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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 5 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 3 |
| 1876 | 8 |
| 1877 | 11 |
| 1878 | 4 |
| 1883 | 7 |
| 1884 | 5 |
| 1885 | 7 |
| 1886 | 4 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 3 |
| 1889 | 22 |
| 1890 | 3 |
| 1891 | 22 |
| 1892 | 29 |
| 1893 | 36 |
| 1894 | 49 |
| 1895 | 58 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 10 |
| 1903 | 14 |
| 1904 | 9 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1908 | 6 |
| 1909 | 41 |
| 1910 | 7 |
| 1911 | 3 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 5 |
| 1915 | 2 |
| 1916 | 10 |
| 1917 | 5 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 4 |
| 1925 | 1 |
| 1929 | 1 |
406 stories matching amend
- The Fight for an Independent Judiciary
A skeptical look at a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the legislature to pack the state supreme court.
- The Great Legal Squabble of 1871
A simmering territorial dispute over the 'Big Wigs'—the lawyers and judges—debating exactly when a law becomes a law.
- The 1863 Legislative Session Wraps Up
A look back at the territorial assembly's busy session, featuring a major overhaul of the legal code, debates over the Idaho statehood movement, and the struggles of members waiting on federal pay.
- Washington House Passes Sweeping Freight Rate Bill
After a day of intense debate and amendments, the legislature moves to regulate railroad rates for farmers across the state.
- Pushing for the Ship Canal
Senator Watson Squire proposes an amendment to the river and harbor bill to fund the Lake Washington Ship Canal.
- City Council Plays Hardball with Rail Magnate
Tacoma officials force James J. Hill to build depots in exchange for a multi-million dollar franchise.
- Tacoma's Million-Dollar Water Deal Was Built on Bribery, Suit Alleges
A city lawsuit over the purchase of a light and water plant charged that officials and the company colluded to hide the property's true value before taxpayers bought it.
- The Daily Grind: Tacoma Workers Demand a Living Wage in 1892
A bold petition from local laborers forces the City Charter Amendment Committee to confront demands for a $2 daily wage and a nine-hour workday.
- The Fight Over Who Can Vote: Half-Breeds and the 1854 Legislature
A heated debate erupts in the Council over whether 'half-breeds' should be granted the elective franchise, revealing deep tensions over literacy, race, and colonial control.
- 1914 Ballot: Noncitizen Residents and City Land Ownership
Voters are asked to decide if resident aliens should be allowed to own land within municipal corporations.
- The Senate Says Yes to Women’s Suffrage—For Now
A constitutional amendment to let women vote cleared the Washington Senate with 21 votes and 9,450 petition signatures, but a reconsideration motion threatened to undo it.
- Postmaster's Wife Seeks Divorce Amid Political Scandal
The wife of Port Townsend's new postmaster files an amended complaint for divorce, alleging indignities that have fueled the ire of her husband's political enemies.
- The Day Seattle Suffrage Died
A technical legal oversight by the Territorial Legislature has stripped women of their right to vote and serve on juries.
- The Senator Who Saw Woman Suffrage as the Only Cure for a Dying Republic
In February 1889, Senator Blair introduced a constitutional amendment to grant women the vote, arguing that the denial of this right was an injustice equal to slavery and the only thing saving the nation from ruin.
- The 1893 Plan to Untangle Seattle’s Government
A powerful city official wanted a stronger mayor, a one-house council, and fewer commissions—arguments Seattle still has today.
- The Blueprint for a Growing City
Newly proposed amendments to the Seattle city charter reveal the administrative scaffolding behind the city's 1883 expansion, including fire department mandates and tax enforcement.
- A Bible in Every Schoolroom? The Epworth League's Careful Campaign in Western Washington
Meeting in convention, Methodist delegates moved to demand Bible reading in the public schools — then softened the demand, and asked the legislature to put a constitutional amendment to a vote.
- The 'Habitual Drunkard' List
A proposed law would have forced Seattle barkeepers to publicly post a list of 'habitual drunkards' in their establishments, effectively blacklisting them from purchasing alcohol.
- The Petitions Were Honeycombed With Fraud—So Voters Got Referendum No. 3
After the Washington Supreme Court described initiative petitions as a 'house of cards' riddled with fraud, the 1915 Legislature passed a safeguard now before voters as Referendum No. 3.
- The Judge Who Lobbied for the Church
A scathing critique of Washington Territorial Judge Roger B. Greene, accused of using his office to force tax exemptions for church property through a back-door deal.
- Labor Unions Demand Political Pledges
Seattle labor organizations unite to demand that city political candidates pledge support for a labor commissioner and the initiative.
- The Proclamation That Never Was: How Seattle Almost Became a State in 1889
While Congress debated the fate of Dakota and New Mexico, a radical proposal to admit Washington Territory by presidential decree revealed the deep political fractures over statehood.
- A Federal Judge Takes Away Washington's Power to Set Railroad Rates
Judge Hanford rules in Seattle that the state railroad commission cannot fix freight and fares — and Governor Mead weighs a constitutional amendment and a special session to give it back.
- The Lawyer Who Sold Out the Settlers
A local editorial exposes future President James Garfield’s role as a corporate attorney for the Northern Pacific Railroad, accusing him of betraying Washington Territory homesteaders to protect railroad land holdings.
- The Constitutional Debate on God and State
As Congress faces calls to insert a recognition of God into the Constitution, the Post-Intelligencer argues that the nation’s strength lies in its strict separation of church and state.