The Shadow of Exclusion in Pasco
A town wakes up to find anti-Japanese stickers plastered on storefronts and saloons, fueling local tension.
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.
PASCO, April 10. Between yesterday morning and last night practically the whole town was plastered over with little yellow stickers bearing the slogan, 'Fire the Jap.' Every saloon had them posted on the beer glasses, counters, tables, and doors. All the Japanese and Chinese restaurants were covered. The whole town was mysteriously decorated. The authorities claim they cannot find out where they originated. The Japanese were uneasy last night, but there was no outbreak. There are 400 Japanese in town. There are only two restaurants in town employing white labor.
“Every saloon had them posted on the beer glasses, counters, tables, and doors.”
This event highlights the systemic anti-Asian climate of early 20th-century Washington, where local labor anxieties were weaponized into exclusionary campaigns. It serves as a reminder of the fragility of community safety when nativist sentiment is encouraged by the surrounding civic atmosphere.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.