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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1892 | 6 |
| 1893 | 5 |
| 1894 | 8 |
| 1895 | 8 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 2 |
| 1904 | 6 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1909 | 4 |
45 stories matching constitut
- The State’s Battle to License Horseshoers
Olympia attorney T. M. Vance challenges the constitutionality of a law requiring professional registration for blacksmiths.
- Seattle’s Fire Chief Fights a Naturalization-Fraud Indictment
Chief Hunt’s lawyers argued that false statements on his citizenship papers did not matter—because Washington’s constitution had already made him a citizen.
- A Bible in Every Schoolroom? The Epworth League's Careful Campaign in Western Washington
Meeting in convention, Methodist delegates moved to demand Bible reading in the public schools — then softened the demand, and asked the legislature to put a constitutional amendment to a vote.
- City's Eight-Hour Law Survives Legal Challenge
A local court rules that the city of Tacoma can enforce its eight-hour workday mandate against a construction firm's protest.
- When a Railroad Pass Was a Bribe in a Pocket
A Tacoma editor demands Washington's lawmakers enforce the constitutional ban on free train passes, arguing the 'courtesy' bought influence one legislator at a time.
- Blackmail at the Courthouse
Architect O.P. Dennis receives a mysterious, threatening letter suggesting corruption in the building of the Pierce County Courthouse.
- Intercepted at Sea
Ten Chinese individuals, including a man carrying a valid certificate of residence, are being deported under the shadow of the Geary Act.
- City Council moves to connect Center Street
A new infrastructure project aims to link the west end and South Tacoma with a low-grade route.
- No Money, No Jury: Tacoma's Judge Stops Court to Prove a Point
Judge Stallcup vacated a jury order because the county had no cash to pay jurors—and his suit over Tacoma's water bonds made the bench itself the story.
- The Daily Grind: Tacoma Workers Demand a Living Wage in 1892
A bold petition from local laborers forces the City Charter Amendment Committee to confront demands for a $2 daily wage and a nine-hour workday.
- The Fight for the Ballot at the Tacoma Courthouse
In 1887, two suffragists took to the streets to demand the restoration of voting rights for women in Washington Territory.
- The Horseshoe Law Upheld in Court
A legal challenge brought by a former Walla Walla blacksmith against a Washington state horseshoeing certification law has failed.
- The Fight Over Who Owns the Reservation
A legal battle over assessing Puyallup Indian lands triggers a debate on citizenship and taxation in the Superior Court.
- Tacoma's Water and Light Bonds Survive Their Day in Court
Judge Stallcup's suit to invalidate the city's light and water bond issue was dismissed in superior court; the case will go to the state Supreme Court.
- The End of the City Cow
Tacoma moves to ban the 'lowing herd' from city limits, declaring that more than two cows makes a dairy, not a home.
- Tacoma’s Financial Sewer Fight
A fierce public debate over whether Tacoma can afford a new water plant while simultaneously funding critical sewer infrastructure.
- The Y.M.C.A. Takes Root in Tacoma
Civic leaders form a new Association to organize literary and social work, echoing the rapid growth of the region.
- A Judge’s Weary View on the Divorce Boom
Tacoma’s divorce courts see a steady stream of domestic disputes, leading one judge to question the rising frequency of these legal filings.
- The Registration Wars of 1892
A political brawl spills into the courts as Tacoma’s city clerk is arrested for refusing to register voters pushed by out-of-town Democratic ward workers.
- State Labor Commissioner Targets Eight-Hour Law Violations
Commissioner William Blackman is gathering evidence against contractors in Tacoma and Seattle who have failed to comply with state labor mandates.
- A Judge Refuses to Seat Jurors Because Tacoma Has No Money to Pay Them
Judge John Stallcup's one-man budget protest shut down his Tacoma courtroom—and exposed a broken system of delinquent taxes and unpaid jurors.
- The Salvation Army's Plan to End Urban Poverty
A proposal to move impoverished tenement dwellers from congested cities onto government-allotted public lands in the West.
- Tacoma’s Water War: A City Divided Over Private Utility Buyout
A heated municipal battle erupts as citizens protest the proposed purchase of a private water plant, fearing corruption and an exorbitant price tag.
- The Tacoma Taxpayer’s Fight Against ‘Fake’ Legislative Wedges
Citizens and labor organizations organize against city officials accused of manipulating tax laws and misusing municipal funds for private gain.
- The Eight-Hour Fight in Old Tacoma
In 1892, Tacoma laborers mobilized to abolish the contract system and secure a living wage, setting a stage for century-long debates over municipal labor.