The Boycott of the 'Stage Irishman': Spokane’s Hibernians Take on Theater
In November 1902, a local committee from the Ancient Order of Hibernians launched an organized campaign to banish caricatures of the Irish race from Spokane stages, threatening boycotts against any theater company that dared to perform them.
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.
There is on foot an organized effort on the part of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in this city to wage war on theatrical companies that carry with them a character commonly known as the 'stage Irishman.' A committee of four has been appointed to wait on the management of the different theaters for the purpose of advising them that a boycott will be declared against any company that ventures to caricature the Irish race.
James Daley is the promoter of the movement in Spokane, and in speaking to a Press reporter this morning he said nothing would be left undone to do away with such disgraceful misrepresentations of the Irish people. 'Societies,' said he, 'are now being established all over the east for no other purpose than to drive the 'stage Irishman' out of existence. Those caricatures are a trying disgrace, as they place us before the public as a drunken, ignorant and hideous race, and a good excuse for Darwin's missing link.'
Daley noted that shows had recently been 'rotten egged' out of San Francisco and Denver for indulging in such misrepresentations, and the Irish of Spokane intend to follow the same course if the theaters do not heed the instructions of their committee. He lamented that the most deplorable part of the affair was that the Irish people themselves freely patronized and applauded those disgraceful exhibitions, even taking part in local amateur amusements in which the very same thing prevails. 'We intend to squelch the stage Irishman,' Daley declared.
Rev. Father Golden of the Main Avenue church is also loud in his denunciation of these performances.
This 1902 story captures a moment when immigrant communities actively policed their own representation in popular culture, using economic pressure (boycotts) to combat dehumanizing stereotypes. It mirrors modern debates about media representation, where marginalized groups often demand accountability from entertainment industries for perpetuating harmful caricatures.
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