The 1916 Election and the Fight for a 'Dry' Washington
As Woodrow Wilson secures a razor-thin victory, White Bluffs voters reject the return of legalized breweries and saloons.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
In one of the closest presidential contests in the last 40 years, President Woodrow Wilson appears to have been re-elected by a narrow margin in the electoral college. The state of Washington went for Wilson by over 10,000 votes, signaling a regional trend that, combined with the solid South, secured his term. Locally, the election focused heavily on the future of alcohol in the state. Two initiative measures—18 and 24—which would have permitted the manufacture of beer and the sale of liquor, were overwhelmingly defeated. With the recent addition of several states to the dry column, there are now 23 states in the union where saloons have been abolished. In Benton County, the Republican ticket largely swept the field, with the notable exception of Democrat C. W. Fristoe, who was re-elected as county attorney.
“The two Initiative measures, 18 and 24, known as the hotel and brewery bills, permitting the manufacture of beer and sale of all kinds of liquors in the state of Washington were overwhelmingly defeated.”
This election captures a pivotal moment when Washington was firmly establishing itself as a 'dry' state, four years ahead of national Prohibition. Today, the pendulum has swung entirely the other way, with Washington becoming one of the first states to legalize and heavily regulate the production and sale of cannabis, illustrating the state's enduring capacity for moral and legislative experimentation.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.