Interest in National Legislation.

Despite the fact that some form of Prohibition had been enacted into law in thirty-one states by 1913, interest in the enactment of national Prohibition legislation remained strong. The abuse of alcohol was an issue of great importance in many communities, and it especially galvanized the reformers who were interested in the rehabilitation of criminals and delinquents, the elimination of slums, the alleviation of poverty, and Christian temperance. Many Americans considered alcoholism a serious problem, yet many others were inclined to ignore its personal and social costs. Advocates of reform initially focused on convincing individual communities and states to formulate regulatory policies to advance Prohibition, but these efforts proved to be of limited and often temporary value. For the reformers, the answer was to be found not only in the application of highly restrictive laws that acknowledged the...