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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 7 |
| 1889 | 91 |
| 1891 | 24 |
| 1892 | 43 |
| 1893 | 58 |
| 1894 | 47 |
| 1895 | 77 |
347 stories matching constitut
- The Great Constitutional Gamble: How Washington Will Become a State
With the enabling act signed, the territory prepares for a historic election in May to frame a constitution. The clock is ticking toward July 1st, when delegates will meet in Olympia to decide the fate of the new state.
- The Birth Pangs of Washington’s Constitution
As the territory prepared for statehood in 1889, the local press scrutinized the new constitution, exposing the tension between civic optimism and the looming shadow of corporate greed.
- The Clerk Who Wasn't Invited to the Election
A judicial showdown in a bizarre constitutional struggle over whether an election for county clerk was actually legal.
- The Supreme Court Defies Its Own Constitution
A legal dispute over Walla Walla land reveals how Washington State wrestled with the transition from federal territory to sovereign statehood.
- The Fight for Washington’s Capital
The constitutional convention’s attempt to prematurely cement Olympia as the capital sparks outrage.
- The Women's Suffrage Fight at Washington's Constitutional Convention
Delegates at the 1889 constitutional convention engage in a fierce debate over including women's suffrage, ultimately voting to put the question to the voters instead of enshrining it in the state constitution.
- Judge Langley Upholds County Road Law
A legal dispute over the A.A. Smith road on the shores of Lake Washington leads to a significant ruling on eminent domain and the constitutionality of Washington road construction.
- The Constitutional Right to Not Be Imprisoned for Debt
When local merchants tried to jail a man for unpaid loans to prevent him from leaving town, a Seattle judge put the state’s progressive constitution to the test.
- A Constitutional Challenge to City Plumbing Laws
A local plumber has been arrested for violating a new city ordinance requiring all practitioners to pass a formal examination.
- Drafting the Constitution
As the constitutional convention meets in Olympia, delegates navigate high-stakes debates over statehood, judicial reform, and the volatile question of woman suffrage.
- The Forgotten Constitution: Seattle's 1889 Apathy
While Washington territory scrambled to establish statehood following the Great Seattle Fire, the public was so consumed by the disaster's aftermath that the upcoming constitutional convention went almost unnoticed.
- The Sermon and the Station: Seattle’s First Constitutional Clash
When the city allowed a church to use a decommissioned fire station for worship, it sparked a sharp constitutional debate between a secularist group and the Mayor.
- The Argument for a Railroad Commission
Advocating for constitutional oversight of rail monopolies to curb corporate influence in Washington politics.
- Seattle’s Labor Roots: Organizing for the State Constitution
In April 1889, as Washington prepared to become a state, Seattle trade unionists organized a convention to ensure the voice of the worker was enshrined in the new constitution.
- Washington’s Constitution Takes Shape Amid Chaos
As Spokane Falls burns, the state’s constitutional delegates pivot from catastrophe to the fiery debate over regulating railroads and monopolies.
- The City Could Still Take the Land
Judge Humes ruled that Seattle’s constitutional debt limit does not interfere with eminent domain, clearing the way for the Howell Street extension through the Ivey property.
- The Constitutional Debate on God and State
As Congress faces calls to insert a recognition of God into the Constitution, the Post-Intelligencer argues that the nation’s strength lies in its strict separation of church and state.
- The Constitutional Battle Over Free Trade
A lifelong Democrat breaks with his party's tariff stance, citing the nation's founding documents.
- Seattle’s Fire Chief Fights a Naturalization-Fraud Indictment
Chief Hunt’s lawyers argued that false statements on his citizenship papers did not matter—because Washington’s constitution had already made him a citizen.
- A South Seattle Murder Case Becomes a Constitutional Test
Henry Craemer’s court-appointed lawyer argued that Washington could not try a capital case on a prosecutor’s information. Judge Humes said it could; Craemer pleaded not guilty and began hunting for an alibi witness lost in the Cascades.
- The Secret Scheme to Seize the Tide Flats
Prominent Seattle businessmen form an organization to lobby the constitutional convention for control of the waterfront.
- Seattle’s Fight Against Municipal Debt Limits
City leaders protest a state constitutional provision they claim will cripple local growth and infrastructure expansion.
- Constitutional Convention's Tide Land Committee Draws Lobbyists
As Seattle prepares for the constitutional convention, a fierce political tug-of-war erupts over the control of valuable tide lands.
- Seattle Makes Its Case for Statehood
As the constitutional convention convenes in Olympia, Seattle’s delegates argue for the city’s readiness, its infrastructure, and its claim to statehood.
- Drafting Washington’s State Constitution
As the Constitutional Convention approaches its one-month mark, delegates race to finalize the blueprint for the future state, balancing high-minded debate with emotional politicking.