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171 stories matching scath
- County Finances in Shambles
A scathing report reveals Chehalis County is $105,000 in debt while local officials draw high salaries.
- The State’s Missing Death Records
A scathing report reveals that county officials across Washington are failing to report thousands of deaths, leaving the state’s vital records in a state of 'gross negligence.'
- The Auditor’s Scathing Reply
A war of words erupts between a Mason County auditor and the Adjutant-General over military duty records.
- The Governor and the 'Commonweal' Marchers
A scathing look at the politics of 'passing the buck' as governors react to the roving industrial armies of the 1894 depression.
- The Great Population Bluff of 1887
A scathing editorial exposes how local politicians inflated King County’s census data, revealing the long history of 'boosterism' in Seattle's growth.
- A Father’s Anguish in Tacoma
A daughter’s infatuation with a disreputable drug clerk leads to public scandal and an arrest in Portland.
- A Farmer’s Scathing Critique of the Economic Machine
A North Yakima farmer writes a letter to the census bureau expressing his outrage at the plight of the working class versus railroads and trusts.
- Thomas Revelle Launches Anti-Cannon Campaign in Mt. Vernon
The insurgent Republican candidate challenges incumbent William E. Humphrey on his ties to national party establishment figures.
- A Local Political Feud
A scathing editorial attack on a local rival editor, accusing him of paranoia and claiming he sees imaginary plots to destroy his newspaper.
- The Railroad 'Boom' That Never Arrived
A scathing editorial accuses the Northern Pacific Railroad of building phantom infrastructure to avoid government forfeiture of their land grants.
- The Census as an Intrusion of Privacy
A scathing editorial critique of the 1890 Census, calling government inquiries into property and health a 'meddling' breach of private life.
- The Brutal Reality of Convict Leasing in the Washington Territory
A scathing look at the state's profit-driven 'convict lease' system, where human beings were treated as disposable capital and exploited for labor with zero accountability for their survival.
- The Opium Smuggling Ring Hidden in Plain Sight
A federal investigation reveals that opium smuggling in Spokane was a widespread enterprise involving a 'legion' of local beneficiaries, as detailed in a scathing Treasury report.
- The Tax Reformer of Tacoma
A scathing 1888 editorial argues that tax exemptions for the wealthy create a 'system of injustice' that the state must dismantle for the sake of the common good.
- The Mayor and the Editor: A Libel Feud in Ocosta
A small-town mayor charges an editor with criminal libel after a series of scathing public criticisms.
- Seattle's Sewer Scandal: A City Council in Disarray
Mayor Ronald’s scathing message exposes massive budget overruns and administrative incompetence in the city's public works department.
- The Unraveling of the Northern Pacific Rail Empire
A scathing critique of Henry Villard’s financial management and the 'banana belt' myths that promised prosperity to the Pacific Northwest.
- The True Cost of Industrial Life in Washington
A scathing look at why injured workers in 1910 were left destitute by a legal system that favored insurance companies over human lives.
- The Condemned Jail of 1876
A scathing Grand Jury report in 1876 denounced Seattle's 'lock-up' as a public nuisance, sparking a debate over fiscal priorities that mirrors the city's modern struggles with infrastructure and housing.
- The Northern Pacific's Iron Grip on the Territory
An scathing editorial decries the railroad monopoly for partitioning Washington into 'trade territories' to serve their own interests.
- Everett’s Fire Chief Sounds the Alarm on City Infrastructure
A scathing report from Chief Taro highlights crumbling fire stations, outdated equipment, and the city's struggle to keep pace with rapid growth.
- An Appeal to the 7,000,000 Sisters
A scathing critique of the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act, arguing that the tax burden is unfairly placed on the working class.
- County Surveyor Ames Accused of Skimming Wages
A scathing editorial calls for the immediate removal of County Surveyor Ames for payroll fraud.
- A Grand Jury’s Grim Look at Seattle’s Jail
A scathing report from 1888 slams local conditions for youth and calls for urgent reform, while calling out industrial pollution in the Cedar River.
- The Jury That Usurped the Bench
After a man accused of shooting a superintendent was acquitted, the Post-Intelligencer launches a scathing critique of 'lawless' juries who favor sentiment over evidence.