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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 4 |
| 1859 | 4 |
| 1860 | 4 |
| 1861 | 5 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1863 | 2 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1883 | 4 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1891 | 26 |
| 1892 | 9 |
| 1893 | 5 |
| 1894 | 3 |
| 1895 | 12 |
| 1903 | 3 |
| 1909 | 8 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1923 | 1 |
98 stories matching cannot
- The Futility of Prohibition
A skeptical legislator warns that strict alcohol bans in Washington Territory will lead only to evasion, black markets, and public distrust.
- The Legal Limits of Game Warden Searches
A state legal opinion clarifies that officers cannot search cars for game without a warrant or probable cause, unless it is in plain view.
- Who Pays When the City's Warrants Go Bad?
A judge says Olympia cannot be forced to cover special improvement warrants with general taxes, leaving the loss to fall on the people holding the paper.
- Judge Burke: Washington cannot borrow a dollar to build its capitol
Answering Populist weeklies that accused the capitol commission of planning to sink the state a million dollars into debt, commissioner Thomas Burke said the law allows exactly one funding source — 132,000 acres of granted land — and no taxes at all.
- The Letter That Asked: Is Olympia's Street-Tax Ordinance Even Legal?
A citizen signing himself 'Marius' argues that the city's method of charging property owners for street paving and grading violates due process — and warns that if the assessments collapse in court, every taxpayer in town will pay for it.
- The Ballroom Ignored the Flames: Olympia’s Nonchalant Dance Amidst Disaster
While citizens and firemen battled a blaze at the Washington Hotel on Friday evening, revelers inside continued dancing with startling indifference to the falling cinders.
- The Governor’s Printing Office Grab
A territorial appointment turns into a public feud over who gets to choose Washington’s public printer—and whether the governor overstepped the legislature’s authority.
- The Plot to Hijack the Revenue Cutter
Confederate sympathizers were rumored to be conspiring to seize a U.S. revenue cutter in the Puget Sound, heightening Civil War tensions in the Pacific Northwest.
- Enforcing Liquor Laws on the Reservation
General Alvord moves to protect immigrants while curbing the illegal sale of spirits to Indigenous populations.
- The Great Olympia Real Estate Boom: 'Only a Question of Time'
As the capital city experiences a frenzy of property sales and predicts its future as a metropolis powered by Turnwater Falls, locals debate whether the boom is sustainable or just hype.
- The Governor Vetoes Debtor Relief—and Warns It Would Speed Foreclosures
Gov. McGraw kills a bill meant to shield struggling debtors, arguing it cannot apply to existing contracts and may trigger the mortgage sales it was supposed to prevent.
- A Territorial Judge, a Killing, and a Governor's Bad Appointment
A grand jury has charged Judge E. C. Fitzhugh with murder in the death of Andrew Wilson, turning a territorial appointment into a test of Governor Stevens's judgment.
- The Unsinkable 'Old Settler' of the Olympia Tide-Flats
An enterprising Olympia pioneer launches a custom-built, shallow-draft vessel to dominate the local oyster trade.
- The Rule of Law in the Wild West
A deep dive into the 1854 Washington Territorial legal code governing criminal trials, bail, and the rights of the accused.
- The Struggle for Currency in Wartime Olympia
Merchants in Olympia face criticism for devaluing federal 'greenbacks' at the expense of local laborers.
- The Temperance Fight Hits Local Garrisons
Legislators move to ban saloons near military homes, targeting Orting and Puget Sound shipyards in a sweeping dry campaign.
- The Senator Who Bought His Seat
A Washington State legislator admits to accepting $200 to sway his vote for U.S. Senator, sparking a scandal in Olympia that mirrors modern concerns about political corruption.
- The Brutal Logic of Dispossession
Governor Newell’s biennial message advocates for the total dismantling of reservations in Washington Territory to prioritize white settlers' agricultural ambitions.
- The Fight for Seattle’s School Funds
A legislative battle in Olympia settles whether major Washington cities can maintain control over their own school taxes, thwarting an effort to pull them into a state-wide pool.
- The End of the Fur Trade Monopoly
Governor Stevens moves to ban the Hudson’s Bay Company from trading with local Indigenous tribes, signaling a shift toward American commercial dominance.
- The Scent of 'Unmarked Coin' at the Capitol
As local option battles intensify, rumors of a slush fund designed to sway legislators circulate through Olympia.
- The Court Let Harbor Lines Reach Beyond the City Limits
Washington’s Supreme Court reversed a lower court and held that harbor-line commissioners had jurisdiction in front of incorporated towns like Ballard, not just cities—then sent the case back to be dismissed.
- The Land Sharks of the Sound
A Seattle real estate firm is trapping local farmers in predatory contracts that cloud property titles for years, leaving settlers fighting for their deeds.
- The Struggle to Become a Citizen and a Tradesman
A legislator argues that the Donation Land Law is forcing tradesmen into failed farming careers, harming the region's economy.
- The Great Land Office Fire at Olympia
A catastrophic fire destroys essential territorial land records and plats, forcing homesteaders and pre-emption claimants to restart their filings from scratch.