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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 10 |
| 1883 | 30 |
| 1884 | 31 |
| 1885 | 27 |
| 1886 | 32 |
| 1887 | 32 |
162 stories matching bill
- The Price of Loyalty in the Mill
A convict's poem reflects on his friend's sacrifice after a desperate act of theft to feed a starving family.
- The Brotherly Brawl That Stopped the Boat
When two brothers’ disagreement over work on the Sound led to a public fight and a lawsuit, a clever attorney used the distraction of a boat departure to force a reconciliation.
- The Art of the Political Stall
A look back at the legislative gridlock, railroad lobbying, and fierce parliamentary maneuvering in the Seattle council of 1887.
- 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.
- Who Should Own the Canal That Would Make King County?
In a long letter to the editor, a Seattle correspondent takes apart the bill letting King County buy the Washington Canal — and warns that handing the region's only outlet to a private company would 'sell the birthright of the future citizens.'
- The Delegate Who Stalled the State’s Legal Progress
How a stubborn stand on woman suffrage paralyzed Washington Territory’s legislative agenda in the halls of D.C.
- The Temperance Victory at the Territorial Legislature
Legislators pass a landmark bill allowing local precincts in Washington Territory to vote on the liquor trade, sparking a scene of jubilation and civic debate.
- The Name Debate: Why Seattle Nearly Became 'Tacoma'
When an Eastern Senator tried to force a name change on the future state, the people of the Washington Territory pushed back with fierce regional pride.
- The Scandal of the County Treasury
After years of whispers regarding the administration of the former county treasurer, a grand jury finally returns a true bill of indictment for forgery.
- The Sheriff’s Mercy in Union
A coal miner facing eviction due to a grocery debt is granted a reprieve by an empathetic sheriff.
- The Fight to Reclaim Railroad Lands
A lobbyist writes from Washington, D.C., on the progress of a bill to forfeit Northern Pacific land grants and restore them to the public domain.
- The Rattlesnake Revenge
A lawyer’s bluffing of a client's son ends in a bizarre, fatal trap set in a bachelor bedroom.
- The First Fight for Women’s Suffrage in Seattle
Before statehood, the 1887 Washington Territorial Legislature sparked a fierce, floor-level battle over the right of women to vote and hold office.
- Congress Moves to Reclaim Northern Pacific Land Grants
A House committee votes to restore millions of acres of public land to the domain, challenging the Northern Pacific Railroad's long-delayed construction promises.
- Washington Territory's 1886 Statehood Bill
Delegate Voorhees presents the case for Washington Territory's admission into the Union, emphasizing the constitutional safeguards proposed in his latest bill.
- The 1885 Fight to Protect the Workingman’s Tools and Bedding
A proposed territorial law sought to expand property exemptions from debt, shielding everything from a mechanic's tools to a family's bedding from creditors.
- The Fight Over Unpaid Rail Taxes
A new Congressional bill aims to force Pacific railroads to pay taxes on their vast land grants, closing a loophole that left farmers shouldering the civic burden.
- Funding the University
Legislators move to secure $6,000 in funding for the Territorial University, framing the institution as vital to the future of all Washington youth.
- The Unsung Militia: A Push for National Readiness
A proposed Congressional bill aims to overhaul the state militia system with federal funding, training, and equipment to ensure national security without maintaining a large standing army.
- The Death of the Egg Law
A peculiar piece of legislation from 1875 mandating the sale of eggs by weight is finally repealed after years of being a 'dead letter'.
- The Shadow Over Squak Valley
In the autumn of 1885, a series of indictments revealed a brutal campaign of violence against Chinese laborers in the Snoqualmie Valley.
- The Seattle Petition Against Chinese Labor
A group of prominent attorneys and citizens petition the territorial legislature, demanding the passage of exclusionary labor laws despite constitutional concerns.
- Senate Votes to Forfeit Unearned Northern Pacific Lands
As the Senate debates the forfeiture of Northern Pacific Railroad land grants in the Washington Territory, legal experts and legislators clash over whether corporations should be held to the same standards as individuals.
- The Struggle for the Ballot
A political critique on the influence of Charles M. Bradshaw in securing women's suffrage.
- The Banker’s Debt
A wealthy philanthropist discovers that his own neglect of small bills drove a local shoemaker to attempt suicide.