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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1872 | 6 |
| 1876 | 6 |
| 1877 | 8 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 5 |
| 1885 | 5 |
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204 stories matching impos
- The Workingman's Protest Against Seattle's 'Class Tax'
An early Seattle citizen takes to the press to challenge a municipal licensing ordinance, arguing it unfairly shifts the tax burden from the wealthy onto the backs of laborers.
- Judge Bell’s Hard Line on City Crime
A Seattle judge hands down stiff prison sentences for robbery to deter the criminal element in the city.
- The Roslyn Coal Miners' Battle for Fair Wages
Miners in Roslyn reject a company-imposed wage cut, sparking a standoff in the town's coal fields.
- The Struggle for the Puyallup Mission
Puyallup tribal members resist government-imposed church leadership.
- Kennewick’s First Rules of the Road
The city council implements a new traffic ordinance to curb reckless driving and prevent accidents on business streets.
- The 'Mrs. Maber' Scam: A Community Charity Betrayed
A woman who conned the Ladies’ Relief Society and private citizens out of rent and groceries is publicly outed by the organization after she repeatedly skipped job opportunities.
- Streetcar Company Rejects City's Terms
The West Street and North End Electric Railway Company refuses a franchise extension, citing 'unreasonable' conditions imposed by the city council.
- Australian Tariffs Hit Washington Timber
A new trade duty on Oregon and Washington fir puts local lumbermen on alert.
- The Six-Year Labor of the 'State of Washington'
A Port Madison artisan spends half a decade hand-crafting a scale model ship, turning ivory, gold, and silk into a $2,500 masterpiece.
- Formaldehyde in the Milk: Seattle's Pure Food Prosecutions
State Dairy and Pure Food Commissioner E. A. McDonald reports eight Seattle milk sellers fined for adulteration, including formaldehyde and low butterfat, as part of a statewide crackdown.
- The Price of a Public Nuisance
A man dubbed 'Dirty Smith' faces the magistrate and finds himself working off his debt to society on the city’s construction projects.
- Judge Strikes Down Peddler License Law
- The Transient Merchant Problem
A group of clothing peddlers skips town, leaving local brick-and-mortar merchants to foot the tax bill.
- The Jail-Breaking Drunkard of 1877
A rowdy arrest in Seattle leads to a display of destruction inside the city lockup.
- Historic Ferry Regulation Ordered in Eastern Washington
For the first time, state regulators impose rules on the Columbia River ferry lines to protect local travelers.
- The Saw and the Jailer
A petty thief's daring attempt to escape the county jail ends in a swift, unsuccessful pursuit.
- The Price of a Federal Court Case
After facing trial and a fine in a federal court, A. J. Lilie opts to pay up rather than take his chances with an appeal to the Territorial Supreme Court.
- The Price of Policing the 'Unfortunates'
A budget report reveals that Seattle’s municipal court revenue plummeted after a policy change regarding how the city policed its marginalized citizens.
- The Price of Bread: A Judicial Question
After two boys were sentenced to the reformatory for stealing food, an Everett editor questions whether the legal system truly serves justice or merely punishes the desperate.
- The York Hotel Marked for Destruction
A landmark Seattle building is deemed a hazard after Great Northern tunnel work destabilizes its foundation.
- The Penitent Lion-Tamer
A quiet laborer in a traveling Seattle menagerie finds redemption through a final, fatal sacrifice.
- The Balky Horse Defense
A local farmer fights back after being hauled into court over the treatment of his team.
- A Trial Over a Reproductive Choice
A jury convicts L.M. LaPointe for producing an abortion, sparking a harsh account of the social stigma of the era.
- Former County Clerk Sentenced for Embezzlement
William P. Fenimore receives the minimum sentence after a jury recommends leniency due to his 'exemplary character'.
- The Death of the American Shipyard
In an 1873 speech, Congressman Alexander Mitchell argued that excessive taxation and protectionist tariffs were systematically destroying the American shipping industry, forcing once-prosperous shipbuilders into obsolescence.