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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1872 | 5 |
| 1876 | 4 |
| 1877 | 7 |
| 1878 | 3 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 4 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 8 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 3 |
| 1895 | 2 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1909 | 2 |
| 1914 | 1 |
57 stories matching degrad
- The Sketch That Sobered a Father
A young artist's chance drawing of a child watching over his intoxicated father becomes a catalyst for family redemption.
- The Ethics of the Office: Fighting the 'Spoils' System in 1876 Seattle
A local official refuses to trade his political independence for employment, sparking a public debate over corruption, civil service reform, and the 'party hacks' of the Gilded Age.
- The Price of Printing: A 19th Century Fight Against 'Cheap John' Contracting
An editorial from the 1873 Seattle Dispatch excoriates the municipal habit of awarding city printing contracts to the lowest bidder, arguing it degrades the press and serves only the interests of 'ward demagogues.'
- The Anatomy of a Political Glutton
A satirical 1885 editorial dissecting the sudden, transformation of humble private citizens into greedy 'Ins' once they secure public office in Washington territory.
- The War on the Free Lunch
A Tacoma councilman moves to abolish the staple of the working-class saloon, calling it a magnet for vagrancy.
- A.A. Denny Challenges Ambiguous Indigenous Voting Law
A territorial legislator objected to unclear rules for Indigenous enfranchisement, warning that local election judges would decide voter eligibility inconsistently.
- The Persistent Business of Superstition
An editorial from 1877 examines why, despite the march of progress and the printing press, humanity remained obsessed with palmistry, spiritualism, and bad omens.
- Seattle Merchants Fight to Keep Their Own Revenue Service
The Chamber of Commerce rallies to block a congressional bill that would fold the independent Revenue Marine Service into the Navy.
- 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.
- The Fight for Fair Pay at the Grays Harbor Docks
Aberdeen’s civic leaders mobilize to demand a living wage for federal inspectors, arguing that local maritime workload has far outstripped their meager compensation.
- Mr. Palmer Urges Senate to Back Women’s Suffrage
Mr. Palmer takes to the floor in Olympia to argue for woman suffrage, dismantling tired objections and demanding a seat at the table for Washington women.
- The City’s Panic Over a Smallpox Outbreak
When an infectious disease arrived on the Seattle waterfront in 1876, the City Council and local editors turned to extreme rhetoric, calling for the forced removal of the city's vulnerable populations.
- The Bureau's War on 'Prostitution and Concubinage'
The Superintendent of Indian Affairs in Olympia issues a directive banning relationships between white staff and Indigenous women.
- The Women’s Crusade Against Vice
Twenty-five prominent Tacoma women demand the city council clear out gambling houses and houses of ill-repute, citing the city charter and moral degradation.
- The War of Words Between Kennewick and Prosser
A bitter editorial feud erupts between rival newspapers over a dispute involving county road and bridge funds.
- The Housewife's Rebellion
In an era of performative domesticity, one young woman in Washington Territory insists that 'accomplishment' means knowing how to run a household from the kitchen up.
- The Commonweal Army Prepares to March on Washington
As thousands of unemployed men mobilize across the country to march on the nation's capital, Seattle's local contingent balances internal discipline, fundraising, and a pledge of solidarity with striking railway workers.
- The Price of Rent in the Underworld
A local editor exposes how landlords exploit marginalized women through extortionate rent, turning a police court spectacle into a sharp critique of societal hypocrisy.
- Sunday Statistics: The War for the Soul of Seattle's Youth
Rev. Wallace Nutting takes a census of the city’s saloons and churches to prove the moral decay of young men in the West.
- The Scandal of the New Zealand Dance Hall
A concerned Seattle resident warns of a dangerous 'plague spot' on South Third Street where teenagers are allegedly being lured into debauchery.
- Seattle Declares Victory Over Smallpox Outbreak
After twenty days of tension, health officials confirm the city is safe, though the bill for containment—and a sharp rebuke for those who brought the sickness to town—remains.
- City Hall Wins Fight to Shutter Immoral Dance Halls
A Superior Court judge confirms the city's authority to declare dance halls a public nuisance, citing the corruption of public morals.
- The Inhumanity of the City Jail
A plea for the humane treatment of women in Seattle's overcrowded, mixed-gender prison system.
- The Political Case Against 'Human Freight'
An editorial defending the exclusion of Chinese labor based on the philosophy of wage protection and the warnings of abolitionist Wendell Phillips.
- The False Priests of Tacoma
Two con artists passing themselves off as Catholic missionaries hoodwinked a congregation in Buckley, performing masses and collecting offerings before being chased down and arrested in Tacoma.