February 17: A Toast for Senator Blaine

Welcome to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Today is February 17th, and our story is A Toast for Senator Blaine. Tonight, raise a glass to Wisconsin Senator John J. Blaine, author of the Blaine Act, which passed the U.S. Senate on February 17, 1933, and, in doing so, initiated the end of Prohibition in the United States.

Prohibition had begun 13 years earlier, when the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution took effect. As legislated by the Volstead Act, the amendment banned the sale, production, transportation, and importation of any and all alcoholic beverages. Many Catholics, along with Lutherans and Episcopalians, did their best to fight the amendment's passage, but in the end, they were no match for the Methodists, Baptists, and Christians. Quakers, Presbyterians, and other Protestant congregations who made up the Dry Crusade. For nearly a century, the momentum for state-mandated temperance had been growing, with anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant sentiments compounding the problem.

Some supporters believed that if the unwashed immigrant masses could be kept from strong drink, they just might manage to civilize themselves. Alas, experience proved otherwise. Instead of ridding the U.S. population of its taste for wine and whiskey, Prohibition had the opposite effect, with almost everyone, from President Woodrow Wilson on down, violating the new law.

Bootlegging rose, and organized crime flourished. Some, however, found more legal means to purchase drink. For example, the Volstead Act permitted the sale of alcohol for medicinal purposes. Not coincidentally, doctors made $28 million in 1928 writing prescriptions for whiskey. Likewise, wine was permitted for religious use, and permits were granted to parishes, allowing them to purchase wine for the mass. Again, not by accident. The amount of wine for which such permits were granted jumped by more than 800,000 gallons between 1922 and 1924.

In 1933, three days after the Blaine Act passed the U.S. Senate, it passed the U.S. House of Representatives as well. Thirty-six states then ratified it in quick succession. When Utah, Pennsylvania, and Ohio voted yes on December 5th, prohibition was no more. And then, many glasses were raised.

The repeal of prohibition reminds us that laws cannot replace moral formation. Faithful living and moderation require personal responsibility, not forced abstinence. Yet, even in flawed policies, God's providence allows us to find ways to preserve sacred practices, like the use of wine in the Mass. Senator Blaine's effort, coupled with widespread public awareness, Restored balance between law, freedom, and faith.

Celebrate responsibly today. Consider hosting a small gathering for friends or family, including a toast to blessings in your life, remembering that moderation and gratitude go hand in hand. Thank you for listening to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Join us tomorrow, February 18th, for another story of faith and courage in America.