The Harbor Master’s Religious Test
An immigrant laborer claims he was denied city sewer work specifically for being a Greek Catholic.
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 Greeks and Slavonians who are members of the Greek church are up in arms against the present administration and the action of some of its officials in discriminating against members of the Greek church to the extent of refusing work to the latter on the sewers. Sam Lazarevich, a Slavonian and member of the Greek church and an old resident of the city, sought the office of the Post-Intelligencer in the interest of his co-religionists. He speaks perfect English, but his denunciations of the administration, and especially of Jelich, the harbor master, were plain enough not to be misunderstood. He said, 'Before the work on the sewer was commenced, I called on Jelich in order to secure work for myself and other members of the Greek church. Jelich was full of promises, but said wait. We waited a week and again he put me off; finally the work was commenced and we were overlooked and set aside for green men and newcomers. I went to Jelich and expressed myself very plainly to him. In the name of humanity, what do you mean by neglecting us? Here you are putting on over fifty men, new people in Seattle, green at the work, while I for one, an old settler in Seattle, one of those who helped to build up the town, am refused work. What does it mean? It means, said Jelich, with an impudent wave of the hand, which means that you are a Greek Catholic, and you can not get a job.'
“In the name of humanity, what do you mean by neglecting us? Here you are putting on over fifty men, new people in Seattle, green at the work, while I for one, an old settler in Seattle, one of those who helped to build up the town, am refused work.”
This 1894 account of political patronage and religious discrimination at the municipal docks highlights a recurring tension in Seattle’s labor history: the struggle over which groups are deemed 'worthy' of public work. The incident mirrors modern debates about immigrant access to public sector jobs and the exclusionary nature of political 'ring' governance.
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