Exclusion in Tacoma: Chinese Merchants Fear for Their Safety
Despite assurances from local business leaders and the Mayor, Chinese merchants hesitate to return to Tacoma following previous expulsion efforts.
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.
Portland, July 26—Speaking about the probability of Chinese merchants being allowed to establish business houses in Tacoma, Seid Back, one of the leading Chinese merchants of this city, today said: 'There is a good deal of difference of opinion in Tacoma about this, but I don't think it will do any good, as I don't think any Chinese merchants will go there. Some of the prominent white merchants there have wanted me to start in business with a branch house, and I went up to talk with them. They had a big meeting, and it was attended by most of the leading men and bankers. As far as they are concerned they would be glad, I think, to have Chinese come up there, and would do what they could to prevent any trouble. Still, the best class of people could not stand outside of the Chinese stores all day and all night to prevent trouble from the bad classes. Trouble would be sure to happen, and though the leaders and their friends would say, 'We are very sorry for it,' that would not pay for the damage done us.' A hundred business men and bankers this afternoon at the Commercial Club pledged themselves to uphold Mayor Huson in enforcing the laws of the United States guaranteeing protection to Chinese merchants who may come to the city.
“The best class of people could not stand outside of the Chinese stores all day and all night to prevent trouble from the bad classes.”
This reflects the volatile aftermath of the 1885-86 anti-Chinese expulsions in the Pacific Northwest. Even years later, the threat of white mob violence remained a formidable barrier to commerce and civil rights, illustrating how deeply structural exclusion shaped the region's economic geography.
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