The New Gem Restaurant Advertises Employment Stance
A popular Ellensburg eatery signals its alignment with the era's exclusionary labor policies through a public advertisement.
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 NEW GEM. A First-Class Restaurant at all Times. No Chinese Employed. Eastern and Olympia Oysters served at Main Street.
“No Chinese Employed.”
This notice is a stark reminder of the organized exclusion campaigns directed against Chinese laborers in Washington state during the late 19th century. Advertisements often featured 'No Chinese Employed' labels to signal social and political allegiance to anti-immigrant movements of the time.
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