I enjoyed previewing the new Ken Burns series "Prohibition" at Greenfield Community College this week. It has given me a better understanding of the immense impact the 18th Amendment had on American society. Up until now, I had only my mother's statement that most of the important people in Cooperstown, NY had preferred her father's home brew during Prohibition.While performing a newspaper search for items relating to my grandmother's family, I found the following Advertisement in the Otsego Farmer newspaper dated Friday, June 24, 1932. It encompassed almost 1/4 page. It contains the names of her three sisters: Anne, Kate, and Mary Meeneghan as well as over 300 other locals.
We, the undersigned, believe that the Eighteenth Amendment should be repealed for the following reasons:
1. It is not enforceable.
2. It has increased lawlessness.
3.It has diverted millions of dollars each year from legalized businesses into the hands of the racketeers.
4. This situation has so reduced Federal revenue that, in order to balance the National Budget, increased taxation is necessary.
5. It is an infringement on the rights of the individual.
6. It retards the cause of true temperance.
