Rare 1918 Anti-Prohibition Broadside: "The Dry Spasm" – Rochester, NY...

 

This exceptional and rare broadside, titled "The Dry Spasm," dated February 18, 1918, is a scathing relic of the "Wet vs. Dry" political warfare that consumed Rochester, New York, during the lead-up to National Prohibition. Issued just months after Congress proposed the 18th Amendment, this document captures the visceral local resistance to the temperance movement in one of America's premier brewing hubs.

 

The title "The Dry Spasm" serves as a biting satirical jab at the Anti-Saloon League and the WCTU, characterizing the moral crusade for Prohibition as a temporary, irrational fit of hysteria rather than sound public policy. At the time of publication, Rochester was bracing for the April 1918 "City Local Option" vote, which threatened the livelihoods of thousands in the city’s massive brewing industry, including the iconic Genesee and American Brewing companies.

 

Typical of the "Wet" propaganda of the era, such broadsides often appealed to "Personal Liberty," warned of skyrocketing property taxes to offset lost liquor revenue, and argued that the ban was a betrayal of soldiers fighting overseas during WWI.

 

Surviving examples of such local political "street literature" are remarkably scarce. This broadside represents a significant primary source for collectors of Prohibition-era ephemera, New York political history, or brewing memorabilia. It offers a raw, unfiltered look at the desperate efforts of "Wet" advocates to stem the tide of a movement that would soon change the American social landscape forever. A museum-quality piece of Rochester history.