About this record
Commonly known as the Wickersham Commission after its chairperson, George Wickersham, the National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement was created in 1929 to investigate the enforcement of prohibition, the causes and costs of crime, and the problem of official lawlessness. The Commission collected a wide range of background information from government agencies, interest groups, and some of the most prominent figures in law and public life. The Moderation League, Inc., an organization based in New York, began surveying national prohibition conditions in 1925. While not completely free of bias (they did aim for the restoration of temperance), their annual reports provided a concise and fairly comprehensive assessment of the nation. The report included here is from 1928, one year before the Wickersham Commission was organized, and provides some national context for the Wisconsin survey done the following year by Frank Buckley.Citation
The Moderation League, Inc. "A National Survey of Conditions under Prohibition, 1928." (New York: The Moderation League, 1928);