Dry County Surrenders: FDR’s Repeal Wave Washes Over Prince George’s

In a stunning defeat, the dry forces in Prince George’s County have thrown in the towel in their fight to keep the county liquor-free. William A. Duvall, a former county commissioner and politician, admitted that their efforts to promote a series of dry meetings had fallen flat. On Monday, August 14, 1933, a dry meeting at Camp Springs was met with a lukewarm response, and it was clear that the tide had turned against them. Duvall vowed that the dry forces would now focus on mobilizing the largest possible vote in the upcoming September repeal ballot, hoping to sway the legislators when they draft liquor control laws. ‘We want to poll as large a vote as possible so that the legislators will listen to us when they come to framing liquor control laws,’ Duvall said. ‘In this way, we will be able to protect our communities against the open saloon and other evils.’ Despite their defeat, the dry forces remain resolute in their determination to shape the future of liquor laws in Prince George’s County.