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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 53 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 7 |
| 1860 | 13 |
| 1861 | 59 |
| 1862 | 65 |
| 1863 | 46 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 14 |
| 1876 | 9 |
| 1877 | 11 |
| 1878 | 7 |
| 1879 | 3 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 36 |
| 1884 | 11 |
| 1885 | 18 |
| 1886 | 10 |
| 1887 | 9 |
| 1888 | 6 |
| 1889 | 57 |
| 1890 | 8 |
| 1891 | 221 |
| 1892 | 194 |
| 1893 | 107 |
| 1894 | 18 |
| 1895 | 113 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 23 |
| 1904 | 5 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 94 |
| 1910 | 7 |
| 1911 | 11 |
| 1912 | 4 |
| 1914 | 11 |
| 1915 | 8 |
| 1916 | 11 |
| 1917 | 3 |
| 1919 | 1 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1923 | 13 |
| 1924 | 2 |
| 1925 | 10 |
1,310 stories
- The Governor Wants Every State Office in His Own Hands
Governor Hay will ask the legislature to make every statewide office but his and the lieutenant governor's appointive — a cabinet government for Washington — while a commission tries to untangle a legal code nobody can read.
- Settlers Beat the State to the Best School Lands
Washington's land commissioners say squatters are claiming the best parcels before the state can select them for schools, putting millions at risk.
- The Governor Calls the Legislature Back to Get Rid of an Insurance Commissioner
Olympia convenes in extraordinary session to hear the investigating committee's report on Commissioner Schively — and cannot agree on whether to impeach him or simply abolish his office out from under him.
- A $200,000 Inferno Devours Olympia's Wood Pipe Plant
A Saturday evening blaze destroys the National Wood Pipe Company plant, storage yards, four residences, and a grocery store, with losses estimated at $200,000.
- A Special Session Becomes an Impeachment Court
Washington lawmakers returned to Olympia to try Insurance Commissioner Schively, with the accused demanding that more than a dozen senators be disqualified as biased judges.
- Labor’s Olympia Push: A Fight Over What an Injured Worker’s Life Is Worth
As the Washington legislature opened, the State Federation of Labor pressed for higher workmen’s compensation awards, child-labor protections and limits on prison-made goods — while employers organized a lobby to stop them.
- When Two Postmasters Abandoned Their Offices to Join the Legislature
In 1879, two Washington Territory postmasters resigned their federal jobs to become legislators — but their resignations were still in the mail, so they simply left.
- How Washington Territory's Public Printing Became a Corrupt Political Perk
A Seattle editor rails against the patronage and fraud in the territory's printing contracts, revealing that one printer paid Secretary Smith $2,000 for the appointment.
- The Pioneer Struggle to Fund Washington's Common Schools
An 1877 legislative session in Olympia debates selling off University lands to fund the territory's school districts, highlighting the precarious nature of public education in the early days of the Washington Territory.
- The Great Legislative Mess of 1877
A scathing editorial reveals how Washington Territory lawmakers spent their time sight-seeing instead of legislating, resulting in a chaotic pile of 'undigested' laws.
- The Great Hotel Fight: Olympia’s Race for a First-Class Inn
As the state capital swells with new residents, locals realize private developers won't build what they need. So they take matters into their own hands, raising $10,000 in days to force the construction of a grand hotel before the constitutional convention arrives.
- Olympia Committee Proposes a Railroad Commission
As Washington Territory moves toward statehood, local reformers push for a powerful Railroad Commission to curb the unchecked influence of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- The 'Parliamentary Picnic' at Washington’s Constitutional Convention
When the delegates gathering in Olympia in 1889 grew bored, they turned the formal proceedings of the state's founding into a chaotic, hilarious session of mock motions and procedural pranks.
- The Price of Early Statehood
Fresh from statehood, Washington’s auditor warns of a looming floating debt and a chaotic tax system that left farmers and county officials struggling.
- The State's Tax Grab
A landmark Supreme Court ruling forces Washington cities to share their liquor license revenue with the state, hitting Seattle for thousands.
- Railroad Regulation Bill Defeated in State House
High-stakes legislative battle ends in a narrow loss as supporters fail to secure the required two-thirds majority.
- The Governor-Candidate Who Handed Out His Own Petitions
In a display of political informality that shocked Olympia, a candidate for territorial governor took to the streets to personally solicit signatures, defying the expected decorum of the era.
- Mr. Palmer Urges Senate to Back Women’s Suffrage
Mr. Palmer takes to the floor in Olympia to argue for woman suffrage, dismantling tired objections and demanding a seat at the table for Washington women.
- The Price of a Free Pass
In 1885, Seattle’s press took on the corrupting influence of Northern Pacific Railroad’s 'free' travel gifts to legislators, arguing that such favors were nothing less than bribes intended to command political obedience.
- The Legislative Prank That Backfired
A Washington Territory legislator’s attempt to play a humorous political trick on a colleague turns into a serious row over parliamentary decorum.
- A Torchlight Ovation for Bradshaw
Republican political candidate Bradshaw receives a boisterous welcome in Olympia, signaling a heated campaign season in Thurston County.
- The Shadow of the Railroad Lobby
A scathing editorial from 1885 warns of the corrupt influence of railroad corporations over the Washington Territorial Legislature.
- The Political Bazaar of 1887
Before the Washington State Legislature even convened, the corridors of Olympia hotels turned into a chaotic, horse-trading marketplace for the speakership.
- The Battle for the Council Floor
A legislative standoff in Olympia over petty offices and party control highlights the raw political maneuvering of the late Washington Territory era.
- The Price of Justice in Olympia
A legal fight over venue costs in 1892 sparks anxiety among Thurston County taxpayers, revealing the administrative strain of high-profile litigation.
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