South Carolinian Joseph Bryson wrote at length about his 1942 re-election campaign on this campaign ink blotter. Blotters were printed on one side with campaign material, with absorbent paper on the other side to soak up excess writing ink. In Bryson’s case, he apologized for visiting his South Carolina district infrequently, chalking his absence up to the responsibilities of wartime. Bryson found a legislative niche during World War II that allowed him to further his unwavering opposition to alcohol. He worked to ban its sale to military servicemen, considering it a scourge “which serves to destroy national strength and unity.”
