Washington State Prepares for Prohibition
The state supreme court confirms that the prohibition law is constitutional, setting the stage for saloons to close their doors by the New Year.
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All doubt that Washington will be “dry” after January first seems to have been laid at rest by the decision of the supreme court holding the prohibition law constitutional and valid. The wet elements in the larger cities are preparing for a farewell “jag” on New Year’s eve. The law allows owners of liquor a reasonable time to get it out of the state after January first, but it must be shipped out, not drunk out. County officials are preparing to enforce the law, and some cities have followed the lead of the Seattle city council, passing ordinances to give police the authority to enforce prohibition.
“The wet elements in the larger cities are preparing for a farewell “jag” on New Year’s eve.”
Long before national Prohibition in 1920, Washington State pioneered its own dry movement. This legal shift caused significant friction between urban nightlife cultures and temperance-minded reformers, mirroring the perpetual tension between local lifestyle choices and statewide regulatory control that persists in modern civic debates.
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