Part 3
A Failed Experiment
The 1920s ushered in Prohibition's noble intentions but exposed its catastrophic failures. Dry’s envisioned a sober, moral America, yet lax enforcement doomed the experiment. In Texas, Anti-Saloon League leader Atticus Webb struggled for strict measures, but by 1925, wet sympathizers-controlled state government, refusing funding or support. Nationally, the Bureau of Prohibition's budget ballooned from $4.4 million to $13.4 million annually, but corruption riddled agencies— agents accepted bribes, and many states, like Texas, allocated zero enforcement funds by 1927. This lack of aggressive action fostered widespread defiance, turning Prohibition into a mockery. 11
The harm to the state was profound. Economically, the U.S. lost $11 billion in tax revenue while spending $300 million on futile enforcement, crippling budgets amid the Roaring Twenties' excesses. In Texas, industries like hospitality suffered; restaurants closed without liquor profits, exacerbating unemployment. Socially, Prohibition deepened divisions—rural dry’s vs. urban wets, fundamentalists vs. immigrants—weakening civic trust and state authority. Corruption scandals discredited officials, fostering a legacy of governmental overreach without efficacy. 12