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56 stories matching commonwealth
- The Name That Never Was: How Washington Stole Its Identity
A furious editorial in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer defends the state's name against a congressional proposal to rename it 'Tacoma,' arguing that the people’s attachment to their home is sacred.
- The Weight of the Ballot: Washington’s First National Election
On the eve of statehood, Seattle residents prepared for their first campaign tied to national parties and federal power, marking a shift away from local autonomy.
- The Ghost Legislature: How Congress Strangled Washington's Voice
In January 1893, the territorial assembly convened only to immediately adjourn because Washington had no federal funding for its own government. A local editorial decries this as a farce that leaves citizens paying taxes without representation.
- The Dream of a Model Commonwealth
Six years after founding a cooperative colony in Port Angeles, its pioneers reflect on how a vision of shared interests turned into standard business success.
- The 'Free Love' Riot of Port Angeles
When a local newspaper dared to suggest that marriage should be a voluntary contract, the citizens of Port Angeles formed a mob to drive the editors out of town.
- The Rule of Law in the Face of Mob Violence
In 1885, a Seattle judge delivered a scathing rebuke to a grand jury and the public, condemning anti-Chinese conspiracy and defending the right of all laborers—regardless of race or origin—to equal protection under the law.
- Socialist Party Opens Grand Hall on Rockefeller Avenue
Organizers lease the second floor of the new Dolton-Weaver building for a major new hub of civic activity.
- The Walla Walla Track Record Falls
During a massive fair week gathering, spectators witnessed the local track record shattered as horses competed for a $500 purse.
- The Passing of Edward Eldridge
Washington loses a foundational figure who helped shape the state from its territorial beginnings.
- Political Exile: The Tacoma News Attacks Seattle's Independent Democrats
A bitter feud between newspapers highlights the friction between regional interests and party loyalty in Washington.
- The Rowdy Representative from Washington
Critics decry the 'energy' of Congressman John L. Wilson following his physical altercation on the floor of the U.S. House.
- The “Dude” Candidate and the Murder Acquittals
A San Juan newspaper attacks aspiring governor “Dude” Lewis over two Whatcom County murder acquittals, warning that his sympathy for defendants could empty the state’s prisons.
- The Migrant Tide Building Seattle
A look back at the restless wave of Eastern and Midwestern youth who, having drained the vitality of their home towns, arrived in the Pacific Northwest to build the city of Seattle.
- The Struggle for a State University
Professor M.W. Taylor defends the University of Washington against critics who claim the school is too low-standard to serve the state.
- Puget Sound Oyster Beds Need Cultivation, Not Waste
While Connecticut creates a million-dollar oyster industry through cultivation, Seattle’s local beds are being eaten into oblivion.
- The Mob That Stole Justice in Seattle
A federal judge delivers a blistering rebuke to the Seattle vigilantes who lynched three men in January 1882, declaring that the lawless 'Committee of Safety' is a threat greater than the criminals they executed.
- Ellensburg Convention Pushes Washington Statehood in 1889
Delegates gathered in Ellensburg in 1889 to demand admission into the Union, arguing that the territory had matured into a self-sustaining, prosperous commonwealth.
- The Rural Rebellion Against the Eight-Hour Day
Farmers argue that an initiative measure pushed by labor unions would spell ruin for the agricultural industry.
- The Great Reclamation: How the Feds Are Remaking the West
A rare, detailed look at the massive engineering projects intended to turn arid public lands into thousands of small, self-sustaining family farms.
- The Forgotten Constitution: Seattle's 1889 Apathy
While Washington territory scrambled to establish statehood following the Great Seattle Fire, the public was so consumed by the disaster's aftermath that the upcoming constitutional convention went almost unnoticed.
- The Economic Anxiety of 1888
A fiery editorial warns that proposed national tariff reductions threaten to collapse Seattle's burgeoning industries and ruin the working class.
- The Great Statehood Jubilee: Washington Takes Its Seat at the Table
As President Cleveland signs the admission bill on Lincoln’s birthday, Seattle celebrates the end of the territorial era and the dawn of sovereign self-governance.
- The Human Cost of Industry
Reflecting on four months of Washington’s landmark workmen’s compensation law, the Journal argues that safety, not just payout, must be the priority.
- The Uncrowned King of the Seattle Bar
The rapid ascent and untimely death of Colonel John Charles Haines, a towering legal figure and military commander who defined Seattle’s civic life in the late 19th century.
- A Seattle Utopia Sold in One-Cent Shares
A society of unemployed men pools its wages and plots a Bellamy-style commonwealth of railroads, coal mines and common tables — starting from $5 of capital and 500 one-cent shares.