From WWW home page of Westerville (OH) Public Library > The Temperance Movement in Westerville History > > [Image] > > A temperance poster on display in the museum which uses two of the > popular themes running through Anti-Saloon League literature - > patriotism and the welfare of young people. > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > In 1858, Westerville town trustees passed one of the earliest > prohibition ordinances in Ohio. The local law prohibited "the sale, > barter or gift of wine, fermented cider, beer, and spirituous > liquors." That decision was to affect the history of Westerville and > the nation for over a century. The law was challenged by aspiring > saloon owner, Henry Corbin and his wife Phyloxena on two occasions, in > 1875 and 1879. After a series of incidents, sometime referred to as > "The Whiskey Wars", Westerville remained a "dry town". > > A national temperance group was founded in Oberlin, Ohio in 1893 and > later became known as the Anti-Saloon League of America with > headquarters in Washington, D. C. The League's goal was to close the > nation's saloons and promote total abstinence by "agitation, > legislation and law enforcement". "The Saloon Must Go" and references > to the "evils of liquor" were slogans spread across the nation through > booklets, folders and placards printed by the League. Through that > temperance literature the people of Westerville and the Anti-Saloon > League of America became partners in the "noble experiment", > prohibition. > > The Westerville Board of Trade was formed in 1908. When they learned > that the Anti-Saloon league was looking for a permanent location for > its printing department, they raised $7000 to "promote Westerville" as > the place to locate. The village postmaster was sent to Washington to > offer a site in Westerville for construction of the printing plant. > The offer, worth $10,000, was considered by the League and, in the > words from a booklet prepared by the Board of Trade, ...a > village...socially clean and morally upright", Westerville was chosen. > The town tradition of temperance was clearly a factor in the decision > of the League. > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > [Image] > > [Image] > > The American Issue Publishing Company was formed in June, 1909 as the > parent company of the Anti-Saloon League of America with the national > headquarters in Westerville, Ohio. The printing plant was dedicated in > September, 1909 and soon, pamphlets, posters and leaflets proclaiming > the "evils of alcohol" were streaming from the presses to State > Leagues and other temperance groups across the nation. Thus were the > beginnings of the national prohibition movement which would eventually > culminate in the 18th amendment that stopped the sale and transport of > alcoholic beverages in the United States of America. > > Many consider that Ernest H. Cherrington was the father of the > temperance movement. he had attracted the attention of the League's > superintendent, Purley Baker, for his work in the states of Ohio and > Washington and was named Editor-in-chief of the new American Issue > Publishing Company. By 1910, Cherrington was general manager of the > company and editor of the The American Issue, the official newspaper > and many other publications and papers. His six-volume Standard > Encyclopedia of the Alcohol Problem is still considered the most > comprehensive study of alcohol related problems. Cherrington built the > American Issue Publishing Company into a huge publishing enterprise. > His power and influence as a temperance reformer was enormous. Most > considered him to be the one man most responsible for the ratification > of the 18th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. > > By 1915 over forty tons of printed materials poured from the American > Issue presses every month. The flow of mail was so large that > Westerville became the smallest community in the country with a > first-class post office. After the 18th Amendment became law in 1920, > the circulation of The American Issue was 1,746,184, proportionately > as large as many present-day national news magazines. > > Westerville was enjoying a building boom in those years. Many > officials of the Anti-Saloon league, such as Howard Hyde Russell and > Purley Baker, built large homes on South Grove Street which was > quickly nicknamed "Temperance Row". Russell, the founder of the > Anti-Saloon League, was also founder of the Lincoln-Lee Legion. The > Legion, named for abstainers Abraham Lincoln and General Robert E. > Lee, launched an aggressive campaign in 1915 for state and national > prohibition. Accompanied by a male quartet, Dr. Russell drove > coast-to-coast conducting 125 temperance rallies in 63 days, all in > "wet" states. All-in-all the Legion collected 5,000,000 pledges of > abstinence mainly through church Sunday Schools of that day. > > William E. "Pussyfoot" Johnson crusaded against alcohol for fifty > years. He traveled the world for the anti-liquor movement. Possibly > the most colorful of the many personalities associated with > Anti-Saloon League, he gained his nickname as a special Indian agent > in the Oklahoma Territory. A newspaper called him "The booze hunter > that strikes like lightning even if he is a pussyfoot." He joined the > American Issue Publishing Company in 1912. Johnson went to England in > 1919 to attend a meeting of the World League Against Alcoholism, an > organization founded by Cherrington. During a debate with a London > barrister, Johnson was hit by a stone hurled by a not-so-tee-totaling > spectator resulting in the loss of an eye. > > [Image] Cherrington, Johnson, Baker, Russell, all worked tirelessly in > support of the passage of the 18th Amendment which was ratified on > January 16, 1919, only to be repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933. > Their vision and dream, their "noble experiment" had failed. Defeat > did not daunt their spirit. After the repeal, the Temperance Education > Foundation was established by members of the Anti-Saloon League. It > was devoted to education, research and data collection on all phases > of alcohol problems. > > In 1948 the name of the Anti-Saloon League of America was officially > changed to the Temperance Education Foundation. The American Issue > Publishing Company was put in trust for the Foundation. Cherrington > died in 1950 and Rev. E. H. Dailey became head of the Foundation, > American Issue Publishing Company, and the World League Against > Alcoholism. Part of the land was donated to Westerville Public > Library. Gradually the staff dwindled, trustees retired or died and > were not replaced. Changing times left the organization almost > dormant. Ill health forced Rev. Dailey to make a decision about the > preservation of the records and unique library that had been started > by, and continued at the insistence of, Dr. Cherrington. consisting of > published volumes, manuscripts and research papers, the collection > contains items that cannot be found elsewhere. It is the largest > temperance reference library in the world. > > The Temperance Education Foundation, as the direct descendant of the > Anti Saloon League of America, turned over its building and contents > to the Westerville Public Library in 1973. The building was remodeled > and now serves as the administration building of the Westerville > Library. The library assumed the monumental task of preserving and > cataloging the temperance reference materials, a job that took ten > years. Most of the material is housed at the Ohio Historical Center > and those items of local interest are in the Westerville Library. The > entire collection, generally covering the years between 1870 and 1934, > is now reproduced on 575 rolls of microfilm. It is available to > researchers and historians for comprehensive study of the many aspects > of the temperance and prohibition movement at the height of its > popularity and influence. > > The Anti-Saloon League of America and the wonderful personalities > associated with it had a profound effect on Westerville and the > nation. Who is to say that the "noble experiment" was a failure? Many > benefited. Certainly, Westerville has a truly richer heritage because > of it. >