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148 stories matching abolish
- City Hall's Great Salary Purge
Mayor Byron Phelps fulfills a campaign pledge by slashing the city payroll, cutting departments, and abolishing offices to save over $34,000 annually.
- Olympia’s Fight Over Who Should Judge the Cities
A bill to abolish municipal courts set Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane against one another—and exposed a dispute over whether justice could be run more cheaply by justices of the peace.
- A Legislative Cleanup for Washington's Tide Lands and School Lands
A joint committee found no corruption in the state land office but recommended abolishing costly local tide-land appraisers, trimming the land cruisers, and centralizing public-land oversight.
- The Town Council Invites the Cattle to Roam
In a baffling policy shift, the city abolishes the poundmaster, effectively turning the downtown streets and the courthouse lawn into free-range grazing land.
- The War on the Free Lunch
A Tacoma councilman moves to abolish the staple of the working-class saloon, calling it a magnet for vagrancy.
- The Ploy to Oust the Poundmaster
A political machine allegedly attempts to abolish the office of poundmaster to fire an unwanted Union veteran.
- Seattle Public Schools Rebrand High School as 'Senior Grammar'
Following the controversial abolishment of the city's high school, the school board maneuvers to restore advanced coursework under a new label.
- The 1895 Student Petition Against Mandatory Military Drill
Two-thirds of the male students at the University of Washington signed a petition asking the legislature to abolish compulsory military drill in state schools.
- City Council Faces Backlash Over Secret Salary Hike
Tacoma politicians attempt to abolish civil service and quadruple their own pay while blocking the popular commission government plan.
- City Council Abolishes Poundmaster Role to End Lawsuit
In a four-minute legislative maneuver, the Walla Walla City Council eliminated the position of poundmaster to neutralize an ongoing legal dispute.
- Too Much City Hall
Mayor Ronald calls for massive municipal restructuring to trim a 'costly and cumbersome' city government.
- The $1-a-Month Man: Seattle Tries to Gut Its Plumbing Inspector
With theft charges pending against the nominee, delegates debate whether to abolish the office or just pay a competent inspector.
- The Seattle School Board Executes the High School
A legal dispute over the state constitution prompts the sudden, controversial dissolution of Seattle's only high school, leaving teachers and students adrift.
- The Puyallup Indian Agency Was Abolished
Federal officials declared the agency obsolete, shifted its schools to a new superintendent, and retired Agent Eells after more than 23 years.
- The Fight for Seattle’s High School
A debate over the legality of public secondary education emerges as the school board moves to abolish the high school designation.
- Seattle’s Irish Community Rallies Against Landlordism
A historic convention of the Irish National Land League in Seattle condemns the 'piratical' land system of Ireland and vows financial and moral support to struggling tenant farmers facing eviction.
- The Battle for the Gulch
Tacoma officials move to convert a rugged ravine into parkland, sparking a protest from residents of Old Town who demand road access.
- The Day Seattle Democrats Vowed to Abolish 'Whitechapel'
At the 1892 city convention, Seattle Democrats staked their platform on moral reform, pledging to shutter the city's notorious 'Whitechapel' district and end the practice of paying city workers in scrip.
- City Council Faces Backlash Over Civil Service Repeal
Tacoma’s city council attempts to dismantle the civil service system in favor of the old patronage 'spoils' system, sparking an immediate call for voter registration and reform.
- Seattle High School Students Petition for Their Right to Learn
After the school board abolished the city's high school, students and volunteer teachers showed up to class anyway, refusing to let their education end.
- The Struggle Over Tipping on Northern Railways
Facing the threat of replacement by white workers, a labor group of Black Pullman porters in St. Paul organizes to abolish the 'tip evil' to save their jobs.
- The Saloon at the State Fair: A Temperance Warning from Yakima
An impassioned editorial condemns the state fair commission for auctioning saloon rights, warning that liquor will corrupt young men and tarnish the fair's educational mission.
- Government Intervenes in Landmark Labor Rights Case
For the first time, the federal government supports a worker's challenge to the 'fellow servant' rule, a legal doctrine that historically shielded railroads from liability for employee injuries.
- The Fight for the Melting Pot
A Kennewick citizen demands the state abolish private schools to ensure all children are raised with a single, nationalist loyalty.
- Spokane’s Moral Crusade Against Dance Halls
Local reformers and the Ministerial Association launch a petition drive to ban dance halls and variety theaters from the city.