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55 stories matching unreason
- The Receiver Cut Their Pay 2 Cents an Hour. A Judge Made Him Put It Back.
When the Rainier Avenue Electric Railway's court-appointed receiver trimmed motormen's wages from 20 cents to 18 cents an hour, the crews — months behind on pay, with houses in Columbia City bought out of their own wages — took him to court and won.
- 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.
- 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 Bureaucratic Fight Over Death and Birth
A standoff between Washington state health officials and local physicians over whether doctors should be required to report vital statistics without pay.
- The $3 Million Strike: How the Great Northern Railway Bet on Breaking Workers
In the winter of 1893, the railroad’s board calculated that paying workers less was cheaper than losing millions to a strike. They were right—and Seattle paid the price.
- The Strikebreakers Who Became Policemen
During a four-month strike at Sumner Iron Works, Everett's police commission armed strikebreakers with police authority—and the Labor Journal demanded to know who was protecting whom.
- The Treasurer Who Vanished, Then Wrote Home From Puget Sound
An Iowa county official disappeared in the 1870s. After his death, his family gathered at the Olympia Hotel to settle an estate—and letters revealed a hidden life, a bank failure, and a real-estate boom he hoped would make restitution possible.
- The Last Frontier: Washington Admitted to the Union
As President Harrison signs the 'Omnibus Bill,' Seattle celebrates the end of territorial status and the dawn of statehood for the Pacific Northwest.
- The Bold Plan to Build the Lake Washington Canal
Facing gridlock in Congress, Seattle’s Chamber of Commerce pushed a local bill to authorize the county to construct the canal itself, aiming to transform the city into the 'first city on the Pacific coast.'
- The Oil Men’s Last Stand: Seattle’s Battle Over Fire Safety and Corporate Power
In March 1889, a proposed ordinance to ban oil storage within city limits sparked a fierce standoff between the Board of Trade and powerful petroleum interests. While the city pushed for safety, the oil dealers argued the rules were discriminatory and economically impossible, setting the stage for a legal battle that would define Seattle’s industrial future.
- Seattle's $3 Million Steel Dream on Salmon Bay
A new blast furnace and steel works promised thousands of jobs, a freight-car plant, and 23,000 new residents—if the boosters were to be believed.
- Spokane Merchants Take the Railroad Monopoly Back to Court
Thirty-five Spokane merchants ask a federal judge to force the Northern Pacific and Union Pacific to obey an 1891 Interstate Commerce Commission order that found the roads were gouging the inland city.
- City Hall Battle Over City Wires
A fiery public confrontation between the Mayor and the City Council leads to the death of an ordinance designed to move unsightly and dangerous power poles underground.
- The Fight Against the 'Two-Percent Shylocks'
A fierce 1878 constitutional debate in Washington Territory pits anti-monopoly reformers against banking interests.
- The Great Statehood Gamble: Why Washington Was Left Behind While South Dakota Joined the Union
As North Yakima pushes for an independent convention and Congress favors executive proclamation for other territories, Seattle’s leaders warn that the 'omnibus bill' is actively discriminating against Washington's path to statehood.
- The Land Office Commissioner Caught in a Crossfire of Corruption
When Commissioner William Sparks began fighting land-grabbing monopolies, the corporate press launched a smear campaign calling him insane, ruffian, and incompetent.
- The Delegate Who Stalled the State’s Legal Progress
How a stubborn stand on woman suffrage paralyzed Washington Territory’s legislative agenda in the halls of D.C.
- The Broken Promise of the Cedar River Extension
Seattle businessmen struggle with Henry Villard over delayed rail construction and the demand for early subsidy payments.
- The Price of Water: Farmers Challenge Irrigation Monopoly
Water users take their case to the state commission, alleging that high salaries and massive advertising campaigns have left the local irrigation canal in a state of ruinous neglect.
- The Hanford Ditch War Goes Federal
A power and irrigation utility takes the state to court to fight regulated water rates, signaling a long battle over regional infrastructure.
- The Courthouse Deal Done in the Dark
Benton County commissioners quietly sold $125,000 in bonds for a new courthouse. Farmers from Finley to Prosser cried foul over up to $40,000 in extra interest—and demanded to know why it had to be secret.
- 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 Ballard Sewer Standoff
A local contractor and city engineer lock horns in a heated public council meeting over the technicalities of neighborhood infrastructure.
- The City's Legal Battle Over the 'People's Theater'
A municipal court fight pits city lawyers against a theater owner over whether a $1,000 licensing fee and anti-women employment regulations are constitutional.
- The Long Wait for the Priest Rapids Dam
For six years, settlers have waited for the federal government to allow the development of the Priest Rapids power site, hoping it would turn their land into productive farms.
Also about this, in other words
- The Unfilial Gift: A Father's Regret
An elderly farmer, swayed by sentiment, signs over his land to his daughter and son-in-law, only to be cast into the kitchen and ignored.
- The Unintended Comedy of a Seattle Home-Grown Play
A young Seattle playwright attempts a 'powerful' American drama, only to accidentally create a farcical scene involving nightshirts, chin-wiping, and a very confused father-in-law.
- The Uncivil Mayor: A Diplomatic Disaster in Tacoma
Tacoma’s Mayor Huson manages to deeply offend the visiting Mayor of Spokane, creating a public relations nightmare between two of Washington's first-class cities.
- The Unlucky Three: A Case of Professional Laziness
Three men in Seattle face a week of hard labor after a judge determines they are unwilling to work for a living.
- The Unwinding of a Snohomish Logging Partnership
A rare, stark public record of a dissolved logging venture in Snohomish County, marking the end of a business relationship between two local frontiersmen.
- The Unluckiest Ranch Hand in White Bluffs
After surviving four freak accidents, one local worker finally decided his employer's ranch was cursed.
- Forging Checks for Unrequited Love
A local laborer's desperate attempt to cope with a broken heart leads to a criminal spree.
- The Unceremonious Ousting of Seattle's Police Chief
After refusing to answer for rampant gambling and open corruption, Chief J.C. Mitchell is fired by the city council as the city pivots toward long-overdue municipal reform.