Labor Organizer Accuses Judge Burke in 1886 Seattle Anti-Chinese Riots
A labor organizer confronts a political candidate over his role in the 1886 Seattle riots and the killing of a protester.
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.
A labor organizer, C.O. Young, has launched a scathing attack against a senatorial candidate, Judge Burke, for his alleged role in the anti-Chinese riots in Seattle on February 8, 1886. Young asserts that Burke and his associates—men like E.M. Carr and Frank Hanford—were the true instigators of violence, rather than the peaceful citizens protesting the presence of Chinese laborers. Young details the death of Charles A. Stewart, who he claims was struck by Dave Webster and then shot by E.M. Carr while defenseless on his knees. Young argues that Burke, who remains a prominent figure and seeks federal office, has deliberately falsified history and covered up his complicity in the bloodshed. He warns voters that a man who has championed corporate interests and defended Oriental emigration will be a menace to the future of those developing the state's resources.
“Mr. Burke and the rest of those participants in the assassination of Chas. A. Stewart on that fatal day, February 8th, dropped low in the scales of manhood.”
This article reflects the long shadow cast by the 1886 anti-Chinese expulsion riots in Seattle, which were a pivotal, dark moment in Washington history. It serves as a reminder that the xenophobic violence of the 19th century was not just a historical event, but a potent political weapon that continued to shape Washington politics well into the 20th century.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.