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35 stories matching usurp
- The Jury That Usurped the Bench
After a man accused of shooting a superintendent was acquitted, the Post-Intelligencer launches a scathing critique of 'lawless' juries who favor sentiment over evidence.
- The Chief Who Just Wanted to Be Left Alone
While Washington settlers braced for potential conflict with Chief Moses in 1878, a local merchant argued the indigenous leader was being provoked by a political usurper, not a desire for war.
- The City Council Seized Our Engine: A Firehouse Rebellion
When the city government stripped Seattle Engine Company No. 2 of their apparatus to give it to a new company, the firefighters organized a defiant public meeting to protest the 'unwarranted usurpation of authority.'
- Washington Debates Making the Railroad Commission Permanent
Debating the power of the state to regulate railroad monopolies in Washington.
- The City Employment Bureau’s Fight Against Job Scalpers
Tacoma’s municipal employment manager implements a new in-person policy to block local rivals from poaching public job leads.
- The Battle for Walla Walla’s Poundmaster
A deposed city official fights to regain his post, challenging the legality of his successor's appointment in Superior Court.
- The Ghost of the Willow Lane
A decades-long obsession over a lost love and a stolen romance in the quiet corners of old Seattle.
- The Mayor's Power Play Fails
A judge rules that Seattle's Mayor overstepped in his attempt to purge the Board of Public Works for political gain.
- The Siege of Seattle: Governor Squire’s Martial Law
A fiery defense of the 1886 imposition of martial law during the anti-Chinese riots, arguing that civil authority had collapsed under the pressure of the mob.
- The 'Bullpen' at the Roslyn Mines
When the Northern Pacific Railroad imported scab labor to break a strike in 1888, the local Democratic convention issued a blistering condemnation of the 'armed police' used to coerce workers.
- Whitman County Farmers Declare War on Monopoly
Spring Flat settlers resolve to stop buying Northern Pacific Railroad lands at 'exorbitant' prices, challenging the company's title to the public domain.
- The Unauthorized County Hospital Scandal
Taxpayers sue King County officials for constructing a hospital on the county farm without voter approval or budget authority.
- The Fight Over the 'Moral' Climate of Seattle
A scathing editorial decries the Commissioners' decision to permit a 'disreputable' business in a respectable community, sparking a debate on whether law can dictate morality.
- Labor Leaders Defy Court Power
A fiery speech by John Mitchell of the United Mine Workers at the A. F. of L. convention sparks a debate on the constitutionality of the federal judiciary's power to silence activists.
- The Deadly Contagion of Mob Law
An editorial reflection on the rising threat of lynch law in the Pacific Northwest and the necessity of the courts.
- The World's Fair Brawl in Washington's Woman's Department
A public feud between the lady managers of the Washington State exhibit erupts into accusations of financial incompetence and territorial invasion.
- The Martial Law Debate that Rocked the Territory
When the Democratic Party of Washington Territory tried to denounce Governor Squire for imposing martial law, they ended up in an awkward tangle of political hypocrisy.
- The Fight for the Ballot in the Northwest
A stirring speech in the Senate champions Washington Territory's decision to grant women the right to vote as a beacon for the world.
- The Conflict of Interest Scandal at City Hall
Walla Walla voters are presented with evidence that Mayor Gilbert Hunt allegedly funneled city and school district contracts to his own private manufacturing company.
- A Territorial Power Struggle
A scathing critique of the Acting Governor's unilateral removal of a Capitol Commissioner.
- The Seattle Petition Against Chinese Labor
A group of prominent attorneys and citizens petition the territorial legislature, demanding the passage of exclusionary labor laws despite constitutional concerns.
- The Palace Revolt at the 'Fairhaven Herald'
When an editor and a business manager clash over editorial integrity, the result is a swift, cold, and public firing.
- The Great Grape Carnival Canning Catastrophe
A local canning contest turns messy when improperly processed fruit leads to an explosion in the Commercial Club rooms.
- The Capital Crisis of 1861
A fiery letter to the editor captures the volatile politics of Washington Territory, as Pierce County residents accused the legislature of a 'corrupt bargain' over the location of the capital.
- Seattle Rallies Against Chinese Labor at the Standard Theater
An overflow crowd packs the Standard Theater to demand the total exclusion of Chinese laborers and the termination of the Burlingame Treaty, revealing the deep economic anxieties of the era.