Prohibition Groups
"It is a wonder to me that the Prohibitionists can sleep, they have thrown thousands of honest men out of work and caused great hardships. Many of the men in breweries had families to support. Now they are hunting jobs." - Anonymous letter to the editor in the New York Times (Slavicek 57).
Groups that supported Prohibition generally had very personal reasons that wouldn't benefit America as a whole.
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Women supported Prohibition because they thought alcohol was corrupting their lives and families (Engdahl 80). Carry Nation, a Prohibitionist, traveled around Kansas and used a hatchet to destroy saloons after losing her husband to alcohol ("Prohibition" The Encyclopedia... 646). Nation was supported by many female Prohibitionists who were in similar situations (Slavicek 25).
"When Gloyd [Nation's husband] died at the age of 29 in 1869, Carry blamed his early death entirely on his drinking." (Slavicek 24).
Politicians also supported Prohibition because they knew they could gain votes and popularity so they used it to their advantage, promoting temperance even if they did not practice it themselves ("Prohibition Life..."). Because of this, drys (those who supported Prohibition) became over-represented in state legislatures since ASL members voted strictly for them (Roger). Warren G. Harding, who was elected president in 1921, is an example of this:
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"...President Warren G. Harding, a staunch public advocate of Prohibition (although a social drinker in private)...". - The New York Times article "Jurors Go on Trial, Drank Up Evidence" published on January 7, 1928 ("Prohibition's Supporters...").
Many members of the upper and middle class, primarily women, supported Prohibition while drinking themselves ("Prohibition Life..."). Some said it was for the good of the future generation (Engdahl 81).
"Yes, I disregard the Volstead Act, for I am a gentleman and an educated man and I know how to drink and when to stop. The law was not intended not for such as we are, but for the other class of our people, and it is for their good to have it." - Engdahl quoting hypocrites who supported Prohibition (Engdahl 61).
Owners of major industries supported Prohibition because they believed alcohol lowered the performance of their factory workers (Slavicek 40). Workmens' compensation laws stated that an employee must be paid if injured, making corporate owners fear that alcohol would cause their employees to hurt themselves, therefor leading to less profit (Worth 79).
"Self-interest appears to have been the chief motivating factor for Ford and other business magnates who donated to the ASL during the early 1900s. They believed that in a modern, technological society, employees who drank were a threat not only to workplace safety but also to productivity." (Slavicek 40).
