The Proposal to Import 'Young Scotch Girls' to Seattle
A territorial official proposes a controversial plan to remedy the labor shortage by bringing hundreds of young women from Scotland to work in local households.
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 crowded nature of their cities is such that they must have an outlet. I have studied, if I found it desirable and practicable so to do, to bring out a large number of young Scotch girls for service in families. Parties of such will move if it is found practicable so far as I understand them, and I think it is. Seventy-five girls could be provided if we will write letters.
“The crowded nature of their cities is such that they must have an outlet. I have studied, if I found it desirable and practicable so to do, to bring out a large number of young Scotch girls for service in families.”
This 1887 proposal reflects a common era practice of 'solving' labor shortages through gendered migration schemes, a precursor to the systemic reliance on domestic labor in the Pacific Northwest. It highlights the colonial desire to shape the region's demographics—mirroring modern debates about how we staff our service and care economies today.
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