A Pierce County Senator Switches Sides in the Temperance War
Political alliances shift in Olympia as Senator Paulhamus reportedly abandons the 'dry' faction, causing ripples in the local option fight.
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.
Senator Paulhamus of Pierce county is said to have gone over to the wets, and hereafter will be found lining up with them, standing out for fourth-class cities. Paulhamus has a lot of coal miners in his Puyallup district and they are not particularly infatuated with having fourth-class cities voted dry with the county. With the announcement that Paulhamus has become moist there arises political rumor that Paulhamus is ambitious to be president pro tem of the senate, while Ruth goes to congress. What Paulhamus’s defection will do to the drys in the senate is worrying Falconer and the others who are standing hard and fast.
“With the announcement that Paulhamus has become moist there arises political rumor.”
This story captures the intense political pressure exerted by local industry—in this case, coal miners—on legislative decisions regarding Prohibition. It provides a sharp look at how the 'wet' vs. 'dry' binary was navigated by politicians balancing party loyalty against the preferences of their constituents.
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