The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
A few held alcohol permits during Prohibition
WAMPSVILLE -- Prohibition was an interesting time in American history.
In 1919 Congress passed the Volstead Act, which prohibited the production of alcohol, determined what an “intoxicating” beverage was, and set penalties for anyone who broke the law.
The law was originally vetoed by President Woodrow Wilson but was overridden with a two-thirds vote by Congress.
The law took effect in January of 1920. It did not stop production completely but required those who produced alcohol for medical, religious and personal use to apply for a license to do so. Businesses and individuals would apply for a permit by completing a form filed with the federal government (it could be filed locally but many Madison County residents filed in Syracuse).
The county was notified by letter when the license was approved by the federal government.
In Madison County the licenses were called “Fruit Juice Permits.” If a permit holder was found in violation of the law he or she could be arrested and charged with a felony.
A number of private residents, pharmacies and Colgate University received permits during the early part of Prohibition. Private residents were allowed to make 200 gallons of the fruit juice for personal use.
In the case of pharmacies they produced alcohol for medicinal purposes. Most of these permits restricted the pharmacists to 1-pint containers. They were only allowed to sell the liquor to people who had subscriptions (prescriptions) from a doctor.
Colgate’s permit was slightly different than the pharmacists’; it stated:
Permit to hospital or scientific institution to procure alcohol free of tax. The university was not allowed to sell the alcohol they produced, and because of that they were not charged a tax for the production. Colgate could only use it for research (medicinal or otherwise). In our records, they were the only entity in the county that carried a permit with this restriction.
The first permit in Madison County was awarded to Adelbert Miller of Brookfield. He applied for and received a permit on 16 October 1920 that was reserved for
pharmacists. The permit allowed him to produce as followed: Compounding medical preparations, manufacturing USP & NF preparations, sale of quantities of a pint or less to persons holding subscriptions (sic). If Miller had been found in violation of what he was allowed, his permit would be immediately revoked and he could face a grand jury and further charges pending a sheriff’s investigation.
While production was closely tracked, any person or business was required to file a permit for any liquor you had prior to the law going into effect. Staudt’s Hotel (now Olcott’s Hotel), in Oneida, filed for a permit notifying the county of all liquor on the premises that was purchased before the law went into effect. The hotel would have had to supply receipts to the county from the date of purchase to prove that the alcohol was purchased legally.
At least one resident who applied for the permit was arrested for selling liquor. Gustave Wagner of Lakeport was arrested in October of 1922 for selling drinks at his home. Wagner had owned a saloon in Syracuse prior to the Volstead act and was found in possession of some 150-plus gallons of wine, whiskey and mash at the time of his arrest. He plead guilty and was assessed a $100 fine.
If you would like to see an index of all the people who applied for fruit juice permits, please visit the new Madison County, NY History webpage at www.madisoncountynyhistory.com.
If you would like to see more of the documents please stop by the Madison County Clerk’s office. For more information on Madison County history feel free to contact me either via phone at 315-366-2453 or email matthew.urtz@madisoncounty.ny.gov.
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Sources: Madison County Clerk’s Collection-Records of Permits; County.