Prohibition

dent. In the Presidential elections of 1912,
the total popular vote for the three leading
candidates was 13,879,142. Of,this number,
Roosevelt received 4,106,247, as compared
with 6,291,776 for Woodrow Wilson, the
successful Democratic candidate, and 3,481,-
119 for William H. Taft, the Republican can-
didate for re-election.

The State elections of 1914 revealed a con-
siderable decline in power of the Progressive
Party, and a movement for reunion with the
Republican Party was inaugurated. In 1916
the Progressive Committee endorsed the can-
didacy of Mr. Hughes, in accordance with
the expressed wishes of Colonel Roosevelt.

See UNITED STATES, History; REPUBLICAN
PAKTV.

Prohibition, in law, is a writ issued by a
superior court, directed to the judge and
parties at action in a court of inferior juris-
diction, requiring them to stop immediately
the prosecution of the action or proceeding.
The writ is granted only where the inferior
court has exceeded, or threatens to exceed, its
jurisdiction.

Prohibition, the policy of prohibiting by
law the sale and manufacture of alcoholic
beverages. In the United States, the first
prohibitory law was enacted in Maine in
1846. About 1880 the movement spread to
the Middle West; at the opening of the aoth
century it invaded the Southern States; and
in more recent years many of the Western
States entered the prohibition list. On Jan.
i, 1919, the following States and territories
had full prohibition: Alaska and Porto Rico,
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Dis-
trict of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho,
Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan,
Minnesota (effective 1920), Mississippi, Mon-
tana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire,
New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota,
Ohio (effective May 20, 1919), Oklahoma,
Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Ten-
nessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington,
West Virginia, Wyoming (effective Jan i,
1920).

With the establishment of the Parcels Post,
in 1911, a movement began in Congress for
the protection of the 'dry' States, and a bill
was passed forbidding coasignments of liquor
from any State to an individual residing in
another State, and making all shipments of
liquor subject to the police power of the
State at the border line. On July i, 1917, no
less than 23 States became 'bone dry* when
the Reed Amendment to the Post Office Ap-
propriation bill went into effect, prohibiting

3842____________________ Prohibition

the shipment of liquor into any territory
where its manufacture or sale is prohibited;
while ii other States were partially affected.
Two Federal prohibition enactments were the
direct outgrowth of conditions during the
World War (loq-iS). The Food Control
Act forbade the use, after Sept. 8, 1917, of
food materials in the production of distilled
spirits for beverage purposes, and empow-
ered the President to place similar restric-
tions on the manufacture of malt and vinous
liquors (see FOOD CONTROL). The Emergency
Agricultural Appropriation Act, for stimulat-
ing agricultural production, signed by Presi-
dent Wilson, Nov. 18, icjnS, carried a War-
time Prohibition rider providing for nation-
wide prohibition of the manufacture and sale
of intoxicating drinks from July i, 1910, un-
til after the signing of peace and the com-
plete demobilization of the army.

On Aug. r, 1917, the U. S. Senate by a vote
of 65 to 20 passed the Sheppard resolution
calling for a vote of the legislatures of the
48 States upon a constitutional amendment
for nation-wide prohibition. By Jan. 16,
1919, the proposed amendment had been rati-
fied by 36 States, On Jan. 2<), it was ac-
cordingly proclaimed by the Acting Secretary
of State, Frank L. Polk, a valid part of the
Constitution of the United States. Subse-
quently ten more States voted for ratification.

The terms of the Amendment made it effec-
tive one year from ratification, but since the
Wartime Prohibition Act went into force
July i, 1919, national prohibition in the
United States may be said to date from that
time. The Volstead Art, giving Congress pow-
er to enforce the measure, became effective
Jan. 16, 1920. According to the Volstead
Act, 'liquor,' or 'intoxicating liquor/ was de-
fined as including 'alcohol, brandy, whisky,
rum, gin, beer, ale, porter, and wine, and in
addition thereto any spirituous, vinous, malt,
or fermented liquor, liquids, and compounds,
containing one-half of one per centum, or
more, of alcohol by volume, which are fit
for use for beverage purposes.' The Volstead
Act further defined the terms of the amend-
ment; provided for certain exemptions, in-
cluding wine for sacramental purposes, pat-
ent medicines, toilet preparations, etc., made
provision for the granting of permits for the
legitimate use of intoxicating liquors; and
entrusted the investigation of violations of
the Amendment to 'the Commissioner of In-
ternal Revenue, his assistant, agent, and in-
spectors/ such violations to be reported to
the U. S. Attorney for the district in which