Anti-Chinese Discrimination on the Sound
A prominent merchant is insulted and denied service on a passenger steamer, exposing the growing intolerance of the era.
A terrible racket was made on one of the Puget Sound steamers because the captain ejected a 'high-toned Celestial' from the dinner table. The matter was reported to the Chinese Consul, then to the Chinese Minister, and finally to the State Department. Now, something of the same sort seems likely to arise in British Columbia. A passenger on the steamer William Irving wrote to the Victoria Colonist: 'I am much surprised to find that even the most prominent Chinese merchants in this country are subject to being grossly insulted by Europeans for sitting down at a public table on a steamer with the rest of the passengers. At dinner time, the head of one of the most prominent Chinese firms in Victoria took his seat at the table, when he was at once ordered to leave by the steward. The captain was aware of the facts, but made no remark to the steward. I am sure that this Chinese merchant had seen and mixed in much better society than two-thirds of the people who sat at the table, and I feel sure the manager of the company is not aware of the spirit of intolerance which prevails on board his boats.'
“I am much surprised to find that even the most prominent Chinese merchants in this country are subject to being grossly insulted by Europeans.”
This account documents the virulent anti-Chinese sentiment that permeated regional transit and public life in 1883, predating the violent expulsion riots of 1885-86. It captures the intersection of white supremacist intolerance and the efforts of organized civil resistance by the Chinese community to fight for equal treatment.
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