Anti-Saloon League

The Anti-Saloon League was founded in Oberlin, Ohio, in 1893, emerging from a merger of local temperance societies and the Ohio Anti-Saloon League, which had been active since 1890.¹ Its principal founder, Howard Hyde Russell, a Congregationalist minister and lawyer, envisioned a nonpartisan, single-issue organization that would pressure both major parties to support prohibition. The League's structure was hierarchical, with a national superintendent and state affiliates, allowing for coordinated lobbying and electioneering. Unlike the earlier Woman's Christian Temperance Union, which emphasized moral suasion, the League adopted a pragmatic, political approach, focusing on electing "dry" candidates regardless of party affiliation.²

The League's political strategy centered on the "pressure politics" model, which involved mobilizing church congregations, conducting mass petition drives, and targeting swing districts in elections.³ Under the leadership of Wayne Wheeler, who became general counsel in 1904, the League perfected the use of lobbyists, propaganda, and legislative drafting, earning Wheeler the nickname "dry boss" for his influence over Congress. The League's efforts culminated in the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919, which banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors, and the subsequent Volstead Act of 1919, which defined enforcement procedures.⁴ The League also influenced state-level prohibition laws, with many states going dry before the national amendment.

Following the enactment of Prohibition, the Anti-Saloon League's influence waned as public opposition grew, particularly during the Great Depression, when the need for tax revenue and jobs made repeal more attractive. The League's insistence on strict enforcement and its alliance with conservative Protestant denominations alienated many urban and immigrant communities, contributing to the rise of the repeal movement led by the Association Against the Prohibition Amendment. The Twenty-first Amendment, ratified in 1933, repealed the Eighteenth, and the League's political power collapsed. However, its methods—single-issue lobbying, grassroots mobilization, and nonpartisan electioneering—became a model for later advocacy groups, such as the National Rifle Association and various civil rights organizations.¹

Beyond its political campaigns, the Anti-Saloon League engaged in lesser-known activities, including the publication of the American Issue newspaper, which at its peak had a circulation of over 500,000, and the operation of a research bureau that collected data on the social costs of alcohol. The League also sponsored "dry" literature and films, such as The Devil's Needle (1916), to sway public opinion. Notably, the League's influence extended to the international arena, as it supported prohibition movements in Canada and Europe, and it maintained a close relationship with the World League Against Alcoholism.² Additionally, the League's internal records, now housed at the Ohio Historical Society, provide a rich source for historians studying Progressive Era reform movements.³

Prohibition

The nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933.

Eighteenth Amendment

The 1919 amendment to the U.S. Constitution that established Prohibition.

Volstead Act

The 1919 federal law that defined intoxicating liquors and provided for enforcement of Prohibition.

Woman's Christian Temperance Union

A temperance organization founded in 1874 that emphasized moral persuasion and also advocated for women's suffrage.