The Price of Prejudice
A local editor slams a former prosecutor for wasting public money on a frivolous, anti-Chinese lawsuit.
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.
Chehalis county will remember that it was put to an entirely unnecessary expense by ex-prosecuting attorney Moody bringing suit in the name of the State against certain citizens of Aberdeen upon the information of one John Wing, a Chinaman. Ex-prosecuting attorney Moody knew this would be an unnecessary tax upon the county at the time, or, if he did not, could have discovered the fact by the slightest honest investigation on his part.
“Ex-prosecuting attorney Moody knew this would be an unnecessary tax upon the county at the time.”
This editorial exposes the financial toll of racially motivated legal actions, a recurring theme in the Grays Harbor region's history. It highlights how local power structures used the courts to weaponize anti-Chinese sentiment against residents at the public's expense.
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