Organizations such as the Temperance Movement were insistent in illegalizing any activity involving alcohol. With many efforts the 18th Amendment was passed, but some prohibited acts were not strictly enforced, especially, in Washington, D.C. Cities where drinking was part of a cultural society, such as Washington, D.C., Chicago, and other big cities, the freedom to drink became an unlawful action, making many citizens criminals. Government and public officials also took part in the illegal acts of alcohol as well. As a result, it led to political corruption in the government system.
"The National Gesture" A 1926 cartoon.
Prohibition proved to fail because the 18th Amendment was nearly impossible to enforce. Many law enforcers in the Bureau of Prohibition and at the state and local level, were corrupt and took briberies. According to the testimony of Hon. Emory R. Buckner, a United States attorney for the Southern District of New York stated, “Federal judges have told me, and their names I can supply if required, that the whole atmosphere of the Federal Building was one of the pollution, that the air of corruption had even descended into the civil parts of the courts, and reports were made to the senior United States judge of attempts to bribe jurymen even in the toilets of the building.”[1] When the government is unable to enforce and implement the 18th Amendment, Americans loose trust in public law.
Some
federal police officers and officials did not enforce the 18th
Amendment but also took part of the illegal acts of alcohol.The reason many public officials surrendered to the exploitation of alcohol was due to their low salary. They were more interested in earning more money then fighting to decrease the crime rate. As a result, politicians and police officers went into the illegal liquor business. They would help and protect smugglers, escort liquor trucks, and accept bribes. Here are some examples:
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An abundant amount of criminals were caught, but many had to wait over a year to be put on trial because the government's legal system was unable to keep up. As Prohibition crime cases increased, the judicial system resorted to the plea bargain, where the defendant and prosecutor come to a mutual agreement on a criminal case with the court's approval, thus clearing a multitude of cases at a time.
One of the historical figures during the Prohibition era was Roy Olmstead. Olmstead was a Seattle police officer and had learned about the business of illegally importing alcohol. He then began to illegally import alcohol himself in 1919. When the 18th Amendment was ratified, Olmstead got caught, fined, and fired as a police officer. He decides to go into bootlegging alcohol full time. His business was a success, making more money than he would earn as a police officer. Olmstead would pay the police and city officials regularly to keep their mouths shut. Suspicion arose, and Olmstead was caught and convicted to four years of labor. He challenged his conviction, which became a U.S. Supreme Court case, Olmstead v. U.S. (1928) [6]
During the years of Prohibition, George Cassidy, a dapper looking gentleman served as Congress’s main bootlegger. His reputation began when he brought two House members alcoholic drinks and began bringing an average of 25 deliveries a day to both the House and Senate office. The police recognized Cassidy by his green hat trademark, allowing him access into the buildings at all hours. For five years he was running his business in the House grounds uninterrupted until a police officer arrested him for distributing six quarts of whiskey to a House member. Cassidy moved his business to the Senate building of the capital with another five years undisturbed. Suspicion arose of Cassidy’s activities, so police officers raided his home, confiscating 226 quartz of liquor. Later, the Vice President during the Prohibition era, Charles Curtis declares a “sting operation” (to catch a person in the act of committing a crime) on George Cassidy. The assigned Prohibition agent set up a plan to get Cassidy caught in the act, and succeeded. Cassidy had a 18 month jail time and the word spread quickly how “he helped at least 80 percent of the lawmakers break the law.”[7]
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The ratification of the 18th Amendment on January 17, 1920 was also intended for the citizens and officials to assimilate to the law but became a disastrous event to the nation. Going to bars and having a good time with alcoholic beverages was apart of society's culture. To take that away suddenly caused people to find other ways to get ahold of alcohol or participate in illegal alcoholic activities. Government officials that created the 18th Amendment, were obligated to impose the law, yet they were the ones breaking the law.
[1]
“The National Prohibition Law.” Schaffer Library of Drug
Policy. Accessed April 4, 2013. http://druglibrary.org/prohibitionresults3.htm
[2] “Statement by Hon. William Cabell Bruce, A Senator in the Congress of the United States from the State of Maryland.” Schaffer Library of Drug Policy. Accessed April 4, 2013. http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/History/e1920/senj1926/cabellbruce.htm
[3] “Report on the Enforcement of the Prohibition Laws of the United States.” Schaffer Library of Drug Policy. Accessed April 4, 2013. http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/wick/wick3.html
[5] Robert Cross. "Prohibition Begins." Chicago Tribune. Accessed April 4, 2013. www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-chicagodays-prohibition-story,0,980195.story
[4]"Prohibition." Digital History. Last modified in 2013. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3383
[6] “Olmstead v. United States: The Constitutional Challenges of Prohibition Enforcement — Historical Background and Documents.” Federal Judicial Center. Accessed April 3, 2013. http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf/page/tu_olmstead_bio_olmstead.html
[7] “The Man in the Green Hat.” United States Senate. Accessed April 3, 2013. www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/The_Man_in_the_Green_Hat.htm
[2] “Statement by Hon. William Cabell Bruce, A Senator in the Congress of the United States from the State of Maryland.” Schaffer Library of Drug Policy. Accessed April 4, 2013. http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/History/e1920/senj1926/cabellbruce.htm
[3] “Report on the Enforcement of the Prohibition Laws of the United States.” Schaffer Library of Drug Policy. Accessed April 4, 2013. http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/wick/wick3.html
[5] Robert Cross. "Prohibition Begins." Chicago Tribune. Accessed April 4, 2013. www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-chicagodays-prohibition-story,0,980195.story
[4]"Prohibition." Digital History. Last modified in 2013. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3383
[6] “Olmstead v. United States: The Constitutional Challenges of Prohibition Enforcement — Historical Background and Documents.” Federal Judicial Center. Accessed April 3, 2013. http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf/page/tu_olmstead_bio_olmstead.html
[7] “The Man in the Green Hat.” United States Senate. Accessed April 3, 2013. www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/The_Man_in_the_Green_Hat.htm