One notorious example of the Klan's involvement with Prohibition occurred in 1923-24 in southern Illinois' Williamson County, where the Klan mobilized hundreds of volunteers to raid saloons and roadhouses. Hundreds of people were arrested and more than a dozen killed.
That kind of social friction helped spur efforts to repeal Prohibition.
Economics also played a role.
While some Prohibition supporters predicted it would boost the economy, instead it proved harmful. Thousands of jobs were lost die to closures of distilleries, breweries and saloons. Federal, state and local governments lost billions of dollars in revenue as liquor taxes disappeared. One major consequence: Increasing reliance on income taxes to sustain government spending.
The onset of the Great Depression hastened Prohibition's demise, as the need for more jobs and tax revenue became acute. The Democratic Party called for the repeal of Prohibition in its 1932 platform; its presidential nominee, Franklin D. Roosevelt, embraced that cause as he rolled to a landslide victory over incumbent Republican Herbert Hoover.
--CootPro
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