The Politics of Prohibition American Governance and the Prohibition Party,

Transcription

1 The Politics of Prohibition American Governance and the Prohibition Party, This book introduces the intrepid temperance advocates who formed America s longest-living minor political party the Prohibition Party drawing on the party s history to illuminate how American politics came to exclude minor parties from governance. traces the influence of pressure groups and ballot reforms, arguing that these innovations created a threshold for organization and maintenance that required extraordinary financial and personal resources from parties already lacking in both. More than most other minor parties, the Prohibition Party resisted an encroaching Democratic-Republican stranglehold over governance. When Prohibitionists found themselves excluded from elections, they devised a variety of tactics: they occupied saloons, pressed lawsuits, forged utopian communities, and organized dry consumers. is Assistant Professor of History and Liberal Arts at The Juilliard School in New York.

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3 The Politics of Prohibition American Governance and the LISA M. F. ANDERSEN The Juilliard School, New York

4 32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, ny , usa Cambridge University Press is part of the University of Cambridge. It furthers the University s mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence. Information on this title: / C 2013 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2013 Printed in the United States of America A catalog record for this publication is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Andersen, Lisa M. F. The politics of prohibition : American governance and the /, The Juilliard School, New York. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn (hardback) 1. Prohibition Party (U.S.) History. 2. Prohibitionists United States. 3. Prohibition United States. 4. United States Politics and government I. Title. jk2382.a dc isbn Hardback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls for external or third-party Internet Web sites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Web sites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

5 To my parents, for making it possible. To my husband, for making it bearable.

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7 Contents Acknowledgments page ix Introduction 1 part i: building a constituency 1 Temperance, Prohibition, and a Party 9 2 Disorderly Conduct in the Emancipation Era 29 3 Women s Peculiar Partisanship 62 part ii: the minor party problem 4 Collateral Consequences of the 1884 Election 99 5 Writing Prohibition into the Soil Strenuous Bodies 191 part iii: partisanship, policy, and protest votes 7 Opposing the Prohibition Amendment 227 Epilogue 279 Appendix 283 Bibliography 285 Index 307 vii

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9 Acknowledgments Books first begin as conversations. I would therefore like to thank the many mentors and friends who talked and debated with me during graduate school at the University of Chicago, where this book began as a dissertation. Kathleen Conzen and Neil Harris never let me leave a meeting without a clearer understanding of what problems had emerged and what to try next. James Sparrow pointed me in the right direction when my sources called for deeper political analysis, especially regarding political institutions. Amy Dru Stanley, my advisor, provided nuanced and insightful feedback and taught me how to ask better questions, abandon unproductive pathways, and engage texts thoughtfully. For serious critiques mixed with wine and cheese, I would like to thank everyone in the University of Chicago s Social History workshop. Extra thanks to Moira Hinderer, Grant Masden, and Matt Millikan, who read drafts of multiple chapters. Joanna Grisinger added legal thinking to the mix, Aaron Shkuda commiserated, and John Deak reminded me that the United States is not always an exception. Emily Brunner, Tracy Steffes, and Matthew Perry gave substantial recommendations regarding the book s organization. To those three, I offer thanks tinged with apologies for such large infringements on their time. How could anyone who serves in a Liberal Arts department located within a performing arts institution resist interdisciplinary approaches? For inspiring ideas and chocolate I would like to thank my colleagues: Mitchell Aboulafia, Renée Baron, Greta Berman, Aaron Jaffe, Anthony Lioi, Michael Maione, Anita Mercier, Roger Oliver, Ron Price, Gonzalo Sanchez, Jo Sarzotti, and Harold Slamovitz. Columbia graduate student George Aumoithe did meticulous work as a summer research assistant. ix

10 x Acknowledgments When studying a minor party, one of the great concerns is that archival collections might be eliminated to make more room for victorious groups. I therefore toast the following institutions for their helpful staffs, for their extraordinary collections, and in several cases, for the financial support that permitted me to visit. Thanks to the Brooklyn Historical Society, Center for Research Libraries, Detroit Public Library, Kansas Historical Society, Minnesota Historical Society, National Archives in Washington DC, New York Historical Society, New York Public Library, New York University s Bobst Library, Ohio Historical Society, Tennessee State Library and Archives, The Juilliard School s Wallace Library, University of Michigan s Bentley Historical Library, University of Chicago s Regenstein Library, and Wisconsin Historical Society. The Juilliard School s John Erskine Faculty Prize, the University of Chicago, and the Gilder- Lehrman Institute of American History provided funding for research and writing. As the dissertation transitioned into a book, several scholars were extremely generous with their time and advice. For reading various chapters, I would like to thank Richard Franklin Bensel, Melanie Gustafson, Mark Wahlgren Summers, and Jon Zimmerman. Even before Jack S. Blocker, Jr., graciously found time to read part of the manuscript, his own work on the Prohibition Party had already helped to demystify these partisans intricate web of relationships and ideas. Many thanks also to those who chaired conference panels wherein my early research was presented, including William Rorabaugh, Liette Gidlow, Mark Neely, and Kip Kosek. Mr. Wood of Harriman, Tennessee s, historical society shared his love of his community and also pointed me toward some new documents. New York University s History of Education workshop gave helpful feedback on the third chapter. Two anonymous readers for Cambridge University Press gave meticulous advice, and my editors, first Eric Crahan and then Deborah Gershenowitz, have gracefully guided this book through the publishing process. Parts of this manuscript are reprinted with permission from the Journal of Women s History and Journal of Policy History. My parents, Kay Andersen and Don Andersen, have offered unending, patient support. My husband, Matthew Perry, has shared in every challenge and triumph. Cute photos of my children, David and Christopher, sit on my desk to remind me to work efficiently and get home. And sometimes they draw on my drafts.