The Political 'Linen-Washing' of 1892
In a frantic bid for the labor vote in Tacoma, mayoral candidate Alexander Parker is forced to scrub his reputation of sympathy for the city's persecuted Chinese community.
Politically speaking, both sides in Tacoma have their backs hooped over the tub, washing dirty linen. Alexander Parker is accused of opposing the expulsion of the Chinese from Tacoma, and to catch the vote of organized labor, Parker’s skirts must, of all things, be cleansed—yea, even whiter than snow. Every trades union in Tacoma is pledged to smite, hip and thigh, any man who cherishes in his heart a desire to foist Chinese labor upon the city. A member of the 'Committee of Fifteen'—the group that had executive charge of driving the Chinese out of the city—is planning to knock at the door of the Trades’ Council this Thursday night to exhibit Mr. Parker’s skirts, and prove them spotless and white as snow. Meanwhile, political opponents are also attacking H.B. Huson for his perceived closeness to the Tacoma Light and Water Company, with rumors flying that he is in league with company owner C.B. Wright, and not fully committed to municipal ownership of utilities.
“Every trades union in Tacoma is pledged to smite, hip and thigh, any man who cherishes in his heart a desire to foist filthy Chinese labor upon Tacoma.”
This 1892 report captures the ugly intersection of anti-immigrant nativism and the early labor movement in Tacoma, mirroring a period when exclusionary politics were a primary tool for securing electoral support. Today, the names have changed, but the tension between 'insider' ownership of municipal services and the push for public accountability remains a central theme in Pacific Northwest city politics.
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