Wisconsin declares war on marijuana…79 years ago

In 1938, the attorney general of Wisconsin warned that the “marijuana evil” was not yet a major problem in the state.  But A.G. Orland Loomis wanted prompt action, to prevent the weed from becoming a “serious menace.”  Loomis was a Progressive Party member from Mauston who was elected governor four years later in 1942, but died from a series of heart attacks a month before taking office.

La Crosse’s vocational and adult school, now known as Western Technical College, was about to build an addition on 6th Street, to be finished in late 1939.  The centerpiece of that building would be a 1400-seat auditorium, which was a popular site for community events until the Mary E. Sawyer Auditorium was built across the street in the 1950’s.

Radio was the popular stay-at-home entertainment in 1938, with some of the biggest stars performing on Sunday nights.  WKBH radio carried “Jack Benny and Mary” on Sundays at 6 p.m.  “Mary” was Mary Livingstone, Benny’s wife in real life and his “girlfriend” on radio.  A newspaper listing showed “Charles McCarthy” at 7 o’clock…meaning Charlie McCarthy, the puppet sidekick of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen.  Radio stars 79 years ago, 1938, yesterday in La Crosse.