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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 4 |
| 1861 | 1 |
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| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 2 |
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| 1883 | 1 |
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| 1925 | 1 |
111 stories matching ban
- When Tacoma Protestants Told the Pope to Stay Out of Their Lodges
A 2,500-person rally in Tacoma’s Armory Hall denounces a papal edict against secret societies, blending fraternal pride with fierce anti-Catholic nativism.
- The Blueprint for a New State
As Washington prepares to enter the Union, this constitutional supplement lays the foundational laws for labor, courts, and civil rights.
- The Rotting Jaw: Labor’s Fight Against Deadly Phosphorus
Workers in American match factories face a horrific, disfiguring illness while the government debates banning the white phosphorus that causes it.
- The Milk Riots: How Seattle’s Dairymen Threatened to Spike Prices Over a Dog Ban
When the city council proposed banning pigs and limiting livestock to three cows per family, local dairy farmers didn't just complain—they warned that milk prices would skyrocket to 15 cents a quart.
- The High-Stakes Battle to Shut Down Racetrack Gambling
Legislators strip the emergency clause from the anti-racetrack bill, threatening to delay the ban on gambling at the Meadows during the upcoming exposition.
- Political Deadlock and Dirty Tricks in Olympia
Accusations of corporate puppetry fly in the Washington State Legislature as the battle for the U.S. Senate seat intensifies.
- The Campaign to Exclude Japanese Farmers from Seattle Markets
White truck farmers in the White River Valley organize a campaign to ban Japanese immigrant competition from the Pike Place Market.
- The Saloon Wars: How Seattle’s Council Killed the Fight to Ban Bars from Residential Streets
In a heated March 1904 council meeting, reformers fought to keep saloons off streets where wives and children walked. The measure failed, revealing deep corruption and the powerful grip of liquor interests on city government.
- The Price of a Senate Seat: Inside the 1891 Power Struggle in Olympia
As a crucial U.S. Senate election looms, Seattle political figures and state legislators grapple with accusations of bribery, railroad monopolies, and the 'corrupt' influence of money in Washington’s halls of power.
- Tacoma’s Water Crisis: Livestock and Ducks Contaminating the City's Supply
While citizens face water shortages and lawn sprinkling bans, city officials grapple with a public health dilemma where contaminated surface water is routinely mixed with pure well water.
- The Fight Over Chinese Immigration
Tensions mount as authorities in Puget Sound and Portland scramble to manage the arrival of Chinese travelers and the enforcement of the Geary Act.
- The Northwestern Industrial Army Organizes in Seattle
Unemployed men gather at Second and Weller to form a peaceful labor collective as the city braces for economic depression.
- The Makah Nation’s Fleet Challenges the Seal Hunters
With firearms banned, the Makah sealers of Neah Bay turn to traditional hunting methods, outmaneuvering white commercial competitors.
- Washington State Bans Private Mercenary Guards
New legislation makes it a serious crime for companies to employ private detective agencies like the Pinkertons to suppress strikes or intimidate employees.
- Olympia Officials Enforce 1862 Ban on Selling Liquor to Tribes
Superintendent Calvin H. Hale warns that selling alcohol to Native people is a 'grave offence' punishable by law and military enforcement.
- 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.
- When the Law Stops the City
A judicial ruling in Tacoma paralyzes street improvements, sparking a bitter feud between city officials and property owners.
- Washington's House Votes to Ban Cigarettes — and the Tobacco Trust Moves In
In 1893 the state House passed a prohibition on cigarette sales after a debate that mixed moral reform, monopoly fears and anti-Chinese prejudice. Lobbyists were already working the Senate.
- The Cow War of Brooklyn and Latona
Seattle residents clash over the right to keep livestock in the city, pitting the 'backwoods' life against the sensibilities of the urban elite.
- Washington Bans Armed Mercenaries
Legislators override a veto to criminalize the employment of private armed bodies, a move targeting industrial labor conflicts.
- The New England Hotel's Ban
A local hotel owner strikes a blow against Chinese labor, signaling a rising tide of xenophobic economic policy in the Pacific Northwest.
- The Mayor Who Refused to Expel
When an outsider asked to ban Chinese residents from Tacoma, Mayor Jacob Mann stood his ground against the era's tide of exclusion.
- The Unwritten Law of Ballard
A Chinese laundryman is chased from the suburb by a mob enforcing a local, extra-legal ban on residents of Chinese descent.
- The Saloons vs. The Dynamite
A railroad company’s failed legal attempt to ban saloons in Kittitas County on the grounds that drinking made workers careless with explosives.
- Protecting the Olympic Elk
A federal official tours Washington's forests to propose the first game refuges, hoping to prevent the total loss of the state's elk population.