Lager, Lymph, Germans and Templars in Manchester–Part 5 of 6
by Ray Berg and Alan Dyer
Introduction
Parts 1 through 4 of this series discussed the political and cultural conflicts which developed in Manchester due to the influx of German immigrants to the village following the Civil War. The Germans’ need for lager beer led to the opening of the Michigan Southern Brewery in 1872, located at what is now 606 S. Macomb Street. The brewery went through several owners before enjoying its greatest growth and prosperity under John Koch from 1884-1892. Concurrent with the brewery’s growth, local temperance groups sought to reduce alcoholic consumption through classifying drinks by their strength, “purity”, and potential for personal and social decline. In addition to attempts to moderate individual drinking habits, these groups encouraged saloon owners to exercise care in dispensing alcoholic drinks. More radical elements of the temperance movement gradually moved toward a call for total prohibition, focusing their attack on both local saloons and to a lesser extent, the breweries.
The temperance movement had, in part, been influenced by the nativism movement, which criticized German immigrants for their drinking habits and unwillingness to adopt the “English” values of the original settlers. However, by 1890, German merchants, office holders, and other prominent citizens dominated much of the village’s social and political culture, and nativism became less of an issue for Manchester and the rest of the country.
By March 1892, when John Koch suddenly passed away and the brewery changed hands again, temperance was clearly waning as the perceived solution to alcohol-related social issues by reformers. Prohibition became the rallying cry with “wet vs. dry” arguments dominating both the regional and national landscapes. Our story continues to its conclusion by following both the Michigan Southern Brewery and the local anti-alcohol campaign to their ends in 1920.
Michigan Southern Brewery Changes Hands
John Koch’s family did not wish to carry on the business after his death, and the brewery was sold in May 1892 to a partnership consisting of Charles Adrion and Jacob Hauser. Adrion came from Germany in 1880 and was apparently residing in Manchester in 1892. Hauser came from Ann Arbor with some brewing background. The partners, who inherited a thriving business, worked to increase sales and develop new products. Figure 11 shows an 1897 advertisement for the brewery and bottling works.
Figure 11 – 1897 Advertisement for Michigan Southern Brewery and Bottling Works
The new proprietors installed a salt brine pump and cooling machine, to minimize the need for extracting ice from the River Raisin. This apparently had only limited success, for on February 8, 1894, Mat Blosser reported in the Manchester Enterprise: “The upper pond was completely stripped of ice by Adrion & Co., and Wm. Rehfuss last week. We understand Adrion & Co. put up 520 loads and will put up 200 loads or more i[f] the weather is favorable.” Rehfuss, owner of a meat market, along with other dealers in perishable goods, were constantly competing for ice in pre-refrigeration days.
The stripping of ice from the mill pond, illustrated in Figure 12, created a public relations problem for Adrion, Rehfuss and others. Ice skating (Figure 13) was a popular winter pastime in Manchester during these years and ice harvesting created a certain amount of havoc or, at least, disappointment among the skaters. A contemporary article in the Enterprise noted: “There was a hole in the ice beneath the railroad bridge on Saturday night and thereby lies a tale. A young man of the village and his partner of the gentler sex were smoothly gliding along when suddenly the young lady’s pedal extremities disappeared from view. In [an] attempt to help her up, the young man broke through the ice and received a chilly bath.”
Figure 12 – Ice Harvesters on the Manchester Mill Pond
Figure 13 – The Competing Ice Skaters on the Mill Pond
On August 16, 1894, the Enterprise continued its support of the brewery’s business: “Charles Adrion & Co., proprietors of the southern brewery in this village, are feeling very jubilant. In competition with Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and other breweries they secured the order for all the beer used by the society on [G]erman day at Chelsea and a large quantity was used, besides what the saloons in the village bought. Users are prolific in their praises of the excellence of the beer made by Adrion & Co., some credit with being equal to any made in the state. The firm is certainly building up a fine trade in surrounding towns and when their beer is better known they will no doubt enjoy a larger patronage because they are men who understand their business, are accommodating and progressive.”
On August 18, 1898, the occasion of the annual German Day parade brought forth the following tribute in the Enterprise: “Now came a beautiful, and perhaps the most refreshing float in line. It was from the Michigan southern brewery of Chas. Adrion & Co. It was a bowery covered with hop vines, etc. and several men were stirring malt. There was also a large white oak with the brightest of brass faucets, and the whole must have made the mouths of many Germans―and ―Americans to water with anticipation.”
In September 1898, Jacob Hauser sold his interest in the brewery to Adrion, and moved to Ann Arbor. Brewery sales continued strong and received much publicity, some of it perhaps not desired. On the July 4, 1899 holiday, the ever-watchful Enterprise noted: “Charles Adrion’s large brewery wagon made its usual trip to Jerusalem, we are told, on Monday, and besides its precious cargo of liquid refreshments and the customary driver, Gottlieb Flumm, Charles, alias ‘Doc’ Perkins, was a passenger. Somewhere about the midnight hours that night the team with wagon attached came dashing down Ann Arbor street at break neck speed, and in turning onto Exchange Place the whirl was too much for a lot of “empties” and they were plied in a promiscuous heap on the south side of the street. Gottlieb succeeded in stopping the team, but it was found ‘Doc’ was not then in the wagon, and none knows how much of a walk he had to reach town.”
The Enterprise continued to report on Adrion’s brewery operations and improvements into the early 1900s, noting continued prosperity and sales. But by 1905, the general political tide was slowly turning against brewers and saloons, as various prohibition initiatives began to gain strength and legislative actions took hold.
Temperance Falters, Prohibition Rises
The temperance movement in the Manchester area was fading by the late 1890s. Although several small groups remained active participants, the tone had begun to change, reflecting a move toward the total prohibition of alcohol. The Ann Arbor Argus-Democrat reported that the Southern Washtenaw Farmers’ Club met at the home of George Rawson in Bridgewater on Friday, October 7, 1898. About 50 members were present. After a dinner was served, the president, William Pease of Manchester, called the meeting to order and announced the topic “The Duty of the Farmer to the Temperance Question.” Emmett Allen of Bridgewater stated that all restrictions on the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages, and all related taxes and licenses, should be removed, allowing the business to be conducted like any other business. It would then fall into disrepute on its own. Mrs. Spafard of Manchester followed with a paper on the evils of the liquor traffic upon society and the homes. Members enthusiastically supported this paper.
A general discussion followed, led by C. M. Fellows. By request of the president, Mr. Fellows reported on the cost of operating the jail and the poor house in Washtenaw County, two thirds of whose residents were there because of alcohol usage. He concluded that taxes might be greatly reduced by reducing the consumption of liquor. At the close of the discussion the following resolutions were unanimously adopted: “1st, that we regard the evils of intemperance as the greatest curse to the state and to the nation; 2d, that we view with deep regret the increased use of intoxicants; 3d, we regard the saloon and the public bar as the greatest curse of the home, the enemy of mankind, filling poorhouses and prisons, and corrupting politics and politicians; 4th, that we as a club believe that the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors as a beverage ought to be prohibited by law.” While resolutions 1 through 3 spoke to the heart of the temperance movement, number 4 had moved beyond it to embrace the desires of the prohibition movement.
Passionate as this plea was, it was still in the minority among Manchester residents. The village enjoyed a prosperous saloon business, numbering eleven establishments at the turn of the century. However, politicians could not ignore the growing prohibition movement and the tactics of figures such as the Rev. Billy Sunday and the Anti-Saloon League. By 1906, the state set the price of a saloon license at $1,000, and the Manchester Village Council required that $3,000 saloon bonds be posted. Further, regulations that monitored the quantities of alcohol sold and the quality of a seller’s operation caused frequent movement and change of ownership in Manchester saloons. Seven saloons were ultimately approved for Manchester in 1907, with the other owners unwilling, or unable, to meet the new requirements.
While saloon and brewer associations were pleased with an increase in the demand for their malt products during this period, they were also aware of the growing clamor that they be shut down. To this end, they employed various techniques to counter the Anti-Saloon League. These measures, in general, sought to pit the Democratic and Republican Parties against each other on issues unrelated to prohibition. Politicians, not desiring to alienate a large portion of their electorate, were more than willing to set alcohol-related legislation aside in favor of these other debates. Figure 3 shows a typical political cartoon of the time. On November 12, 1908, Mat Blosser wrote: “The Detroit Times, a democratic newspaper, indicates that the brewers and liquor interests were the means of defeating Lawton T. Hemans [the Michigan Democratic candidate for governor] and say they are going to be mighty sorry and cite 22 counties including Washtenaw that will go dry next spring.” The Detroit Times apparently felt that good common citizens would revolt against this lobbying by the liquor interests. On December 10 of the same year, the state brewers association in Detroit sought a compromise and a “cooling-off” period, by recommending a law that would limit the number of saloons to one for every 500 population, and place regulations on the remaining saloons that would appeal to public sentiment. This law would require forfeiture of his liquor license forever if the owner was found to be in violation of these measures.
Figure 14 – Political Cartoon Regarding Saloon Owners
Part 6 of this series will complete our story of the saloons and breweries vs. prohibition.
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