Josh Gordon Quotes

Let us candidly admit that there are shameful blemishes on the American past, of which the worst by far is rum. Nevertheless, we have improved man's lot and enriched his civilization with rye, bourbon and the Martini cocktail. In all history has any other nation done so much?

The 21st Amendment gives the states the right to decide what the drinking ages should be and other aspects relative to alcoholic beverages, and I support that. As a United States senator, I want to weigh in - this is not my agenda.

Prohibition is better than no liquor at all.

This day we have held a council, and it is agreed by the Shawnee in general that whatever rum is in our towns shall be broke and split and not drunk; and whosoever shall bring any rum or any sort of strong drink into our towns, Indian or white man, let it be little or much, it shall be broke or split in the presence of the whole town…

Evidence...proves that prohibition only drives drunkenness behind doors and into dark places, and does not cure it or even diminish it.

That no measures will avail short of rendering ardent spirits a contraband of trade is nearly self evident.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo just signed a bill that bans powdered alcohol from the state. So if you live in New York and you're consuming powdered alcohol, your life just somehow got even worse.

With such compelling information, the question is why haven't we been able to do more to prevent the crisis of underage drinking? The answer is: the alcohol industry.

I use the term bar-room to represent every means for the sale and traffic in liquor, and I earnestly appeal to the people to put an end to the traffic, no matter under what name or guise it may be carried on.

It's absolutely absurd to even consider voting on Sunday alcohol sales. I am opposed to alcohol period. It doesn't do anybody any good in the long run. It's a dangerous drug.

Prohibition makes you want to cry into your beer and denies you the beer to cry into.

Would this country be better off if no one drank? Yes, it would be, but we tried that; it doesn't work. I don't want to tell anybody that they can't have as many drinks as they want every single night of the week as long as they don't get behind the wheel of a car.

Minimum sales prices for alcohol are a startlingly bad idea. As with excise duties, the effects are regressive.

But there's certainly only one thing I could never agree with George Galloway on. He's a teetotaller and wants to close all the bars in the House of Commons. That is just not on.

The Prophet hath cursed ten persons on account of wine: one, the first extractor of the juice of the grape for others; the second, for himself; the third, the drinker of it; the fourth, the bearer of it; the fifth, the person to whom it is brought; the sixth, the waiter; the seventh, the seller of it; the eighth, the eater of its price; the ninth, the buyer of it; the tenth, that person who hath purchased it for another.

This has been a clear mandate to Congress to end, as soon as possible, the tragic folly of federal prohibition.

We advocate the repeal of the 18th Amendment.

… a restraint of their debauchery by a strict execution of the laws provided against it, more particularly by the suppressing of superfluous brandy shops and unnecessary alehouses.

In view of the well known facts that the sale and use in the Army of the United States of intoxicating liquors is the cause of such demoralization among both men and officers, and that such sale and use give rise to a very large proportion of the cases before general and garrison courts martial, involving great expense and serious injury to the service, it is therefore directed that the Secretary of War take suitable steps, as far as practicable consistent with vested rights, to prevent the sale of intoxicating liquors (as a beverage) at the camps, forts, and other posts of the army.

I belong to the Congress. My party has always supported prohibition, though it may not have been successful in implementing prohibition in many states.

I'm not ashamed to admit that prohibition is 'impractical.'

When Prohibition was introduced, I hoped that it would be widely supported by public opinion and the day would soon come when the evil effects of alcohol would be recognised. I have slowly and reluctantly come to believe that this has not been the result. Instead, drinking has generally increased; the speakeasy has replaced the saloon; a vast army of lawbreakers has appeared; many of our best citizens have openly ignored Prohibition; respect for the law has been greatly lessened; and crime has increased to a level never seen before.

I have always claimed Americans didn't want a drink as bad as they wanted the right to take a drink if they did happen to want one.

Liquor - you can make it illegal but you can't make it unpopular.

I think it is a great error to consider a heavy tax on wines as a tax on luxury. On the contrary, it is a tax on the health of our citizens.