Research the archive
Narrow 27,002 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 11 |
| 1859 | 2 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 6 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1863 | 5 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 5 |
| 1876 | 23 |
| 1877 | 17 |
| 1878 | 13 |
| 1879 | 2 |
| 1880 | 5 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 15 |
| 1884 | 7 |
| 1885 | 32 |
| 1886 | 25 |
| 1887 | 20 |
| 1888 | 18 |
| 1889 | 70 |
| 1890 | 5 |
| 1891 | 44 |
| 1892 | 72 |
| 1893 | 82 |
| 1894 | 46 |
| 1895 | 37 |
| 1897 | 3 |
| 1898 | 4 |
| 1899 | 27 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1903 | 42 |
| 1904 | 34 |
| 1905 | 2 |
| 1909 | 23 |
| 1910 | 8 |
| 1911 | 5 |
| 1912 | 2 |
| 1914 | 9 |
| 1915 | 8 |
| 1916 | 17 |
| 1917 | 9 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1923 | 3 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1925 | 1 |
| 1928 | 1 |
772 stories matching debat
- The Fight to Fund the Territorial University
Legislators debate the future of education in Olympia, questioning the status of the University's land title and its academic standards.
- The Land That Wasn't: A Seattle Man’s Bid for Federal Territory
While Congress debates silver pools and election bills in Washington D.C., a local resident named Wilson files an application for public land in the vast, unorganized territory of Washington.
- The House Rejects Treason Resolution
Tensions reach a boiling point in the territorial legislature as members debate the loyalty of Delegate Isaac I. Stevens during the onset of the Civil War.
- The Struggle for Rail Regulation
Washington's constitutional convention wrestles with whether to empower a commission to oversee railroad giants.
- Debating the Future of the Nooksack River
Engineers and newspapers clash over whether the Nooksack River is filling the harbor with silt, potentially threatening the maritime economy.
- Washington Debates Making the Railroad Commission Permanent
Debating the power of the state to regulate railroad monopolies in Washington.
- The Right to Seize Silent Tracks
In 1886, territorial legislators debated a radical bill to reclaim abandoned railroad rights-of-way, arguing that the public interest outweighed corporate ownership.
- Constitutional Convention Debates Tide Land Ownership
Delegates in Olympia weigh public versus private rights to Washington's valuable shorelines as the state prepares for entry into the Union.
- The Senate Floor Fight Over Washington Women's Votes
As Washington Territory stood on the threshold of statehood in 1886, U.S. Senators debated whether they—or the people of the territory—had the right to grant women the vote.
- Seattle’s 1889 Debates on Race and Rule
A local group of attorneys gathered at a private cottage to debate the explosive question: 'Shall negro majorities rule?'
- Drafting the Constitution
As the constitutional convention meets in Olympia, delegates navigate high-stakes debates over statehood, judicial reform, and the volatile question of woman suffrage.
- The State College Funding Feud
A fiery public debate erupts in the Courier-Reporter over whether the State College (now WSU) favored prestige programs over the practical needs of Washington farmers.
- The Heated Debate Over 'Shaving' Greenbacks
Washington Territorial legislators clashed over a bill aimed at criminalizing the devaluation of federal currency, pitting economic protectionism against constitutional theory.
- The Conservation Debate: To Hunt or Protect?
Local sportsmen argue that keeping quail populations 'tame' and unhunted actually prevents them from multiplying, sparking a debate over wildlife management.
- The First Territorial Legislature Debates Statehood Infrastructure
Lawmakers in 1854 wrestle with the practicalities of building a new government, from authorizing ferries across the Columbia to navigating relations with Governor Isaac Stevens.
- City Council Debates Defective Fire Engine
A heated dispute erupts over the purchase of a 'third-class' Waterous fire engine that failed to perform during municipal tests.
- The Struggle for a Police Matron
Seattle officials squabble over the emergency fund while debating the legal requirement to appoint a woman to oversee female prisoners.
- The Day a Witticism Knocked the Stuffing Out of the University Debate
A classic legislative quip in Olympia reveals the intense regional rivalry between Seattle and Tacoma over the location of the Territorial University.
- Seattle's Legal Elite Debate the 'Chinese Question'
A resolution passed by the King County Bar Association sparks a sharp public dispute regarding the legitimacy of martial law and the anti-Chinese expulsion period.
- Washington’s Constitution Takes Shape Amid Chaos
As Spokane Falls burns, the state’s constitutional delegates pivot from catastrophe to the fiery debate over regulating railroads and monopolies.
- The Gender Brain Debate of 1892
At a Tacoma church social, four young men took to the stage to debate whether women’s brains were fundamentally superior or inherently inferior to men’s.
- Puget Sound Baptists Debate Their Future
A stormy regional meeting in Skagit City reveals deep divides over prohibition, Bible translation, and independence from Eastern missionary boards.
- The Great Debate of Reason vs. Revelation
Seattle's Armory hosts a week-long verbal brawl between a Christian minister and a secularist skeptic over the role of the Bible in modern life.
- Aberdeen Council Bickers Over Bridge Purchase
A procedural stalemate arises as council members argue over the best way to secure bonds for the city’s acquisition of the Heron Street bridge.
- The Fishery Wars: Washington Territory's Diplomatic Standoff
A fiery debate in Congress regarding Canadian encroachment and retaliatory measures against British fishing interests in the Pacific Northwest.