Research the archive
Narrow 27,002 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
Refine1 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1903 | 63 |
| 1904 | 3 |
66 stories matching contract
- The Wage War at City Hall
Mayor Boyd locks horns with the city attorney over a mandatory $2.25 daily wage for city contract workers.
- The Great Spokane Labor Carnival Swindle
A labor organization finds themselves penniless after a predatory contract with a traveling carnival company nets them only $6.40 from $18,000 in gross receipts.
- The Mayor's Cozy Contracts
Walla Walla’s mayor is accused of self-dealing, funneling city money into his own foundry while dodging newspaper scrutiny.
- Mayor Hunt's Foundry Work Tests Public Contract Law
A local newspaper argues that the Mayor’s use of his private foundry for city contract work is a violation of the law, even if it is efficient.
- City Officials Accused of Profiting from Municipal Contracts
An editorial warning that Walla Walla's local government may be violating state law by trading public contracts for personal gain.
- A Costly Palace for the Poor?
Walla Walla County commissioners face criticism over a proposal to replace the contract system with a twelve-thousand-dollar brick building.
- A New Landmark for Walla Walla
The Knights of Pythias award a $14,000 contract for a new brick and iron headquarters, promising a new hub for local social life.
- The Eight-Hour Day Under Fire
A Spokane contractor sues to overturn state labor protections, sparking a landmark constitutional challenge to local public works contracts.
- Superior Court Upholds Eight-Hour Day
A landmark court ruling in Spokane affirms the constitutionality of the eight-hour workday for municipal contractors.
- Walla Walla to Build New County Poor House
After inspecting neighboring Whitman County, local commissioners decide to move from a contract-based system to a county-owned brick facility.
- The Great Dayton Barley Corner
A local malt house proprietor pulls off the largest grain deal in Dayton's history, driving up prices and frustrating outside buyers.
- Typographical Union Clashes Over Spokane and Tacoma Strikes
A convention of typesetters descends into internal conflict over broken contracts and the legitimacy of recent industrial action in Washington State.
- The Circus Impostor
A grifter posing as a Ringling Brothers advance man is caught in Astoria after swindling local meat merchants.
- School Directors Barred from Self-Dealing
The Supreme Court rules that school directors cannot bypass competitive contracts by doing the work themselves and billing the district.
- The Anatomy of a Municipal Graft Scandal
Walla Walla looks to Ballard's sewer corruption and the failures of contractor H.E. Worley to warn citizens about municipal incompetence.
- The Con Man Who Sold the Seattle Circus
A clever swindler fleeced the city's elite by selling them on imaginary contracts for a Ringling Brothers circus that was never coming to town.
- A Monument for the Forgotten Conflict
Walla Walla's Red Cross society secures a contract for a Spanish-American War memorial, sparking debate over its placement in the city.
- City Settled Charley Allen's Flume Patent Claim
Mayor Hunt faces accusations of conflict of interest and patent infringement after his own foundry manufactured parts for a municipal project.
- The Mayor's Private Foundry
Mayor and School Director Gilbert Hunt stands accused of using his public positions to funnel municipal and school district contracts directly into his own iron foundry.
- The Conflict of Interest Scandal at City Hall
Walla Walla voters are presented with evidence that Mayor Gilbert Hunt allegedly funneled city and school district contracts to his own private manufacturing company.
- The Touchet Farmers’ Revolt Against Water Monopolies
Tired of paying exorbitant fees to private irrigation companies, local farmers are going rogue—and going underground.
- Sunday Closing Fight Hits the Fruit Fair
Walla Walla's religious organizations challenge the management's decision to keep the local fruit fair open on a Sunday.
- Fatal Leap from a Moving Train
A young, enterprising contractor met a gruesome end while attempting to jump from a moving freight train near Wallula.
- The Saloonkeeper’s Open Letter to Walla Walla Voters
An unapologetic endorsement of Mayor Hunt from a local saloon owner who argues that city officials should ignore 'blue laws' in favor of prosperity.
- A State Board Told Dentists to Sign Away Their Ads — One Seattle Man Refused
At the 1903 licensing exams in Tacoma, Washington's dental examiners demanded applicants sign a code-of-ethics contract before they could sit down. Edwin J. Brown of Seattle said no — and the whole profession waited to see whether he'd be barred from practice.