Boats were used to transport the liquor that came from outside the United States, predominately from Canada and the Bahamas. Long Island had irregular coastlines with an abundance of discrete inlets for boats to hide, facilitating the smuggling of liquor to the island and Manhattan. With some of the wealthiest communities in the country and the close proximity to Manhattan, Long Island was a natural spot for the illegal activity. Long Island soon became the one of the largest areas of transport and consumption. Prohibition on the Gold Coast offers readers a glimpse of what life was like on Long Island during the 1920's. Readers will be provided with a view of the underground passages during prohibition, rum running from the waters and brought through underground tunnels to mansions, speakeasies and pickups for the gangster routes into Manhattan, the remnants of Gatsby Country today, and introduced to colorful figures who contributed to organized crime, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nicky Ornstein, Arnold Rothstein, Leggs Diamond, Bugsy Siegel, and the Real McCoy. In this new perspective of the history of Long Island readers will find hidden secrets about our beloved Gold Coast.
Prohibition on the Gold Coast of Long Island
By Jacqueline SingerAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2016 Jacqueline Singer
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-5049-7389-2Contents
1. Preface, xi,
2. Acknowledgments, xiii,
3. Introduction, 1,
4. 18th Amendment & The Volstead Act, 4,
5. Speakeasies, 6,
6. The Gold Coast Mansions of Long Island, 44,
7. Rum Running and Enforcement on the Seas, 69,
8. Gangsters in Gatsbyland, 85,
9. Secrets and Scandals, 92,
10. Conclusion, 107,
11. Bibliography, 111,
12. About the Author, 115,
CHAPTER 1
18th Amendment & The Volstead Act
"The big mistake and how it all started"
Tension between Puritan ethics and the use of alcohol predated Prohibition by more than one hundred fifty years in America. The popularity of distilled liquor was increasingly widespread. There was concern, especially among ministers and physicians that drinking damaged peoples' health, moral behavior and promoted poverty. Many reformers believed that use of alcohol was addictive. They argued that drinking was "unpatriotic" and "sinful." To control the use of alcohol, reformers began teaching temperance, "the reduction or elimination of the use of alcoholic beverages." As time went on, the reformers wanted not just to reduce, but to end the use of alcohol. By the 1850s, almost a dozen states were "dry states".
The Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was an organization that crusaded throughout the 1870's and 1880's to make America dry. Similarly, the Anti-Saloon League (established in 1893) was a unisex organization that campaigned to unify the public anti-alcohol sentiment. They hoped to enforce the existing temperance laws and promote the enactment of further legislation. Letters and petitions were sent to congressmen and senators in Washington and the League sent out speakers to as many gatherings as possible all over the United States. The largest Prohibition printing establishment ran three shifts a day grinding out "dry" literature. By 1914, the stage was set with the election of officials who were proponents of the anti-alcohol sentiment. After 1917, the Prohibition movement was well established. These groups pushed for legislation to prohibit the sale and production of distilled liquor in order to regulate morality.
The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibited the manufacture, sale, transport, import or export of alcoholic beverages after one year from its ratification by the states. On January 14, 1919, the final of the 36 states, Nebraska, ratified the Amendment and Prohibition became law and went into effect one year later. In October 1919, Congress passed the National Prohibition Act of 1920 over President Wilson's veto. Wayne Wheeler, the general counsel for the Anti-Saloon League, was active in the drafting of the amendment and bill. Andrew J. Volstead, the U.S. Representative from Minnesota, was the Chair of the Judiciary Committee and he sponsored the bill before Congress. The Volstead Act was the enforcement arm of the 18th Amendment and it placed the responsibility of enforcement in the hands of the United States Treasury Department. Illegal liquor was defined as having an alcohol percentage of anything above 1/2 of 1% alcohol. Even products like; vinegar, sweet cider, beer, and potent medications were included. The fine was $1,000 or 30 days jail for first time offenders to $10,000 for further convictions. The Amendment officially became a law on January 17, 1920.
It was expected that with the enactment of the 18th Amendment and the National Prohibition Act of 1920 that the use of al
