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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 2 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1872 | 3 |
| 1876 | 7 |
| 1877 | 3 |
| 1878 | 14 |
| 1880 | 3 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 7 |
| 1884 | 5 |
| 1885 | 4 |
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| 1889 | 10 |
| 1890 | 2 |
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| 1892 | 35 |
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| 1894 | 33 |
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| 1898 | 3 |
| 1899 | 8 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1903 | 21 |
| 1904 | 12 |
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| 1908 | 5 |
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| 1910 | 6 |
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| 1924 | 2 |
| 1925 | 2 |
| 1928 | 1 |
380 stories matching fees
- The Jury That Sang for Its Supper
After a heated, near-violent deliberation over an attorney's fee, a sequestered jury finally reached a verdict—but only after singing 'Home, Sweet Home' to calm their nerves.
- The Cost of a Sunday Saloon
A lawyer wins a suit against his own client over fees generated during the 1902 'Sunday Law' crackdown.
- The City Council Battles Over Liquor Fees
A sharp political divide emerges over raising liquor license fees, with arguments ranging from moral restriction to fear of creating a monopoly.
- The $3 Switching Fee That Almost Sunk Seattle's Grain Warehouse
Northern Pacific and Great Northern agree to absorb the fee, clearing the way for a new grain warehouse at the foot of Battery Street—and a bid to make Seattle a wheat port.
- The Town of Gilman Demands its Share
When the town of Gilman incorporated, it stopped being under county jurisdiction—but now they want the county to hand over the saloon license fees collected before the split.
- Treasurer Hill's Tax Blunder
A local civic scandal as the City Treasurer faces accusations of incompetence and overreach regarding delinquent tax sales.
- Hanford Irrigation Defense Fund Stalled
Lawyer forced to front legal fees as landowners fail to back their own water rights challenge.
- The Price of a Circus: Seattle Council Fights Over 'Rubbing It All' for Big Top
In 1903, the City Council clashed over licensing fees for Ringling Bros., with one councilman arguing that theatrical companies already take enough money from the public.
- The County Attorney Wrote His Own Case—and a Commissioner Objected
Commissioner Peter Autzen accused two colleagues of signing a self-serving statement in a tax-fee dispute, exposing a conflict at the heart of Chehalis County government.
- The City Council's Dog Catching Dilemma
Seattle's municipal politics get messy as aldermen debate the ethics of canine control and the cost of public service.
- Coulee City Mandates Electrical Safety Inspections
New municipal code establishes safety standards and inspection fees for residential and commercial wiring.
- The Trout Fry Went to Colville. East Stevens Anglers Paid for Them.
County commissioners stocked western streams with hatchery trout, leaving fishermen on the east side of Stevens County to raise their own money—and resent the license fees they already paid.
- The Inspector Checks the Sheets and the Fire Escapes
A new state lodging-house law brought an inspector to Newport, where rope escapes and alarm gongs were ordered—and innkeepers grumbled about fees and red tape.
- The City's Legal Battle Over the 'People's Theater'
A municipal court fight pits city lawyers against a theater owner over whether a $1,000 licensing fee and anti-women employment regulations are constitutional.
- The $2 Fee That Sunk a Warehouse: Railroads Tighten Grip on Seattle's Waterfront
A group of local businessmen planned a major grain warehouse at the foot of Battery Street, but Northern Pacific's refusal to budge on switching fees scuttled the deal—and highlighted the railroads' stranglehold on Seattle's shipping future.
- Seattle's Liquor Lobby Calls for a Crackdown
Local saloon owners, tired of paying high license fees, push the Mayor to shut down unlicensed competition in pharmacies and cafes.
- Small Ships, Big Fees: A Fight Over Puget Sound Navigation
Richard Chilcott argues that mandatory pilotage is an unnecessary 'octopus' taxing local commerce.
- Pay for a Job That Wasn't There: Seattle's Employment-Agency Scam
A city council committee heard workers describe paying fees to G.W. Crane's employment office and arriving to find no jobs, with agents accused of splitting fees with contractors.
- The Price of a Drink in 1885 Seattle
A newly passed city ordinance lays out a complex, bureaucratic, and cash-heavy system for anyone hoping to open a saloon or bottle house.
- The Parasite Trade: Fighting the Employment Sharks
A scathing report to the State Federation of Labor exposes how corrupt employment agencies trap migratory laborers in a cycle of debt and exploitation.
- The Circus Leaves Town—And So Does Our Money
A high license fee meant to discourage local 'menace' backfires, driving residents to spend their entertainment budget across the river.
- The Northern Pacific Railroad's PR Pitch
A railroad executive reflects on the 'hard times' and the massive campaign to lure Easterners to the Washington territory.
- The Battle for the Courthouse Budget
Justice court clerks push back against a county consolidation plan that would slash their wages and merge their responsibilities.
- The Tangled Web of the Yesler Estate
A legal battle over the fortune of Henry L. Yesler spirals into a web of missing deeds, conspiracy charges, and high-stakes courtroom drama.
- The Shadowy Deal for the Yesler Will
Seattle city officials testify under oath about secret negotiations to recover the lost will of Henry Yesler through a high-stakes contingent fee.