1881
Basingstoke rioters attack the Salvation Army
“Drunk for a penny, dead drunk for tuppence. Clean straw for nothing.” The consumption of cheap liquor in the nineteenth century by what Oscar Wilde termed the “drinking classes” was a major social problem, a leading cause of death, marital breakdown, unemployment and violence. The temperance movement sought to make the manufacture, sale and use of alcohol illegal and the Salvation Army in England was in the forefront of this cause.
In September 1880 the Salvation Army arrived in the Hampshire town of Basingstoke proclaiming an anti-drink crusade that would “open fire on Sin and Satan.” Though their presence was welcomed by some Dissenting churches, pub-owners and brewers (major employers in the town) saw the Salvationists as a threat to their livelihood and many of their customers perceived a threat to their main source of enjoyment. Within a month sporadic acts of violence had been directed at those preaching teetotalism. In March of 1881 organized opposition appeared in the form of the “Massagainians”, sponsored by local brewers who gathered in mobs to confront Salvation Army marches. The hooligans greatly outnumbered the Salvationists and the police who had to call in reinforcements. Windows were smashed, a home was burnt, assaults took place and the Riot Act had to be read on a number of occasions. Eventually ten men were sent to jail for their violence but on their release they were treated as heroes by many in Basingstoke:
They were fetched home in carriages with postillions. They had a band of hundreds of people to welcome them home, with flags flying and strings of flags across Winchester Street. Dinner was held for them in the Corn Exchange and each received a silver watch. The Corn Exchange was crammed full and the noise they kicked up was awful.
The town was clearly divided on the subject. In August 1881 the Magistrates were presented with two petitions: one signed by the Vicar of Basingstoke and 498 others, called for the Salvation Army marches to be banned as they were disturbing the peace and quiet of the town; the other, signed by the minister of the Congregational Church and 613 others, called for the processions to be properly protected. The violence continued on and off for a year before the brewers realized that their business was not going to be affected unduly.