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103 stories matching capitol
- 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.
- Puyallup's Bid to Steal the State Capitol From Olympia
A Pierce County representative introduced a bill to repeal the $500,000 capitol-building appropriation and cancel the Olympia basement contract—reportedly to keep Puyallup's own hopes alive.
- The Capitol That Couldn't Be Built
After two failed attempts at financing, the state's third try at bonding the capitol building heads to the Supreme Court.
- Capitol Commission Infighting Leads to Firing
Governor McGraw removes John McBeavy from the state capitol commission following a volatile dispute over the selection of architectural plans.
- Plumbing Failure Floods State Capitol
A clogged flush tank at the Olympia capitol caused hundreds of dollars in damage to government records.
- Accusations of Corruption in State Capitol Planning
The Walla Walla Statesman warns that a proposed constitutional amendment is a front for a 'boodler' syndicate in Olympia.
- The Battle for the Capitol Grounds
A public dispute erupts between the Acting Governor and a Capitol Commissioner over the bidding process for clearing the grounds in Olympia.
- A Dollar and a Half a Day: Olympia's Capitol Strike
Work on Washington's capitol halts as laborers demand $1.50 for an eight-hour day—and bricklayers are left idle when the contractors refuse.
- The Capitol Betrayal: Olympia’s Seat of Power Shipped to Vancouver
In a stunning political maneuver, the Territorial Legislature has voted to move the capital from Olympia to Vancouver and the penitentiary to Port Townsend, sparking outrage among local editors who see it as a betrayal of trust.
- Tacoma Tries to Halt the State Capitol
Tacoma's Chamber of Commerce calls Olympia's new capitol a waste in hard times, but lawmakers vote down a bill to stop the work.
- The Republican Territorial Convention Meets in Olympia
With the shadow of the Civil War looming, Washington Territory Republicans gathered at the Capitol to pledge support for the Union and nominate a delegate to Congress.
- Local Magnate Acquires Seattle Automobile Agency
Tacoma businessman H.A. Cummings expands his empire by purchasing the Capitol Hill Auto Club garage, signaling the rise of the automobile as a regional industry.
- Coxey’s Army and the Capital Crackdown
Industrial protesters are jailed for trespassing on Capitol grounds, as federal troops mobilize across the West to protect railroad lines.
- The $3 Million Capitol Olympia Was Still Waiting For
Residents grumble that nothing is being built, but the state says it must wait for the next legislature to sell land granted at statehood.
- Pierce County Tried to Block Olympia's Capitol — Seattle Pushed Back
As Pierce County legislators fought an appropriation for the new capitol at Olympia, Seattle's Chamber of Commerce urged the state to finish the building it had already begun.
- Tacoma Moves to Halt the New State Capitol—and Seattle Cheers
A Tacoma Chamber of Commerce petition urged lawmakers to stop work on Washington's capitol until land values were settled. Seattle's chamber had just endorsed the opposite, and the House committee chairman blamed 'a few bankrupt land speculators.'
- The Fight Over Washington's Capitol: A Governor, a Professor and a Press War
As the state's new capitol building is designed, Seattle and Tacoma papers pound the selection commission with charges of favoritism — and Gov. McGraw's defenders fire back.
- A 100,000-Gallon Tank for Seattle's Thirsty Hills
A reserve tank is about to come online for Capitol Hill and Broadway, while crews begin another on Queen Anne to end morning water shortages.
- The Crumbling Capitol Gets a Patch-Up
As legislators prepare for the 1893 session, the barn-like structure in Olympia receives a new roof and a desperately needed expansion.
- The Fight to Build Washington's Capitol—and the Man Who Wanted It in Puyallup
A state commission says the capitol can be finished debt-free, but a rival town's booster has other ideas.
- The Silent Hours at the State Capitol
A local labor newspaper questions the integrity of the state labor commissioner, accusing him of ignoring labor violations to serve his political masters.
- The Sportsman Who Threatened the State Budget to Save His Hounds
B. B. Palmer of King County is accused of telling capitol employees that if they keep lobbying to ban deer hounding, appropriations will suffer.
- Drafting Washington's Future
As the 1889 Constitutional Convention drags on, legislators, lobbyists, and educators collide over taxes, schools, and the path to statehood.
- The Battle for the Capitol Library
Acting-Governor Henry McGill blocks the removal of the Territorial Library to Vancouver, citing conflicting laws and an ongoing federal dispute over the Seat of Government.
- Olympia’s Capitol Fight: Donate the Land or Lose the Statehouse
A late-night Senate debate over the new state capitol turned on eleven acres, a $150,000 land scheme and whether Olympia should pay to keep the building—before the bill passed to applause.
Also about this, in other words
- The Stone Capitol Olympia Was Promised
Architect Ernest Flagg says the foundation is finished and bids are about to go out for a fireproof statehouse—one built to last, if the legislature will pay for it.
- The Old Capitol Gets a Hurried Remodel Before the Legislature Returns
Secretary Weir is shoring up sagging foundations, rebuilding the Senate chamber, and squeezing five or six more years out of Olympia's aging statehouse.
- Riot and Revelry at the Capitol
As the legislative session in Olympia concluded, members engaged in a chaotic scramble to loot furniture and equipment from the chambers.
- The Spiders of the Rotunda
A look at the professional lobbyists who stalked the halls of the old Washington capitol, turning the state legislature into a theater of influence.
- The Capitol Riots: How a Bribery Scandal Shook Washington’s First Legislature
In the halls of Olympia, Republican lawmakers turned on each other with fists and threats over a U.S. Senate seat, exposing a brazen attempt to buy votes that disgraced the young state.
- The Bid for the State Capital
North Yakima asserts its central geography and climate advantages to become the seat of government for the new state.
- The Fight for Washington’s Capital City
A Seattle writer argues that moving the seat of government east of the Cascades would cripple maritime commerce.
- The Fight for Washington’s Capital
The constitutional convention’s attempt to prematurely cement Olympia as the capital sparks outrage.