In Chicago, Joe Grein (“Mayor of Randolph Street”), oldtime saloon keeper, is president of the city’s Malt Producers Association. From the $20,000 worth of bottles, barrels, hops, malt, caps, cappers, kegs, jugs, rubber hose, filtering paper and flavoring extracts on the shelves of the Grein shop a homebrewer could, until last week, buy everything he needed. Grein’s shop, like thousands of others throughout the land, sold everything connected with liquor except the liquor itself.
Last week the Supreme Court, in deciding a case from Pittsburgh, broadened the National Prohibition Act to include within its realm of illegality all the apparatus and paraphernalia of brewing, distilling and distributing. “Under the afflatus of the 18th Amendment” the court held that the U. S. could seize barrels, bottles, corks, labels, cartons, etc., etc. when they were put on sale to be used in connection with illicit liquor.
Maltman Grein in Chicago, when he heard of the Supreme Court ruling, boasted: “We’ve just had one of the busiest days in years. Reports indicate a thriving business.”
Two days later eight U. S. agents walked politely into the Grein shop, locked the doors, read a warrant charging violation of the Dry law by the sale of home brewing supplies. Grein’s stock was carted off to the Federal Building to await condemnation and forfeiture. Mournfully, Maltman Grein declared: “They always pick on me when there’s a new deal in Prohibition. Have a shot of sauerkraut juice.”
“A new deal in Prohibition” it was under what the Supreme Court called its ”loose construction” of the Volstead Act. All bottlemen, barrelmen, maltmen, hopmen and all who handle their goods were put on notice of what to expect when Prohibition Commissioner Doran declared :
“Our first job is to proceed against big supply houses and wholesale distributors of equipment for homebrewing and aging moonshine liquor. . . . We intend to proceed down the line against all persons and stores selling the paraphernalia. . . . It’s a big job. . . .”
The Grein raid in Chicago was the first move under what Commissioner Doran proclaimed as a nation-wide drive on hopshops. A Treasury Department interpretation of the Supreme Court decision also raised a shadowy threat of prosecution against many a potent, prosperous grape juice company now shipping an unfermented product in kegs to customers with specific instructions for transforming it into illegal wine.
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