PROHIBITION

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PROHIBITION. Efforts forbidding the manufacture, transportation or sale of intoxicating beverages have a long history in Dubuque. The following chronological list of events was found in Franklin T. Oldt's History of Dubuque County, Iowa .

1838

In March, 1838, the citizens assembled at the Methodist church and organized a temperance society with Judge Lockwood president and John Plumbe, Jr., secretary, and decided on a basis of total abstinence. (1)

1840

At the monthly meeting of the Catholic Temperance Society in March, 1840, over three hundred persons were present, including many ladies; nineteen persons took the pledge. Among the speakers were Quigley, Benton, Davis, Bradford, Goodrich and Collins, nearly all of whom were lawyers. The Protestants also had a large temperance society. It was thought at this date that soon one-third of all Dubuque would have signed the pledge. (2)

1841

"A complete temperance reformation has been effected by the zeal of the Catholic clergy among its much abused Irish citizens in whose hands the glass has given place to implements of industry. Nor is the reformation confined to them alone — it has spread throughout the community (Dubuque), embracing every class and every denomination. Almost every Irish Catholic has signed the pledge of total abstinence." (Bloomington, April 16, 1841)(3)

1843

An ordinance prohibiting the opening of saloons or store on Sunday was rejected by the city council. (4)

1851

George L. Dickinson kept a popular temperance hotel in 1851. (5)

1855

A strong temperance movement swept the city early in the 1850s. (6) A bill for the suppression of intemperance was opposed in the legislature by Representative Samuels on constitutional grounds; this prohibitory law was passed in February, 1855. In March, 1855, when the Bishop of Dubuque issued a communication to his clergymen favoring the passage of the Iowa Prohibition law, the Tribune, really a Knownothing sheet, commended the act in warm terms, while the Herald laughed at the incongruity ; the latter published twenty-five objections to the law. Immense temperance meetings were held here while the bill was pending. One of the big meetings of Protestants thanked Bishop Loras for his letter to the Catholics of Iowa. Rev. W. Guernsey, a fiery Congregational minister, called Ben. M. Samuels, who had opposed the prohibitory law in the legislature, the "gutter champion." The Bishop later said he favored no political party — was simply in favor of temperance and against the liquor interests. The Germans of Dubuque did all they could to defeat the prohibitory law. They held mass meetings and passed resolutions denouncing the bill. Action against liquor dealers who violated the Iowa prohibitory law was taken in July, 1855, by the seizure of liquors.

1860

"The year 1860 has been remarkable in this section for a sort of voluntary temperance movement. There has been no organization, no apparent external movement; but simultaneously as it were, in the month of January, a large number of hard drinkers voluntarily suspended operations in this direction. It numbers among the victims men of all classes, ages and conditions — honorables, ex-honorables, lawyers, doctors, bootblacks, horse jockeys, editors, printers, river men, hodcarriers — fellows who indulged in Heidsieck, Moussiere lager, 'hale' and all the brands of whisky from 'instant death' and 'just around the corner' to the longer ranges such as 'eighty-rod' and 'Minie rifle.' There are other changes as marked." — {Herald, March 1, 1860.) During the summer of 1860 the Dubuque Temperance Society petitioned the city council to close saloons, gardens, etc., on the Sabbath. At the same time a petition signed by several hundred citizens asked that no such Sunday law be passed. After sharp debate both petitions were laid on the table. It was claimed that the existing Sunday law was strong enough if enforced.

1862

The bill of 1862, which aimed to stop the manufacture and sale of lager beer in Iowa, was vehemently denounced here by press and mass meetings. Early in 1862 the Legislature refused to repeal the prohibitory liquor law, though strongly urged to do so by Dubuque and other river cities. This law provided that on the affidavit of any person private houses might be searched for liquors and the right of a change of venue was cut off. "A greater outrage than this has never been attempted in the most despotic countries on earth," said the "Herald." (7)

1874

A big temperance crusade was started here in March, 1874; the liquor people united in opposition and demanded the license system. The crusaders demanded the enforcement of the existing prohibitory law. In 1873 the liquor trade here was about $500,000; should this be abolished Dubuque finances would receive a deadly blow, it was stated. Many of the best citizens resolved to back the liquor interests in their fight for existence under a license system. Immense meetings were held by both sides. The crusade did not succeed because it attacked liquor selling and not intemperance. It assumed that it was a crime to use intoxicating liquors. The law had the right to punish men for becoming drunk, but not for drinking. Liquors were seized and numerous suits resulted. (8)

1875

Late in 1875 a temperance crusade secured 400 signers to the pledge. (9)

1882

The Women's Christian Temperance Union forced the Iowa Legislature to pass a bill requiring citizens to vote on an amendment forbidding the sale of liquor. A strong anti-prohibition club was formed here to defeat the amendment. On the question of amending the prohibitory law the vote in Dubuque stood 1,223 for the amendment; 6,283 against the amendment. The amendment was carried in the state by a large majority. Iowa became a "dry" state on June 27th. (10) The law was declared unconstitutional in January 1883.

At their convention that summer, Democrats called for a “well regulated license law.” At the Republican convention the chairman David B. HENDERSON declared, “My friends, the wife and child of the ‘drunkard’ are raising their hands to you for aid. Their appeal will not be unheard.” In the 1883 fall election of members to the General Assembly, the Republicans gained control of both houses. (11)

1884

When the legislators met, Republicans quickly went to work. An attempt was made to begin the amendment process again but it went nowhere. In the end a strong prohibition law was passed that outlawed all intoxicating liquids including beer, ale, and wine, which had been exempted in earlier laws. Iowa now had absolute prohibition. (12)

The new law went into effect on July 4, 1884. There was open defiance of the law. In Dubuque the newspaper said people understood that the new law would not be enforced. (13) Saloons here did business about as usual, though apprehensively. The Personal Liberty Society held regular meetings to consider the situation. Informers were led to understand that they would get into serious trouble if they interfered. Secret anti-prohibition meetings were held; Jesse P. FARLEY was one of the leaders of the movement for the enforcement of the law. (14)

1889 and 1891

Republicans split on the issue of prohibition leading to the first loss of a Republican to the office of Iowa governor since the first had been elected in 1858. (15) The liquor interests were called "River Rats of the Rum Counties" by the prohibition orators. (16)

1894

A number of liquor bills were introduced into the legislature in 1894, but the one which seemed to meet the governor’s criterion of modification was the mulct law.

The mulct law provided that a tax of six hundred dollars be levied against anyone, other than a registered pharmacist, who sold liquor. Upon payment of the tax they could continue to sell liquor and not be subject to prosecution. The law provided that the citizens of a county could call for a referendum to decide whether the mulct would be offered in that county. The mulct was not legalization of liquor; at the same time it allowed local option sales of liquor, the goal of the wet moderates. By 1906 the mulct law was in operation in forty-three counties with a total of 1,770 saloons. (17)

1903

In Iowa the Anti-Saloon League joined other established temperance organizations and religious groups to limit the availability of liquor. (18)

1907

In March, 1907, a mass meeting against illegal saloons was held at the opera house. Archbishop Keane was the principal speaker. The saloons were violating the Sunday and night closing ordinance. The Law and Order League began numerous legal proceedings against them. (19)

1909

The only new law that had an impact on liquor enforcement was the “Moon Law” passed in 1909. Named for Senator Edwin G. Moon, a Democrat from Ottumwa, the law set a limit on liquor licenses a city could issue to one for each 1,000 residents. Exceptions were made for large cities that current licenses would not have to be revoked to achieve the goal the law established. By September 1912 the number of saloons in Iowa was half the number in 1908. (20)

A delegation of Dubuque's business men was sent to Des Moines in 1909 to appear before the senatorial committee to protest against the resubmission of prohibition to the vote of the people as a constitutional amendment. (21)

1915-1917

The 1915 General Assembly passed a prohibition amendment. Moreover, the "dry forces" also repealed the Mulct Law. In theory, liquor would be banned in Iowa no matter what happened to the constitutional amendment. (22) The image of Dubuque residents being less than enthusiastic about prohibition began on the first "dry" Saturday in 1916. Movement on the bridge into Illinois had to be stopped until the traffic snarls leading to "wet" Illinois were cleared. (23)

When the General Assembly met again in early 1917, it passed the prohibition amendment for the second time and established October 15, 1917 for the ratifying vote by Iowa voters. Citizens waited nearly two weeks for the vote to be certified. In the end the amendment lost by only 932 votes out of a total of 430,588 votes cast. Fifty-six counties voted for the amendment; forty-three counties, including all the Mississippi River counties, voted against it. (24)

1919

By the time the Iowa General Assembly convened again in 1919 the United States Congress had passed and sent to the states the Eighteenth Amendment establishing national prohibition. Iowa was the thirty-first state to ratify it on January 15, 1919. (25)

In Iowa bootleggers created profitable businesses. They had easy access to a key ingredient for the manufacture of alcohol—corn. Bootleggers (people who illegally made and sold alcohol) did not always worry about following safety/cleanliness guidelines. Sometimes contaminated liquor led to paralysis or other ills. Terms used to describe the effects of bad alcohol included "swell head," "limber neck," and "jake paralysis." Other risks included harm from the explosion of alcohol cookers. Iowa’s bootleggers made moonshine whiskey, wine, gin and home brew beer. If Iowans wanted to purchase illegal liquor, they went to speakeasies or to criminals in alleys or back doors. Bootleggers charged $16 to $25 per “gallon of alky” in the early days of Prohibition. As competition increased, the price dropped to about $5 a gallon. Moonshiners usually had to pay a $500 fine or serve six months in jail. Few people could afford to pay the fine and usually served their time. (26)

The number of East Dubuque liquor licenses soared despite a doubling of the license fee. Little effort was made to apprehend those bringing liquor back into Iowa. Mobs of Dubuque residents were also found in East Dubuque on the evening before January 16, 1920, the day Prohibition became a national policy.

Fear of unannounced visits by state liquor agents led local bartenders and citizens to develop methods of hiding their illegal liquor. It was said that the lanterns shining from belvederes on several Dubuque homes were used to signal bootleggers. After the construction of some buildings, basements were dug to hide liquor storage.

One bartender hid his store of liquor in an unused elevator shaft. Another resorted to a hole in the floor. When a bottle was needed, it was lifted through the hole. Unannounced searches by state agents led to a brick being dropped through the hole breaking whatever evidence lay below. Boat owners often appeared to have two anchor ropes dangling in the water-one actually tied to their favorite brand of liquor.

Bootleggers were estimated to have made $100 million dollars in the first year of prohibition as beer went from a nickel to a quarter a glass. Such profits attracted mob interest. It was said that bootleggers used the old DUBUQUE BREWING AND MALTING COMPANY. Violence was directed at property and people.

Although Iowa was once very supportive of the policy, on April 13, 1933, Prohibition was officially repealed in Iowa.

The era was the background for a musical comedy, JOE SENT ME! written by Paul HEMMER.

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Source:

1. Oldt, Franklin T. History of Dubuque County, Iowa. Chicago: Goodspeed Historical Association, 1911, p. 61. Online: http://archive.org/stream/cu31924028913965/cu31924028913965_djvu.txt

2. Ibid., p. 68

3. Ibid., p. 70

4. Ibid. p. 74

5. Ibid., p. 92

6. Ibid., p. 95

7. "Iowa's Prohibition Years," Iowa Pathways, Online: http://www.iptv.org/iowapathways/mypath.cfm?ounid=ob_000162

8. Oldt, p. 174

9. Ibid., p. 177

10. Kruse, Len. My Old Dubuque. Dubuque: Center for Dubuque History, Loras College, 2000, p. 241

11. "The Rocky Road to Nirvana: Nineteenth Century Liquor Legislation in Iowa and the Problem of Enforcement," Essay Read at the German-America Heritage Center, June 10, 2012 Online: http://gahc.org/McDaniel%20Lecture.htm

12. Ibid.

13. Ibid.

14. Oldt, p. 186

15. "Rocky Road..."

16. Ibid., p. 187

17. "Rocky Road..."

18. Ibid.

19. Oldt, p. 202

20. "Rocky Road..."

21. Oldt, p. 202

22. "Rocky Road..."

23. Kruse, p. 243

24. "Rocky Road..."

25. "Rocky Road..."

26. Iowa Pathways