Prohibition As It Is In Some Parts of the West - A Free Speech Argument Against Prohibition

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Rowan

“Prohibition As It Is In Some Parts of the West” presents a persuasive, speech-like argument against U.S. prohibition. The text frames prohibition as a law enacted without direct popular approval, critiques its effects on intelligence and personal liberty, and weighs claims about crime reduction and social reform. It argues for moderate liquor use while warning against dependency, then expands to discuss moonshining, categorizing participants and describing their motives, networks, and tactics.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time12 min

AccessFree to download

Prohibition As It Is In Some Parts of the West

Restrictions on Use (Microform Record)

Arguments Against Prohibition

Moderation, Habit, and Personal Advice

Moonshining: Main Types and Motives

97-84111-20Kuhlmann,August Prohibition as it is in someparts of the West [S.I.] # COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIESPRESERVATION DIVISIONBIBLIOGRAPHIC MICROFORM TARGET ORIGINAL MATERIAL AS FILMED-EXISTING BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD Roproductions may not be made without permission from Columbia University Libraries. ## RESTRICTIONS ON USE: TECHNICAL MICROFORM DATA FILM SIZE: 35mmREDUCTION RATIO: 9:/ IMAGE PLACEMENT:IA(IIA INITIALS: CB DATE FILMED: 6-5-97 23913 ## TRACKING\#: FILMED BY PRESERVATION RESOURCES,BETHLEHEM,PA. ## Prohibition As It Is InSome Parts of the West 1928by August KuhlmanM.D. 饰m.BuZle9 This subject is a live topie.If one in-tends to run for an office in some parts ofour country it might be good tacties notto say anything about prohibition,but thisis a free country of free speech.Thetruth will prevail and every decent citizenhates a sneak.The forum stands for freediscussioon and—here it goes: Prohibition means no more whisky,nomore beer and no more wine,unless pre-scribed for us as medicine and for sacredot-al purposes, Prchibition is a by-product of the WorldWar,created in an emotional time and in astorm and stress period.The law was notpassed by a referendum vote—that is a di-rect vote by the people;but it was lawfullypassed by congress with many members notvoting,because,as one prominent senatorsaid;“there were bigger fish to fry thanprohibition."Nevertheless it is the law ofour land.Some say prohibition is an insultto the intelligence of the American people.Another said,“Why,just listen here一don't you think we are the most intelligentpeople in the world?”Most of us will say,"Of course we are."Now then,we,the mostintelligent people in the world,have to betold what and how much to eat and to drink,and have someone standing over us with aclub to do it.How does that look?Yes,if we were all perfect and endowed withgood common sense and ordinary reason,then the argument would hold good.Somesays,"Force newer brought on lasting re-forms.You can drive a mule to a trough, but you eannot make him drink." These are all arguments.Liquor in amoderate form in the proper quantitywould hardly hurt anybody.It is a mildstimulant and appetizer,and creates a lit-tle pep,but,most all of us who do someobserving,realize it sometimes creates anawful undesirable habit. Some of the most sincere argumentsthat prohibition reduces crime,empties ourjails and changes the people to a nore ncbleand higher level have all been(apparently)shattered so far;because there evidently ismore crime now,than there was beforeprohibition. In spite of all the above arguments wecan live just as happy without booze as withbooze.It is a luxury and scmetimas worsethan that.In fact if a young man wouldask me about certain points,for success inlife,one point I would emphasize in myadvice would be,"keep away from booze."If we all would do that,it would settle thewhole prohibition problem at once.Butwe know people think differently.We haveto abide by the happy majority,otherwisewe would live in a state of continuous war-fare.To conquer ourselves is the greatestvictory.Let us enjoy liberty,but we mustnot infringe upon the liberty of others.These are all wise sayings which means weshould always consider our neighbor.Ifthe money involved in the liquor trafficwould be taken out,it would quickly die anatural death. That there is too much brewing in some parts of the country is unquestionably true,and it is a big factor to destroy the moraleof our youth and land.Since moon-shiningis here and is a big business,so let us dis-cuss it as follows:There are four maintypes or classes involved in order of theirimportance. 1.Hi-jackers. 2.Active distillers,cookers,bootleggers,and dispensaries. 3.The army of soaks—or loosers. 4.The irreconcilables and defenders ofpersonal liberty. The hi-jackers are the real brains ofthe moonshine business.They ar

FAQs

Why does the text question the legitimacy of prohibition?

It argues the law was not passed by a direct referendum vote of the people, and instead was enacted through congressional action with some members not voting.

What stance does the text take on liquor in general?

It says liquor in moderate form and proper quantity would hardly hurt anyone, but it warns that it can create undesirable habits and frames staying away from booze as key advice.

How does the text explain moonshining and its participants?

It says moon-shining is widespread and classifies those involved into four main types, describing their roles, motives, and methods within an illegal supply network.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Rowan