Early in 1917 a constitutional amend ment was presented to Congress, but failed to pass by the necessary two thirds majority. On December 17, 1917, it was again presented, and this time it passed both the House and the Senate. On Nov. 1, 1917, Congress enacted the necesary legislation to bring the District of Columbia over into dry terri tory. Meanwhile, also, on Sept. 8, 1917, war prohibition was instituted, for bidding the further manufacture of spir ituous liquors, with the exception of beer and the lighter wines, this modification being made through the personal influ ence of President Wilson. Another im portant piece of legislation passed in 1917 was the Reed Amendment to the Bankhead Bill, going into effect July 1, which forbade the shipment of liquors into States where prohibition legislation had already been enacted.
During 1918 the national amendment for prohibition was ratified by the legis latures of 15 States, though only 11 of these were in regular session, indicating that special sessions had been called in four cases. Five new States were also
added to the completely dry list : Florida, Nevada, Ohio, and Wyoming, these by constitutional amendments, and Texas, by a statutory measure. Minnesota was only saved from going dry by the fact that the majority of 16,000 voters who voted in favor of it were not a ma jority of the general electorate, the law being that a majority of the voters in the State must pass it, and not a ma jority of those who voted specially for the measure. Porto Rico and Alaska, of the outlying possessions, also went dry.
On Jan. 16, 1919, the required ratification of three-fourths of the States was secured by the act of the Nebraska Legislature, and on January 29 the amendment to the Constitution of the United States, declaring illegal the man ufacture and sale of all alcoholic liquors, was adopted and incorporated within the basic lavis of the nation, to take effect on Jan. 16, 1920. Eventually the amend ment was ratified by all except three States.