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Sunshine by Day,

Moonshine by Night

by Lois Bolin, Ph.D., Old Naples Historian

illiam Safire’s Drinking in America: How Dry I am — not
A History is not, as I first thought, It wasn’t until Nov. 7, 1934, that Prohibition was repealed in
W a book on traveling around to soak Collier County by a vote of 212-38. Before that, it was not only the
up the wonders of these great United States. It outlaw areas of Chokoloskee and Everglades City whose individuals
is, rather, a book about the history of drinking, pushed the envelope of the no drinking law (ran over it more like
as in alcohol, a mainstay since the Pilgrims it); the refined city of Naples was always only a “gulp” away from
landed at Plymouth. lawlessness.
One of the best known quotes on “the Naples on the Gulp
drink” from Mr. Safire’s book is credited to Warren Fuller, Dr. Early Baum was a regular to Naples and saw with great
governor of Florida from 1949 to 1953: “If you mean the demon amusement the “easy running” of rum in and out of the City Pier in
drink that poisons the mind, pollutes the body, desecrates family plain sight of the Coast Guard cutter. In honor of the duality that
life and inflames sinners, then I’m against it. But if you mean Prohibition brought forth to most communities, he paid tribute to
the elixir of Christmas cheer, the shield against winter chill, the law’s lighter side with a home movie called “Naples on the Gulp”
the taxable potion that puts needed funds into public coffers featuring local citizens.
to comfort little crippled children, then I’m for it. This is my These days you can learn about local lore from local yokels by
position, and I will not compromise!” simply knowing where to look: usually in a corner seat at the end of
I guess Mr. Fuller learned from history when on Jan. 16, the bar near a waterfront.
1920, triumphant temperance supporters clicked their teacups At Bayfront’s Cabana Bar, an old timer told me that, back then, a
and launched one of America’s greatest and most noble failed snowbird would put a 10 cent bag of marbles in his drawers (steamer
experiments: Prohibition. trunk drawers, that is) to hide the sound of $20 bottles of Cuban
Drinking and Thinking rum or Canadian Club rolling around. The look of “All I Got Was
Some say all Prohibition did was replace good beer with bad This Lousy T-Shirt from Florida” when they arrived home was
gin and eventually kill Vaudeville, as one headline noted: replaced with a sincere voice of thanks.
Half of the Acts in Vaudeville Houses Affected by New Order One of my favorite hooch stories is of 13-year-old John Pulling
April 12, 1922. (as in Airport- Pulling Road), who was fishing around the pier one
The noble experiment of Prohibition of alcohol (1920-33) was morning when a Coast Guard captain invited him aboard for a
undertaken to reduce crime and corruption, lessen the tax burden private tour. When the captain asked the unsuspecting stool pigeon
created by prisons and poorhouses and improve health and if whiskey was served at his house, the polite youngster spilled on
hygiene in America. But, it fell short of its goals. While alcohol the beans about his parents’ frequent cocktails parties.
consumption fell in the beginning of Prohibition, it eventually When he returned home the boy casually mentioned his morning
increased and worse, it opened the way for other medicinal adventure to his father, who commenced in Paul Revere fashion to,
sources such as marijuana and opium, which forced its former as Doris Reynolds phrased it, “warn the neighbors those revenooers
proponents to argue against the very amendment for which they were coming.”
fought so feverishly. When the law arrived, all they found were model citizens, many
st
Prohibition was repealed by the 21 Amendment, making it sweating, no doubt, from the gardening they had just finished.
the only amendment in history of the U.S. Constitution to have Some lawbreakers, albeit just a few, did go behind bars — jail
been repealed. bars. A “salty dog” at the City Dock told me of a tale that one of his
kin was picked up at 2 a.m. for running rum, was tried at 10 a.m.
by the judge and was chipping rock for the chain gang by the same
afternoon.
It’s no wonder Florida was loved by so many back in those days,
what with sunshine by day and moonshine by night.

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