The People are Thirsty Under political boss Tom Pendergast’s influence, Kansas City flouted Prohibition. Tom’s irreverence for federal statutes in favor of bare-knuckled local business dealings allowed his town to emerge as the “Paris of the Plains.” Money, jazz, and spirits flowed right out in the open. When a newspaperman asked Pendergast how he justified ignoring Prohibition he said, “The people are thirsty.”