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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1876 | 4 |
| 1877 | 6 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1884 | 5 |
| 1885 | 5 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1889 | 6 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 4 |
| 1892 | 6 |
| 1893 | 3 |
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| 1895 | 12 |
| 1898 | 1 |
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| 1909 | 12 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1917 | 3 |
| 1923 | 1 |
| 1924 | 2 |
103 stories matching exempt
- Volunteer Firefighters Pass the Torch
Walla Walla's volunteer fire department officially disbands as members receive exemption status.
- The 1885 Fight to Protect the Workingman’s Tools and Bedding
A proposed territorial law sought to expand property exemptions from debt, shielding everything from a mechanic's tools to a family's bedding from creditors.
- The Populist Fight for Tax Relief
A representative explains the constitutional struggle to exempt small property holdings from taxation.
- Judge Greene Slaps Down Legal Nitpicking
A Territorial judge refuses to let a clerical error in the law strip working teamsters of their property exemptions.
- The Tax Reformer of Tacoma
A scathing 1888 editorial argues that tax exemptions for the wealthy create a 'system of injustice' that the state must dismantle for the sake of the common good.
- Flooded Out, Then Taxed: Assessor Asks Relief for the Calispel Farmers
High water wiped out the grain fields of the Calispel valley this spring. The county assessor says the survivors should not have to pay for land that gave them nothing.
- Legislative 'Joker' Stalls Protections for Women Workers
A new law aiming to limit work hours for female employees includes a loophole that may render it entirely toothless.
- County Commission Petitions for Power to Tax Northern Pacific Railroad
In a bid to expand local tax coffers, Yakima County officials lobby the state to end the tax-exempt status of the railroad's sprawling infrastructure.
- The Political Battle for Power
A state senator warns that municipal utility expansion could shift tax burdens onto rural farmers.
- The Railroad That Tried to Take Its Tracks Off the Tax Rolls
Northern Pacific receivers tell Thurston County that its right-of-way and stations are federal property—and therefore exempt from local taxes.
- The Judge Who Lobbied for the Church
A scathing critique of Washington Territorial Judge Roger B. Greene, accused of using his office to force tax exemptions for church property through a back-door deal.
- The Strange Case of the Seized Horse
A Port Townsend magistrate attempts to settle a private debt by seizing a horse that didn't belong to the debtor, sparking a procedural standoff.
- The Power Fight of 1924
A fiery public debate erupts over utility profits, corporate control, and the cost of electricity in Washington.
- 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 Draft Hits Kennewick: Benton County’s First Call
Seventy-nine local men are expected to report for duty as the Selective Service lottery begins to reshape the Tri-Cities home front.
- The Senatorial Candidate and the Canal
Ole Hanson brings his fiery brand of politics to the Kennewick Commercial Club, debating the Panama Canal's toll exemption.
- Spokane's Gambling Houses Prepare for the Midnight Deadline
As a strict new state law turns gambling from a misdemeanor into a felony, operators in Spokane debate the legality of pool rooms and slot machines.
- Prosser Pump Owners Seek Irrigation District Exclusion
Prosser commissioners rule that landowners cannot dodge the irrigation district while holding onto private water rights.
- The Eight-Hour Law Loophole
Everett labor organizers challenge a new Attorney General interpretation that exempts state employees from the eight-hour workday.
- The Street-Sweeping Crackdown of 1889
Local merchants learn the hard way that the city is no longer tolerating trash on the sidewalk as ordinances go into effect.
- The Strange Quiet of 1876 Seattle
After the Fourth of July celebrations, the city fell into an eerie, total stillness that unsettled its local boosters.
- Sheriff’s Raid on Pike Street Diner
A debt collection turned into a brawl at a Pike Street restaurant, resulting in the cook being put in irons.
- The Power Struggle at City Hall
Council debates, dance hall morality, and the influence of John Considine highlight the friction in 1893 Seattle government.
- The Old Settlers' Legislative Fantasy
In an 1871 satirical 'Act,' a Seattle newspaper mocked the arrival of ambitious newcomers by proposing that long-time residents receive supreme, legally mandated authority.
- The Wealth Test for Justice
A new statute restricting jury duty to 'taxpayers' effectively excludes the working class from serving as peers in legal proceedings.