The Myth of Labor Displacement
An 1887 editorial piece argues that fears of Chinese laborers 'stealing' work are baseless, claiming they fill roles white workers refuse to take.
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.
On February 7th, 1886, an attempt was made to expel the Chinese from Seattle by force. It is now fifteen months since that attempt was made, and at no time in that period has the Chinese question been entirely free of agitation. It is time for us to look squarely at the causes of this prolonged agitation. It is time to determine whether there really exist grievances of such a nature as to justify those who perceive them in keeping a whole community in terror. A survey of the situation, a study of the Seattle conditions as they exist today, and a study of the condition of the labor market convinces anyone who approaches the consideration of the question in a reasonable state of mind that no such evils exist. The number of Chinese in Seattle is at the present time quite small. They are employed almost exclusively in labor of a nature which whites either cannot or will not perform. The majority of them are engaged in laundry work. A few are engaged as domestic servants. Practically, they are engaged in no other employments. They have disappeared from all the branches of industry in which they formerly came into competition with white labor. On the other hand, the demand for white labor is in excess of the supply. It is a safe assertion to say that there is not today in Seattle a man who is willing to work who cannot secure employment if he makes a proper effort.
“They are employed almost exclusively in labor of a nature which whites either cannot or will not perform.”
This 1887 editorial highlights a recurring theme in Seattle’s history: the tendency to scapegoat immigrant labor for structural economic shifts. Much like the anti-Chinese riots of the 1880s, modern debates over housing and labor often mask the root causes of economic insecurity by redirecting public anger toward marginalized groups.
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