The Prohibition Debate: Archive of Letters Between a New York Lawyer and a Clergyman on the Morality and Ethics of Prohibition, 1926

W. Russell Bowie Seymour van Santvoord

Archive

[Prohibition][Law and Policy] Correspondence on Prohibition and enforcement of the Eighteenth Amendment between a New York lawyer and a clergyman, 1926. Eleven letters consisting of 27 pages, exchanged between Rev. W. Russell Bowie, rector of Grace Church in New York City and a prominent Episcopal clergyman, and Seymour van Santvoord, a Troy, New York attorney, concerning the legality, morality, and practical enforcement of national Prohibition. Written during the middle years of the Volstead era, the correspondence records an extended contemporary debate over whether citizens opposed to Prohibition should nonetheless support enforcement of the law. Bowie argues that the Eighteenth Amendment represented a “social experiment” enacted through constitutional processes and therefore deserved civic obedience even among critics, while van Santvoord presses questions about the limits of government authority and the ethical responsibilities of dissenting citizens. The exchange illustrates how Prohibition provoked not only political conflict but also sustained intellectual debate during the 1920s.

Archive of eleven typed letters on 27 sheets, exchanged between March 10 and April 12, 1926, together with a contemporary newspaper clipping referencing the controversy. The correspondence includes multi-page typed letters signed by Rev. W. Russell Bowie and responses from Seymour van Santvoord, as well as carbon or typed copies of outgoing letters retained for publication planning. Several letters contain editorial marks and penciled corrections relating to a proposed printed pamphlet of the exchange titled “A discussion between Considerans and Candidus.” The letters address questions such as whether citizens should obey laws they believe unwise, the relationship between Prohibition enforcement and organized criminal liquor traffic, and whether opposition to the Volstead Act could coexist with civic respect for law. In one letter Bowie asks directly: “what ought to be the attitude of the men of this mind toward the practice… of buying liquor from those who defy the law and thus create an underground network of corruption and crime?” Later correspondence discusses the proposed publication of the debate and references interest from newspaper editors who had followed the exchange. The accompanying clipping reports on the controversy and public discussion surrounding the correspondence.

The exchange occurred during a period when Prohibition enforcement had become one of the most contentious public issues in the United States. By the mid-1920s, the growth of organized bootlegging networks and widespread violations of the Volstead Act had generated debate about the legitimacy of enforcement and the responsibilities of citizens under contested law. Bowie’s involvement reflects the prominent role played by Christian community in the temperance movement and in ongoing debates over the morality of Prohibition legislation. Eleven letters totaling multiple pages, together with one newspaper clipping. Typed on rectory letterhead and plain sheets, some signed in ink, with editorial markings and light corrections in pencil and ink related to preparation for publication. Moderate age toning, light creasing from folding, and minor edge wear; overall good condition. A well-preserved documentary record of intellectual debate over the meaning and enforcement of Prohibition in the United States.

Item #23036

Price: $1,800.00