With the passage of the Volstead Act aka Prohibition there would be countless polls taken on whether it should be repealed. Robert M. Cook, editor/publisher of Susanville’s Lassen Mail newspaper decided to take an informal straw poll vote from the readers of the newspaper in the spring of 1926.
The results were not surprising, since bootleg operations were widespread throughout the region. Only 12 votes were cast to keep the existing law, while 401 wanted it repealed. A second question was whether to allow just wine and beer, which 110 said yes and six no.
Some readers sent in comments. One wrote “Voluntary abstinence always, compulsory prohibition, never.” Another “Bear in mind that the organized bootleg ring does not want the present law repealed. If it were the country would have fewer millionaires.”
It should be noted that earlier in the year a national poll was taken wherein California only 525 voted to keep the law, while 12,637 were against. What was surprising was Utah only 61 yes to keep the law, while 1,323 wanted it repealed.