Wet or Dry?

From sea to shining sea

Section 1: After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited. (https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-18/)

In December 1917 Congress sent the proposed 18^th Amendment to the states for ratification, which was achieved in January 1919. National Prohibition went into effect a year later on January 17, 1920, at precisely 12:01 a.m. Wikipedia reports that the first violation of the new law occurred in Chicago at 12:59 a.m. the same day, when six armed men stole $100,000 worth of so-called “medicinal whiskey” out of freight cars.

Cambridge had not waited on the federal government. The No-License question (that is, no liquor licenses) first appeared on city ballots in December 1882; it was defeated over and over again, in spite of the tireless efforts of a coalition comprising the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), clergy and youth groups from many churches, business and political leaders, and other organizations.

The Tin Village neighborhood (aka the Lava Beds) was a “rum ridden” warren of streets west of the Grand Junction Railroad between Cambridge Street and the Somerville line. Nine saloons occupied that short stretch of Cambridge Street, and a like number did business on the side streets. Two more flanked the Gannett Elementary School at 20 Jefferson Street. Ten No-License Year in Cambridge, 1887-1897. Photo opp. page 117

Michael B. Dewire was a notorious scofflaw, who evaded arrest for years. His saloon fronted on Line Street, (the border between Cambridge and Somerville). Dewire stationed look-outs in bushes in the front yard; the police concealed themselves in a nearby garden nursery. Inside the establishment, panels could be quickly turned around to hide the bar and liquor bottles in case of a raid. Ten No-License Year in Cambridge, 1887-1897. Photo opp. page ?

Finally, in 1887 the voters approved a No-License in Cambridge law, which was still in force when the 18^th was repealed.

Rolling back

“By the 1930s, it was clear that Prohibition had become a public policy failure. The [amendment] had done little to curb the sale, production, and consumption of intoxicating liquors. And while organized crime flourished, tax revenues withered.” In February 1933 Congress approved a proposed amendment, the 21^st, that could repeal the 18^th. By early December the states had ratified it, and on December 5, 1933, “… with little pomp and circumstance, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a proclamation declaring the end of prohibition, while also admonishing the country to drink responsibly and not abuse this return of individual freedom.” The Volstead Act (Prohibition’s enabling legislation) was made void, and control of the manufacture and sale of liquor returned to the states. (https://www.history.com/news/the-night-prohibition-ended)

The Friday, December 8, 1933, issue of the Cambridge Chronicle did not, like many other newspapers, trumpet the end of Prohibition. Instead, an article on the front page announced a special liquor election to be held on December 19^th and another discussed, “The Local Situation on Liquor Licenses,” a look at what would happen if Cambridge became wet.

On December 19, 1933, Cambridge lifted its no-license ban. On January 3, 1934, the Cambridge License Board met to hear applications for liquor licenses for the first time since December 1887.