Francis and his siblings became involved in the movement as children, helping their father write and print pamphlets.
He edited several pro-temperance journals and founded Pioneer which became the official publication of the temperance movement in Ontario in 1904.
[1] He was secretary and the sole employee of the Dominion Alliance for the Total Suppression of the Liquor Traffic until 1907 when he had to step down due to having lost credibility with the radical Advanced Prohibitions of the Dominion Alliance when he supported Oliver Mowat's government in Ontario, and Mowat avoided passing a prohibition law on constitutional grounds.
He campaigned unsuccessfully for an aldermanic seat on Toronto City Council in 1894 on a platform opposing the operation of streetcars on Sundays.
[1] Spence ran for mayor in the 1901 Toronto municipal election and the 1906 Toronto municipal election, promising to reduce the number of liquor licenses in the city, a platform which contributed to his defeat on both occasions.