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230 stories matching agit
- Franklin Miners Blast Calls for a New Disaster Investigation
After 37 men died in the Franklin mine explosion, 152 miners signed resolutions defending the coroner's verdict and accusing outside agitators of exploiting their grief.
- The Scissors-Duel of La Conner
A Seattle capitalist and a labor agitator clash in a bizarre, violent confrontation that left the local agitator wounded and the city buzzing with gossip.
- Private Employment Agents Fight Back Against the City's Free Labor Bureau
Accused of swindling job-seekers, a Seattle employment firm blames organized labor and a union-backed city bureau for a campaign to put it out of business — and dares the city to investigate.
- The Great State Division Debate
Following the 1914 prohibition vote, some Seattle elites proposed splitting Washington into two states to escape the dry laws of the east side.
- Mayor Yesler Calls for Calm Amid Rising Anti-Chinese Sentiment
Facing mounting pressure and threats of violence, the Mayor of Seattle summons citizens to address the growing anti-Chinese agitation.
- Chinatown Ash and Ember: A City Under Siege
A devastating fire levels the Chinese quarter in Tacoma, leaving the community in ruins and stoking the fires of anti-Chinese agitation.
- The Great Tacoma Water Grift
How a corrupt water monopoly swindled the city out of nearly $1.5 million for a tainted water supply, leaving residents with a decade of filth.
- Guns at the Polls: Seattle’s First Ward Primary Erupts in a Street Brawl
Sheriff Woolery and saloon man John Considine tried to seize a Republican primary by arresting the election judges; Chief Rogers and his police fought back with warrants, clubs and drawn revolvers.
- Federal Troops Arrive to Quell Anti-Chinese Agitation in Seattle
United States soldiers are deployed to maintain order amidst rising tensions, as the newspaper argues the law must be upheld against the ongoing intimidation of Chinese residents.
- Too Late to Surrender: Roslyn's Miners Are Locked Out and Blacklisted
After three months idle, the white miners agreed to the company's brutal 30-percent pay cut — only to learn the Northern Pacific Coal Company had already imported Black strikebreakers from the East and would rehire only the men it chose.
- The Wig and the Wire: How a Tacoma Newspaper Owner Tried to Destroy a Judge
In the sensational Wickersham trial of 1889, prosecutor R.P. Radebaugh’s own past and his alleged conspiracy to frame Judge Wickersham for 'immorality' were laid bare in court.
- Seattle Lawyers Debate Martial Law and Mob Violence
In a tense meeting, the King County Bar Association condemns the recent anti-Chinese expulsions and debates whether to censure lawyers involved in the agitation.
- The Black Miners Who Came to Save Roslyn
In February 1885, a special train carrying 300 African American laborers from the East Coast arrived in Washington Territory to break a coal strike. Their arrival ended weeks of unrest and restored order to the struggling mining town.
- The Oil Men’s Last Stand: Seattle’s Battle Over Fire Safety and Corporate Power
In March 1889, a proposed ordinance to ban oil storage within city limits sparked a fierce standoff between the Board of Trade and powerful petroleum interests. While the city pushed for safety, the oil dealers argued the rules were discriminatory and economically impossible, setting the stage for a legal battle that would define Seattle’s industrial future.
- The Boss’s View on Coal, Labor, and Anti-Chinese Agitation
A rare 1885 look into the mind of the Oregon Improvement Company’s representative during a volatile era of Seattle’s labor history.
- The Struggle for Order in 1885 Olympia
As anti-Chinese riots swept through Tacoma and Seattle, the citizens of Olympia gathered to pass a desperate set of resolutions, hoping to avoid the 'lawless expulsion' of their neighbors.
- The Seattle Labor Movement Breaks with Anarchism
After years of tension, Seattle's working-class leadership officially severs ties with a radical faction that openly celebrated the Chicago Haymarket-era bombings.
- The Fremont Mill Canal Dispute
A local mill company is accused of blocking a natural waterway with piles and a building to manufacture a legal claim against the city's proposed ship canal.
- Seattle's Filipino Editors Draw a Line: Restrict Us If You Must — But Never Shut Us Out
As agitation builds in Congress to bar Filipinos from the mainland, the editors of Seattle's Filipino Forum weigh the Johnson bill and conclude that a quota, however bitter, is preferable to outright exclusion — which they call an imperialist injustice.
- The Myth of Labor Displacement
An 1887 editorial piece argues that fears of Chinese laborers 'stealing' work are baseless, claiming they fill roles white workers refuse to take.
- The Long Struggle for Train Safety
After a decade of agitation, new federal law mandates automatic couplers and air brakes to end the slaughter of railroad brakemen.
- Blacklisted on the Waterfront: Northern Pacific Punishes Strike Leaders
After the 1894 railroad strike, a Northern Pacific superintendent admits the company will not rehire “strike leaders or agitators” — and one ex-switchman says the boycott follows him even to a steamship wharf.
- The Shadow of Exclusion in Tacoma
Years after the expulsion, a new conflict emerges as merchants look toward trade with Asia while local agitators hold the line against Chinese business.
- The Labor Agitator's 'Foreigner' Problem
In an 1885 letter to the editor, a frustrated Seattle employer challenges the hypocrisy of the local anti-Chinese movement by questioning the nativist bias against European immigrants.
- The Ghost of the Anti-Chinese Riots
A mysterious agitator claims the soldiers have arrived to protect Seattle's Chinese population, triggering panic and confusion on the docks.
Also about this, in other words
- The Agitator in Fetters
A prominent Seattle suffragist and labor activist is declared incapacitated by her family, sparking a debate on her past political defiance and current state of mind.