Bootleggers in the Crosshairs: Illinois Unleashes the Padlock

In a major victory for law enforcement, Illinois has armed its officials and citizens with a powerful new tool to take down bootleggers and blind pigs. The state’s Prohibition Act, enacted to combat the liquor trade, grants authorities the power to shut down lawless liquor joints with a single stroke of a pen. According to Jos. H. Collier, attorney for the Anti-Saloon League of Illinois, this ‘padlock method’ of enforcement can cripple the illicit liquor business in a matter of days.