Raise all the cup of fun high
And we greedily cling to our lips, How dear to the soul is the bright moment of pleasure, Let's drink it to the sweetheart.
Catch the golden moment of happiness, its grievous loss, He will rush without a return with a young life, How light moisture foams in a glass, So let love boil in the heart.
Giuseppe Verdi. Opera "La Traviata"
"Prohibition in the USA" 1920-1933 To begin with, I really liked the series of materials by Valery Ryzhov about the use of strong drinks in Russia. But everything in the world is cognized by comparison. Actually, the most valuable thing in obtaining information is not even the information itself as such, but the possibility of comparing it with a similar, but somewhat different order. In this case, it is an opportunity to compare our "dry law" and "dry law" in a country like the United States. But how to write about this in a simple, interesting way, and without slipping into chopped phrases, likening to a multitude of articles written on this topic? I thought and remembered that I also have a novel "Three from Ensk", book two "Three from Ensk and" Pareto's law ", where this is just on the basis of comparing different data and is told. This is by no means a study, so there is no question of any "depth" here, but all the figures and facts are accurate - I remember well how I looked for them when I was working on this book in 2005. In the second book of the novel, the heroes of the first part, including Boris Ostroumov, find themselves in the USA in 1922 and go to study at Columbia University. Well, then the text of the novel itself will go on, just dedicated to the famous "prohibition" in the USA …
“But Boris was clearly unlucky with his studies at the university in the spring of 1924. It all started with the fact that Professor Jenkins instructed Gerald Foss to make a report on "dry law" in their group, clearly hinting at the fact that its content was extremely positive. Foss understood it that way, but Boris regarded it as a gift of fate and decided to use the opportunity that presented itself to him to finally get even with him for the old, and at the same time deliver a few unpleasant minutes to Jenkins himself, with whom Foss was a favorite, which, of course, everyone in the group knew. Boris approached the "landing in the galosh" of the professor's pet very, very thoroughly. He went around all the surrounding underground drinking establishments and several police stations, went to the mayor's office and the city statistical office and made extracts from the materials they had. In short, I prepared for the upcoming performance more than thoroughly. But the most important thing is that he never said anything about the action he planned to Volodya, Stas, or even Moira, so there was no one to dissuade him from this.
On the appointed day, he barely waited for the start of classes and the moment when Foss began to deliver his "positive" report.
Foss began as everyone expected of him: that is, he said that the history of "Prohibition" began long before his own adoption, namely, in 1869 in Chicago, where the National Party was created, which fought for a complete ban on alcohol … In 1876, she demanded the adoption of an appropriate amendment to the Constitution, which, in the end, was made by Congress in 1917, and at first the sale of alcohol to the military was prohibited, and only then individual states began to ratify it. As a result, on January 16, 1920, both the Prohibition itself and the Volstead Act, which established the legal rules for the implementation of this constitutional act, were approved by Congress even despite the veto imposed by President Wilson.
"Prohibitive" or "ban" - as the Americans called "dry law", according to Foss, brought his country incalculable benefits. In less than three years of its operation, - he said loudly, standing in the middle of the audience, - the most real improvement of society took place. The number of arrests decreased by 3.5 times, including for vagrancy, although the unemployment figures have generally remained unchanged. In general, the crime in the country fell by 70 percent, and only in Philadelphia alone, after nine months, 1100 prison cells were empty, and the number of prisoners fell from 2,000 to 474. Out of 2,500 inmates in the city's Chicago prison, only 600 remained, and in the city The beds that were vacated in the mental hospitals in Buffalo were transferred to the treatment of tuberculosis patients.
Milk consumption has increased. The well-being of the people has improved. Family foundations were strengthened. Savings have grown. Morality has improved. The number of injuries and disasters decreased, the losses from which decreased by $ 250 million. The death of people from acute alcohol poisoning has ceased. The overall mortality rate has decreased. Instead of the former gloomy gloom in working-class families, there appeared: prosperity, tranquility and happiness. Labor savings were used to build houses. Shopping has become more expedient. The number of fires has decreased.
The Governor of Kansas reported: "All government employees, labor unions, medical associations and 95 percent of the rest of the population vote in favor of the sobriety law." As for the numerous breweries and distilleries, they were quickly, economically and with great benefit for society converted to produce products and goods needed by the people: syrups, canned fruits and vegetables, soap, sweets, oil, clothes, gloves, books, and some even opened hotels.
A total of 1,092 breweries and 236 whiskey distilleries were closed. 177,790 drinking establishments were closed. Foss ended his speech with the words that such clear advantages of a sober life in the States should attract the attention of Europe in the interests of domestic politics - social hygiene, eugenics, the national economy, and also forensics.
- Great, great! Professor Jenkins exclaimed. - This is how the report of a student of our university should look like, claiming to have real knowledge, and who in the future will be able to undoubtedly take a worthy place in our society and …
He failed to finish this intricate phrase.
- Can I have a remark in order to discuss the report? - interrupted him from his place Boris. - And it seems to me that this very important topic for all of us today in the report of Mr. Foss has not received comprehensive coverage.
- What are you talking about? - Dissatisfied with the interruption, asked Professor Jenkins. - I do not understand what else to discuss, when everything is clearer than clear here.
“No, not really,” said Boris, narrowing his eyes slyly. “Anyway, it’s not as simple as Gerald told us here. And besides, any medal has a second side and … it is not always as beautiful as the one that is visible through the eyes of the majority.
With these words, he stepped into Foss's place, clearly dissatisfied with this intervention of his, and, spreading out several sheets of paper in front of him, began to speak.
- Listen to Foss, everything is wonderful here and most Americans have completely forgotten the taste of alcohol, and morality is flourishing. In fact, all this is not at all true! As many drank, so they drink, and many also make good money on this. I asked at several police stations, and that's what they told me there. Before the "ban" was adopted, the country's underground business specialized in prostitutes. And then a new opportunity to make good money loomed, and literally immediately after the adoption of the law. How? And here is how - with the help of the permitted seizure of confiscated alcohol from warehouses. Formally, it was believed that all of it would be used for medicinal purposes, and it really began to be used for "treatment", reselling it through pharmacists who have the right to dispense alcohol solutions on prescription. That is, the demand for alcohol, although it has decreased, has not disappeared in general, and as many of you should know, buying it from us here, in general, is as easy as “Coca-Cola”. I wrote out the addresses here on purpose …
The students in the audience began to chuckle contentedly, while Boris continued:
“The country's 18,700-mile borders also provide many opportunities for smugglers to import alcohol. And he goes not only to various underground drinking establishments there, but also … straight to the White House, where, as is known, almost everyone and everyone is served alcohol as freely as tea. They say - and this is most likely the case - that President Harding even has his own bootlegger, whose name is Elias Mortimer. However, in addition to the White House, he is also served at the Green House on K Street, where people from his team do various things. Moreover, this is no longer only talked about, but even written in the newspapers. Look!
- There are spikasi - illegal brothels, where they whisper to order alcohol in tea cups, there are bootleggers - alcohol dealers, and there are also moonshaiers - underground moonshiners engaged in moonshine making in the light of the moon. Moreover, the police told me that they are engaged in home brewing mainly in areas with the Italian-Sicilian population, and Italian gangsters run the whole business. By the way, the number of murders in the country decreased markedly compared to 1919 only in 1920, and the next year it gave a sharp increase. Last year it slightly decreased compared to the 22nd year, but still it is higher than even during the war years! Please note that all the figures I have are official, I took them from the annual statistical reference book. However, I learned a thing or two from talking to people from the police. I was told that quite often the policemen who go to catch these same Munshaers return to the police station so drunk that they have to literally be stored there for the purpose of sobering up, because otherwise they would be ashamed to be released into the street. And everyone knows about it, everyone sees it and seems to not notice it. It is estimated that in order to observe the "prohibition" 250 thousand police officers are required, and in order to follow them - another 200 thousand, which, however, we do not have.
There are massive poisoning with alcohol substitutes, in particular, poor people drink the so-called "jake" - a drink containing up to 85 percent ethyl, but also various harmful additives that are added to it by amateur pharmacists in order to deceive the official tests adopted at the request of the Ministry of Finance. Some of their components, as it has already been proven, affect the cells of the spinal cord and brain, which is why lovers of "jake" are not at all sweet. They paralyze their arms and legs, and some even die from it. People lose their sight when they drink methyl alcohol instead of ethyl alcohol, and the state loses about one billion dollars in taxes, however, this is where the opinions of economists differ. On the other hand, “almost beer” goes very well - that is, a very light beer with no more than 0.5 percent alcohol. His most popular brands are Bevo and Vivo, but there are 25 more varieties, so whoever likes it can get drunk with this beer too. No wonder already in 1921 more than a billion liters of it were sold, and then they sold no less!
- Moreover, - continued Boris, becoming more infuriated, - many researchers of the social sphere are already talking in full voice that women, with the total prohibition of alcohol, began to drink even more than before,and the age at which young people are introduced to the bottle has decreased.
His last words were drowned in such a noise that no one even heard them. Most of them laughed out loud, others roared like it was a baseball game."
It is clear that everything is presented here rather superficially, at the level of a work of art. But … it is quite obvious, and we know it so well, that in the end the "dry law" in the United States had to be canceled in 1933. But the mafia, which got rich on the liquor trade, has now firmly taken its place in American society, and all the positive aspects of "prohibition" have been crossed out by the negative ones. So the experience of history clearly shows that prohibitions on alcohol will not achieve anything. This requires a long and skillful work, and an integrated approach to solving this extremely difficult problem!
