at the polls—it would be expecting too much of human beings to believe otherwise—so in this solicitation there may have been a few duplicate votes to swell the general average, one way or the other. Yet the Digest had confidence in the returns; and through their canvass of the various States we have come to see that there are not only “wets” and “drys,” but a third enormous party of what we might call “moists.” By this term is meant the people who wish a modification of the Volstead Act, permitting the sale of light wines and beer. Indeed, this party predominated in the final returns.
166 The Anti-Saloon League has scorned the Digest’s figures; yet one has a feeling that if the showing had been in favor of a strict observance and upholding of the present Prohibition law, a different attitude might have been observed on its part. It is but human, after all, to wish the tide to turn in the direction one has spiritedly advocated. Even the “moists” must have been surprised at their own brilliant showing.
It was in July, 1922, that the first reports were made; and the Digest was amazed when the ballots of the first hundred thousand poured in.
Those in favor of a strict enforcement numbered 32,445.
Those in favor of a modification numbered 39,665.
Those in favor of a repeal of the Prohibition Amendment numbered 22,547.
As to the Soldiers’ Bonus, the vote was almost even. Yes, 46,609. No, 47,469.
“Dampness seems to predominate,” the Digest said. “The most startling fact revealed by this first tally is that the early voters are against the continuance and enforcement of the present Prohibition law by the proportion of nearly two to one. On the other hand, the voters show themselves in favor of the Prohibition Amendment, or, in other words, in favor of some sort of a Prohibition law, by the even larger ratio of 72,000 to 22,500.”
The editors were exceedingly fair in their appraisement167 of conditions. They stated that “In Kansas, the votes run 111 for strict enforcement, 34 for modification and 14 for repeal of the Amendment. Thus the Prohibitionists, it is seen, outnumber the combined ‘moists’ and ‘wets’ by almost three to one, a situation that is duplicated in no other State. Since this early vote was tabulated, a large number of returns have come in for Kansas and, even though we may be anticipating next week’s report of votes, it may be mentioned that this large vote is a striking verification of the conditions indicated by the small vote shown here. Kansas is for Prohibition, by approximately three to one. It is a significant fact, also, that this State has tried a dry régime for a number of years, and knows better than most others how it works.”
But here again no thinking man, it seems to me, has a right to find fault with a State which wishes earnestly to go dry. Local option is sensible and reasonable; a certain territory could fence itself in, as it were, guarding itself from a menace, making all the strict laws it desired to protect its people from what it considered a tremendous evil. But it has no right to inflict its statutes upon its friendly neighbors, any more than the United States has a right to restrict drinking on the ocean, forbidding foreign vessels to enter our ports with cargoes of sealed spirits.
It is interesting to note how the various States voted in this preliminary canvass.
168
DETAILED TABULATION OF THE FIRST RETURNS ON PROHIBITION
NEW ENGLAND STATES For
Enforcement For
Modification For
Repeal
1—MAINE 24 17 17
2—N. H. 16 13 3
3—VT. 16 6 6
4—MASS. 4,242 4,862 2,805
5—R. I. 7 14 17
6—CONN. 34 39 20
TOTAL VOTES 4,339 4,951 2,868
MIDDLE ATLANTIC STATES
1—N. Y. 6,169 9,315 4,966
2—N. J. 29 45 27
3—PENN. 8,307 9,139 6,573
TOTAL VOTES 14,505 18,499 11,566
EAST NORTH CENTRAL STATES
1—OHIO 829 716 250
2—IND. 152 73 33
3—ILL. 9,312 12,012 6,621
4—MICH. 125 84 36
5—WISC. 75 69 22
TOTAL VOTES 10,493 12,954 6,962
WEST NORTH CENTRAL STATES
1—MINN. 89 82 17
2—IOWA 113 88 23
3—MO. 100 67 33
4—N. DAK. 16 17 1
5—S. DAK. 21 9 2
6—NEBR. 72 44 19
7—KANS. 111 34 14
TOTAL VOTES 522 341 109
SOUTH ATLANTIC STATES
1—DEL. 6 4 3
2—MD. 15 27 36
3—D. C. 14 27 8
4—VA. 28 27 9
5—W. VA. 18 20 4169
6—N. CAR. 32 14 7
7—S. CAR. 10 11 4
8—GA. 24 27 12
9—FLA.
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