Snohomish Farmers Mobilize Against Japanese Land Leases
The Snohomish County Grange pledges to stop leasing agricultural land to Japanese and Chinese farmers, signaling a rising wave of exclusionary organization.
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 farmers of Snohomish county are fully alive to the menace of Japanese labor and do not intend to allow the Japs to get a foothold in the agricultural part of this county. With the knowledge of the manner in which Japanese lessees have impacted farm lands in California, they do not intend to allow them to gain a foothold here. Snohomish county wants farmers but they don't want Asiatics, and they believe the best way to keep them out is to refuse to lease them land. At a recent meeting, the Snohomish county grange took decided action to refuse to lease their lands and will use every effort to induce other landowners to take the same action. This step inspired the Washington State Federation of Labor to adopt a resolution endorsing the Grange’s stance.
“Snohomish county wants farmers but they don't want Asiatics and they believe the best way to keep them out is to refuse to lease them land.”
This resolution marks a dark chapter in Snohomish County history, reflecting the systemic exclusion and anti-Asian sentiment that influenced state-level policy and land-ownership laws in the early 20th century. It is a vital record of the organized effort to dispossess Asian residents of their livelihoods.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.