The Blueprint for a New State
As Washington prepares to enter the Union, this constitutional supplement lays the foundational laws for labor, courts, and civil rights.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The preamble and initial articles of the Constitution of the State of Washington codify the rights of its people and the structure of its government. It establishes the supremacy of the U.S. Constitution, guarantees individual liberties, and mandates that justice be administered openly. Key provisions include the protection of private property from arbitrary seizure, the right to a speedy trial, and the prohibition of standing armies in peacetime. Notably, the document addresses economic protections, such as banning contract labor for convicts and requiring the legislature to protect workers in dangerous occupations like mines and factories. It also sets strict rules for legislative conduct, including a ban on corrupt solicitation and the requirement that all state laws serve the public interest equally.
“All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
The 1889 Washington State Constitution remains our primary governing document. Reading these early sections offers a window into the specific anxieties of the era, from fears of corporate corruption to the radical (for the time) inclusion of mandatory worker safety protections in industrial workplaces.
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