The Roots of Bristol’s 4th of July Celebration: Part VII

The Hard Drinking Element

 Since the late eighteenth century, Bristol had more than its share of long-time hard liquor drinkers: rough homegrown farm hands, dockworkers, teamsters, and itinerant mariners from around the world. Many, considered rum a healing tonic. Bristol's distilleries were numerous and from the “distills” to the wharves the aroma of molasses filled the nostrils of Bristol boys who were faithful users of the local product.

The following paragraphs are just a sprinkling of hard liquor drinking stories from the pages of the Bristol Phoenix.

1840: On the 4th of July, Frank D’Wolf, on a bet, rode his horse up the front steps of the Bristol Hotel and into the bar. After ordering a drink, he rode out through the back entrance. Sheriff Johnson of Warren happened to be in town that day, and some of the shocked townsfolk demanded Frank’s arrest under the plea that he was badly intoxicated. The sheriff investigated, and when he heard what had happened, he turned to the crowd and said, “Boys, celebrate, no drunken man could do that feat.”

1854: Mr. Chadwick, of the Bristol Hotel, gives in to demands of the several temperance organizations and promises to sell no more liquor. It was later learned that Chadwick had only moved the bar to the hotel’s cellar, and that on the fourth and fifth, several persons, “much disguised in liquor were seen lurking about the premises.” To the credit of the temperance preachers, “the day passed very quietly, there being no drunken riots or brawls.”

1869: The day passed peacefully, only a few intoxicated people were seen in the streets. Nothing occurred to mar the festivities of the day, except for the fire in the morning, and “A stabbing affray occurred on Sunday evening. A man by the name of Welch received a severe stab wound in the left side from a German by the name of Muhlenkemp. The latter was arrested. Cause: rum.”

1886: At 12 o’clock Wednesday night the prohibitory law went into effect. If the provisions of the ‘Act for the Suppression of Intemperance’ is enforced both in letter and spirit as Gen. Brayton, the Chief of State Police says it will be, there will be occasional sober breaths drawn by some of the old-time hard drinkers, for it will be dangerous to sell on the sly.

1904: A gang of young men of good family but poor training, and who had been drinking, attempted to run D.G. Lebb’s store for him in the early morning. They were thrown out, but not until they had let off red fire in the store, broken a gum machine and discharged a revolver in the proprietor’s face.

The evening of the Sabbath was desecrated by young men and boys parading the streets and singing ribald songs, such as, ‘How Dry I am.

We conclude the recently enacted ‘Act for the Suppression of Intemperance’ must have had the effect of driving drinkers of hard spirits out of public view, because the Phoenix tells us:

1907: A commendable feature of the celebration was the absence of drinking on the streets. There were no arrests for drunkenness or reveling and, in fact, there was nothing on the police blotter in the way of disturbances of any kind.

1919: It’s going to be a sad Fourth for the man who delights in putting his foot on the ‘old brass rail,’ but it will not necessarily be a ‘dry’ day for all that, at least for those who are given to calculating on the future. In fact, we are inclined to think that many will resort to frequent libations on Independence Day, just to show their own independence and their inherent love of liberty to make fools of themselves. Phoenix, Thursday, July 3.

1976: Intoxicated Youths Tangle with Police
During the 1976 parade a gang of unruly youths who had been drinking in a vacant lot on the corner of Hope and Constitution Streets battled with police after someone hurled a lit firecracker into a group of marchers. The marchers broke ranks and chased the youths; beer cans, bottles and fists were thrown and several innocent bystanders were injured. Before the scuffle was over, police used tear gas to disperse the youths; several were arrested and two police officers were injured.

After the incident, the Town Council vowed to be stricter in controlling the flow of liquor on parade day and to be more vigilant in enforcing the town’s anti-public drinking ordinance.

The riotous event on the Fourth of July also spelled the end of the town’s granting of special, one-day liquor licenses for the parade. One group that benefited from those licenses was the Bristol Fraternal Order of Police, which secured a license and set up a “beer booth” at the corner of Chestnut and Hope Streets.

In 1978, the town amended its ordinance governing the closing hours of pubs. The new law requires bars to close promptly at 1:15 a.m. Before that date there was little control over bar and club closing times.

1990: Anti-drinking Campaign
Bristol Police Chief Thomas Moffat presented an anti-drinking proposal to the Town Council. He proposed that town liquor stores should be closed until after 2:00 p.m. on the Fourth of July. He said that harder access to hard-liquor would help control the number of rowdy drunks on the streets along the parade route. He said he receives many complaints, each year, from parade marchers who take abuses from drunken parade viewers.

This call for a ban on public drinking seemed a reawakening of Bristol's nineteenth-century abstinence societies. It appeared as the Substance Abuse Task Force. The SATF made its concerns known in a petition to the Town Council. It pushed for state legislation to close liquor stores on the Fourth of July. The group also asked the Celebration Committee be prohibited from using alcohol at their many activities; activities that are a major part of the celebration.

Anne Belmore, coordinator of the task force and a member of the Fourth of July Committee, said that the committee would like to see the legislation apply only to Bristol, “But if that is not possible, it will push for a statewide ban.”

Town solicitor Sandra Matrone Mack advised the Town Council that it would be unconstitutional to close just those liquor stores along the parade route. Task Force Chairman Hermano Correia said, “We feel that alcohol plays too visible a role and communicates the wrong message.” He acknowledged that implementation of requests to close liquor stores and ban alcohol use by people when they represent the town will be unacceptable to some. In reply, Town council President Anthony Iasiello said he had received many requests to close bars on the Fourth.

Members of the Task Force met with liquor store and pub owners to try to resolve the matter. The owners said closing their establishments on July 4, would threaten their livelihoods. After a long meeting, where several alternative plans were discussed, an agreement could not be reached. However, the owners did say they would support education programs and rehabilitation of alcoholics.

On the Fourth, signs warning that public drinking of alcoholic beverages is illegal were visible on hundreds of trees and utility poles along the parade route. So, fruit juices, soda, and ice water seemed to be the preferred thirst quenches of the day. Most parade-goers appeared to obey the town's daylong prohibition on public consumption of alcohol. However, that is not to say there was no drinking. Those who did imbibe did so discreetly by keeping their beer and mixed drinks in coolers. They poured their drinks into paper cups out of sight to police and parade officials, and settled back into their seats to enjoy the parade.

“There are a lot of people carrying paper cups,” remarked Police Sgt. Greg Ursini with a chuckle, as he looked over the crowd between the Topside Lounge and Washington Street. Most people managed to be discreet so there were no arrests for drinking in public.

Chief Moffatt, who followed bell-ringing Town Crier Anthony Marino at the head of the parade, was pleased with the good spirits of the crowd. They indicated their good-will to Moffatt by shouting at him and holding up their yellow Del’s Lemonade cups and soda cans.

1997: In Bristol, a town of slightly over 22,000 people, there are 30 bars, 4 liquor stores, and numerous alcohol-serving restaurants and private clubs.

For the first time in many years, the Town Council planned to amend its laws to hold the line on liquor licenses. At its April 30, meeting, the council asked Town Solicitor Michael Ursillo to draft an ordinance that would reduce the number of full liquor licenses allowing beer, wine and spirits sales by two, from 19 to 17.

A likely catalyst for the liquor license revision was the March arrest of 33 underage drinkers at the Common Pub on Wood Street.

Council Chairman Richard Ruggiero said, “The way it is set up, we’re almost obliged to give a license to anyone who asks for one. Changing the ordinance is not going to keep anyone from requesting a license, but it gives the council a little more leeway” in deciding whether a potential business would be good for the town, he said.

Epilogue
Since Bristol’s universal ban on public consumption of alcohol, the vision of load-mouthed staggering boozers is now mostly a thing of the past. Drinking on the Glorious Fourth has not totally disappeared from the parade route,  it has merely gone underground and consumed in moderation; celebratory toasting is largely confined to private backyard gatherings