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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 15 |
| 1877 | 13 |
| 1878 | 5 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 12 |
| 1884 | 9 |
| 1885 | 6 |
| 1886 | 8 |
| 1887 | 8 |
| 1888 | 6 |
| 1889 | 16 |
| 1891 | 15 |
| 1892 | 23 |
| 1893 | 26 |
| 1894 | 28 |
| 1895 | 30 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 3 |
| 1899 | 3 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 12 |
| 1904 | 6 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1908 | 4 |
| 1909 | 10 |
| 1910 | 3 |
| 1911 | 4 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 6 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 9 |
| 1917 | 6 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1923 | 3 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1928 | 2 |
| 1929 | 1 |
304 stories matching burden
- The Burden of Local Taxes
An 1877 editorial from the Seattle Daily Intelligencer debates the crushing weight of multiple tax levies and argues for consolidating civic payments into a single annual transaction.
- The Seizure of the Steamer Fairy
Federal authorities seize a vessel accused of smuggling eight Chinese laborers into Puget Sound.
- The County’s Cold Shoulder: Seattle Bleeds for Indigent Sick
In April 1877, the City of Seattle faced a financial crisis as King County refused to pay medical bills for indigent patients, leaving local taxpayers to foot the bill for care that should have been shared.
- The Unfair Tax Burden on Everett's Small Homeowners
Local labor advocates expose how corporations and land speculators pay only a fraction of their property taxes compared to the working class.
- Vote Dry and Pay 45½ Mills: The Saloon-License Arithmetic of 1909
With $10,000 to $15,000 of street grading already on the books, an anonymous Newport property owner argues that local option on Sept. 7 would hand taxpayers a $3,890 hole in the town budget — and one of the heaviest levies in the county.
- The Workingman's Protest Against Seattle's 'Class Tax'
An early Seattle citizen takes to the press to challenge a municipal licensing ordinance, arguing it unfairly shifts the tax burden from the wealthy onto the backs of laborers.
- The Pulpit vs. the Tax Assessor: Seattle Pastor Fights a Bill to Tax Church Property
Rev. Clark Davis told his congregation that a proposed state law would punish churches for doing the state's moral work—and warned that saloons and 'unbelievers' were cheering it on.
- Tacoma's Two-Million-Dollar Question: Buy the Water Works, or Fix the Sewers?
On the eve of a bond vote, Tacoma's taxpayers are told they can have the private water and electric plant and new sewers too. The arithmetic says otherwise: after the purchase, $3,707 is left for sewers.
- The Bureaucratic Cruelty of City Hall
Seattle and King County's refusal to fund indigent care leaves a local hospital to carry the burden for destitute patients.
- The Burden of the Land Monopoly
A critique of how the Northern Pacific Railroad’s land grants forced local settlers to subsidize wealthy corporations.
- Ninety Thousand Acres, Not a Cent in Taxes
An Orcas Island correspondent blames railroad-linked land companies for hoarding the island while residents carry the county tax burden.
- Ballard Fights the Tide Land Fill
The Ballard City Council moves to block a private contract to fill in Salmon Bay, fearing it will ruin the harbor and burden local commerce.
- The Ship That Smuggled Opium: How a Legal Loophole Freed a Vessel and $13,000 in Penalties
Judge Hanford rules that the steamer *Walla Walla* is not liable for contraband found in its cargo because the master lacked knowledge of the smuggling, setting a precedent for common carriers.
- The Taxation Trap: How Seattle’s Liquor Licenses Were Feeding the County, Not the City
In 1876, a territorial newspaper railed against a fiscal injustice: Seattle taxpayers were footing the bill for policing and street maintenance, while the county kept the revenue from liquor licenses sold within city limits.
- A Desperate Hour at Front and Main
A young man, weary of the 'burden of life,' is rescued from a suicide attempt in the heart of downtown Seattle.
- The Price of Keeping the Peace
After anti-Chinese riots rocked Seattle in 1886, the city found itself with a massive bill for martial law and the cost of keeping the peace.
- The Business of City Hall
Mayor-elect George P. Wright promises a new, business-minded administration for a debt-burdened Tacoma.
- The Struggle to House the Poor in Early Seattle
As the number of county residents in need grows, officials weigh ending the Sisters of Providence’s long-standing contract for a public poor farm.
- The Price of a Local Home
Walla Walla shifts the financial burden of securing a charitable home to the county commission, sparking a debate over the scope of municipal responsibility.
- The Price of Philanthropy
Walla Walla taxpayers worry that the proposed Stubblefield home for widows and orphans might become a public burden.
- The Unreasonable Burden of Moral Regeneration
A bold editorial argument for women's suffrage, dismissing the 'degradation' objection and the notion that men need women to save them from their own vices.
- Two Seattle Justices Fight a Move to the County Courthouse
The county commissioners want the justice courts in the courthouse; the justices say the basement rooms are cramped, the trip burdens litigants, and the change will cost more than it saves.
- The Sickening Sight: A Pardoned Murderer Left to Die in Port Townsend
John N. Young's cancer-eaten face shocked an editor into asking why Washington Territory released sick convicts to become county burdens.
- The Governor's 1895 Warning: Washington Is Spending Itself Into Debt
A message to the legislature tallies a looming deficit, runaway appropriations and a public-land system under pressure — while urging lawmakers to lease harbor areas cheaply and defend taxpayers.
- The Struggle for Tax Equity in 1876
A Seattle editorial argues that delinquent property taxes and legal loopholes are placing an unfair burden on the public, demanding legislative reform for the growing territory.
Also about this, in other words
- The Weight of Responsibility: A Victorian Lesson for Snohomish Parents
In an 1877 editorial, a Snohomish observer argued that character was a hereditary and domestic inheritance, placing the burden of societal progress squarely on the shoulders of the home.
- The Domestic Toll of 'Race Suicide'
A skeptical response to President Roosevelt's rhetoric on birth rates, highlighting the physical, financial, and emotional costs of motherhood at the turn of the century.
- A Merchant's Plight: The Cost of Overstocking
A Snohomish businessman faces financial ruin after a bad season leaves his shelves full and his creditors at the door.
- A Call for Compassion
A local horse is left to suffer after being overloaded, highlighting the lack of animal protections in early Aberdeen.
- The Price of Progress: A Victim of the Storm
A devastating windstorm hits Olympia, leaving a man critically injured and highlighting the physical perils of frontier expansion.
- The Dangerous Burden of Judging a Seattle Baby Show
Five of Seattle’s leading citizens face social catastrophe and financial ruin after being unwillingly drafted as judges for a high-stakes baby competition.
- A Father’s Hardship and the Telegram That Changed Everything
An overworked, weary business man contemplates his supposed failures until a birthday message from his daughter provides a new perspective on success.
- Workplace Injury in Richland
A construction supervisor faces weeks on crutches after a hoisting accident.