American Issue Publishing Company

In 1909 the citizens of Westerville, Ohio, a village twelve miles north of Columbus, tendered a site facing State Street and valued at about $10,000 to be used by the Anti-Saloon League of America for the erection of a printing plant. Their offer was accepted. In the spring of 1909 the construction was started. The building was dedicated in October of that same year.

On June 13, 1909, The American Issue Publishing Company was incorporated. It was the holding company of the Anti-Saloon League of America. All of its printing capacity was used for the furtherance of the ideals of the Anti-Saloon League.

A hard copy of this pamphlet can be found at the Westerville History Museum.

Westerville became the smallest town in America to have a first-class post office. The trains stopped daily and picked up carloads of the anti-alcohol printed material. The printing plant operated 24 hours a day and employed 200 people.

To give some idea of the level of printing and readership, the total circulation for The American Issue in July 1920 (5 issues) was 1,746,184 copies. That month approximately 950 lbs. of ink were used and 50 tons of paper. A report written by Ernest Cherrington, Twenty Eventful Years details circulation figures. Read the full report.

Westerville History MuseumWesterville History Museum

As the site of the Anti-Saloon League’s former headquarters, the Westerville History Museum works to preserve the history of the temperance movement, the passage of the 18th Amendment, and the Prohibition era.
As the site of the Anti-Saloon League’s former headquarters, the Westerville History Museum works to preserve the history of the temperance movement, the passage of the 18th Amendment, and the Prohibition era.
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