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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 1 |
| 1895 | 11 |
| 1908 | 2 |
| 1916 | 2 |
33 stories matching aye
- Olympia Named Temporary Seat of Government
The Council debates and finalizes the definition of judicial districts, securing Olympia's status as the provisional capital.
- The Trickle-Down Fury of the Waterfront
A brutal hierarchy on a Seattle steamboat illustrates the chaotic and abusive nature of labor relations in the 1889 maritime trade.
- Washington Territory Grants Women the Vote
After passing the House previously, the suffrage bill clears the Council, marking a historic victory for equal representation.
- The Town That Forgot to Celebrate
Kennewick's editor warns that civic apathy is turning the community into a ghost town, one canceled event at a time.
- The House Rejects Treason Resolution
Tensions reach a boiling point in the territorial legislature as members debate the loyalty of Delegate Isaac I. Stevens during the onset of the Civil War.
- The Midnight Saloon Bill Fails in Olympia
Washington state legislators reject a proposal to force saloons to close at midnight, with some arguing that patrons should be allowed to stay warm by the fire.
- The Senate Says Yes to Women’s Suffrage—For Now
A constitutional amendment to let women vote cleared the Washington Senate with 21 votes and 9,450 petition signatures, but a reconsideration motion threatened to undo it.
- The Unmaking of a Whistleblower
Seattle’s Police Board fires an officer who claimed he was targeted for reporting corruption within the force.
- The Heated Debate Over 'Shaving' Greenbacks
Washington Territorial legislators clashed over a bill aimed at criminalizing the devaluation of federal currency, pitting economic protectionism against constitutional theory.
- The City Council's Dog Catching Dilemma
Seattle's municipal politics get messy as aldermen debate the ethics of canine control and the cost of public service.
- State Legislature Grants Cities Local Control
A landmark bill passes in Olympia, allowing smaller towns to incorporate and manage their own debts, fueling the boom of the 1890s.
- The 1878 Fight to Ban Corporate Land Hoarding
As Washington prepares for statehood, delegates debate a radical proposal to break up concentrated land ownership and prevent corporate monopolies.
- The Fight for Washington’s Tide Lands
A high-stakes political battle in the state legislature over the future of Washington's valuable waterfront property.
- Washington Legislature Rejects Women's Suffrage
A bill to submit the question of equal suffrage to the voters of the state fails to secure the necessary two-thirds majority in the House.
- The Dangerous Habit of Ignoring Contagion
An 1886 editorial warns Seattle residents against the 'criminal' practice of visiting neighbors and public schools while carrying the germs of diphtheria and scarlet fever.
- Olympia Puts Its Bond Mess on Ice—and the Mayor Objects
A council committee recommends leaving the 1891 bond tangle to the next administration; the mayor warns the city is “in a mud hole” and wants the courts to force a decision.
- Seattle Rallies Against Chinese Labor at the Standard Theater
An overflow crowd packs the Standard Theater to demand the total exclusion of Chinese laborers and the termination of the Burlingame Treaty, revealing the deep economic anxieties of the era.
- The Railroads Beat the Farmers in Olympia
A bill to cut freight and passenger rates across Washington goes down in the state Senate after a bruising fight, handing the railroads their biggest Northwest victory yet.
- Seattle Aldermen Kill Scurry's Confirmation in a Jiffy
A raucous 1895 council session turns into a fight over public works, unemployment relief, and a telephone monopoly.
- Seattle's Saloons Win the Right to Run All Night
A liquor-dealers' protest killed the 1 a.m. closing ordinance at City Council, even as aldermen and delegates fought over Phinney's Woodland streetcar franchise.
- The State vs. the 'Gigantic Octopus': Washington Votes to Print Its Own Schoolbooks
Olympia's senate passes a bill making Washington a textbook publisher, selling spellers and readers to children at cost to break the American Book Company's grip — 27 to 4.
- Thirty Ballots and No Senator: Olympia's Republican Caucus Breaks Apart
After thirty futile ballots, Wilson's supporters bolted rather than back Ankeny, leaving Washington's Republican legislative caucus deadlocked and King County's delegation exposed.
- Fists and a Revolver: Ballard's Council Seat Fight Turns Violent
A court-ordered councilman tries to take his seat, a lawyer punches an editor, and a revolver comes out — all in one evening at Ballard's city council.
- One Vote Shy: Washington’s Local Option Bill Goes Down in the Senate
A 17–16 roll call, one absent senator and a promised reconsideration left Washington’s saloon-regulation fight hanging by a thread.
- The Councilman Who Lived Across the State Line
A lawyer’s residency challenge nearly voided a railroad franchise—and forced Councilman Eckerson to offer his resignation.