As my contribution to the The Big Alcohol Debate, to be launched on Friday at 3pm with a 24 hour tweetathon to get a city-wide picture of the effects of alcohol over a day, here is an extract from an edition of Harry's Cocktail book from the last century: "As lately as 1920, the moderate wine-drinker in the United States was laughing at the idea of " a dry America." But Prohibition has come, and his glass of good wine has gone.

YOUR glass of wine will go too if you do not defend it.

HELP yourself. The citizen, not the trade, can win this fight.

Watch your elections, and rouse up your fellow electors.

Few candidates risk standing openly as Prohibitionists; but, cloaked as Local Optionists, as Nationalists, as State-Purchasers or merely as “Temperance Reformers," they are already busy sapping your liberties.

Keep teetotal tyrants out of Parliament and out of your Borough and County Councils.

If they are already in, work to turn them out at the next elections.

Faddists are not the men to be entrusted with the direction of public affairs and with the spending of taxpayers' and ratepayers' money.

England, say the American intruders, is to be made dry by the women's vote. Find out what they are telling your womenfolk, and explain to them the other side."

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Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here