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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 6 |
| 1884 | 4 |
| 1885 | 4 |
| 1886 | 7 |
| 1887 | 11 |
33 stories matching fees
- Seattle's Corrupt Policing: The Fee System of 1887
How Seattle’s police force was incentivized to hunt for arrests and padding their own pockets through court fees, sparking a local civic scandal.
- The High License Debate
Cities across the Pacific Northwest are raising liquor license fees to curb the influence of 'low dens' and corrupt establishments.
- The Saloon Question in Olympia
Olympia's City Council moves to curb the prevalence of saloons through steep fee hikes, a move that the P-I suggests Seattle should replicate.
- The Cowboy Who Returned to Seattle
A decade-long separation, a tragic misunderstanding, and a chance encounter in Texas reunite a pair of long-lost lovers.
- The Tax Collector’s Quiet Heist in Thurston County
Assessments against “unknown owners,” doubled fees and $9,000 in illegal exactions left property titles tangled and taxpayers furious.
- Treasurer Hill's Tax Blunder
A local civic scandal as the City Treasurer faces accusations of incompetence and overreach regarding delinquent tax sales.
- 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 Price of a Day's Pay: Seattle’s 1887 Labor Brokers
A deep dive into the predatory practices of late 19th-century employment agencies that thrived on the desperation of transient laborers.
- The High-License Gamble: Seattle’s 1886 Liquor War
Business owners threaten to shutter their doors in a high-stakes protest against the city’s new, aggressive liquor licensing ordinances.
- King County's Missing $61,000: Treasurer Accused of Embezzlement
A committee's report reveals that former County Treasurer George D. Hill is indebted to King County for over $61,000; the board orders legal action against him and his bondsmen.
- Tiny Performers Wow at Yesler’s Hall
A kindergarten concert by the Baptist Sunday School brings down the house to fund a new library.
- The Health Officer's Boycott
A shipping standoff at the Seattle wharf reveals the messy intersection of port labor, professional fees, and city bureaucracy.
- The Price of a Growing City: 1885 Fiscal Realities
A rare glimpse into the municipal balance sheets of 1885 Seattle, revealing the heavy costs of litigation, infrastructure, and the high price of maintaining public order in a boomtown.
- Abandoned with an infant, a woman sues for her livelihood
A Seattle dentist’s wife seeks legal support after he leaves her and their child destitute, exposing the stark financial vulnerability of women in the 1887 frontier.
- Northern Pacific Accused of Land Extortion by Tacoma-Kalama Residents
Citizens and politicians clash over the Northern Pacific Railroad's monopoly and the holding of immense swaths of land that remain untaxed and undeveloped.
- The Struggle for Labor's Worth
As telegraphers across the country walk off the job, the local press debates the morality of corporate monopolies versus the rights of the individual laborer.
- The City’s Crackdown on Traveling Salesmen
In 1886, Seattle’s City Council passed a strict licensing ordinance to curb 'peddling' and hawking, requiring vendors to pay steep daily fees or face jail time.
- The Seattle Liquor Board's Battle for Moral Standing
A landmark 1886 legal challenge in King County forces a judge to define the limits of civic power when local officials refuse to grant a liquor license based on a claimant’s character.
- The Farmer Who Halted the Railroad
When a railway company tried to seize land for a branch line without fair payment, a Whitman County farmer fought back by having the construction crew arrested.
- The Constable Who Stole a Deadbeat's Pants
When a persistent debt collector found a local man evading his dues, he turned to an unconventional, and highly public, method of enforcement at a popular swimming spot.
- The Tax Protest on Madison Street
A Seattle property owner challenges the city's assessment for Madison Street improvements, calling the fees illegal and a cloud on the title.
- The Senate's Sudden Revolt Against Corporate Power
In an unexpected political shift, the U.S. Senate moves to curb the influence of corporations on Congress, shaking up the power dynamics in Washington Territory and beyond.
- The Price of a Badly Written Charter
Tacoma’s new municipal charter proves to be a legal disaster that costs the town thousands in needless fees and litigation.
- Public Feud at the Bijou Theater
The proprietor of the Bijou Theater hits back after a constable allegedly threatened him and attempted to enter the venue without paying.
- Sawmill Company's 2,700-Acre Timber Land Fraud Exposed
A government investigation exposes how powerful sawmill companies in Washington Territory used dummy entrymen to systematically steal thousands of acres of federal forest land.
Also about this, in other words
- The Price of a Performance
Traveling theatrical manager Mattie Boyd pays a hefty $1,700 penalty to the Northern Pacific Railroad after a new interstate commerce law threatens to ruin her season.