The Night Port Townsend Refused a Boatload of Strikebreakers

A few days since, Capt. Starr brought from Victoria, on the North Pacific, twenty-eight men who had been taken to the wharf in that city by a detachment of police. Sheriff Miller forbade their landing. After a few words with Mr. Barr, who thought he had paid their passage and cleared at the Custom House and that no one had a right to interpose an objection, it was concluded that discretion was the better part of valor, and they were kept aboard, except three.

Great excitement prevailed. The law says: 'If any person brings or causes to be brought any pauper into any county in this Territory, where such pauper is not legally settled, knowing him or her to be a pauper, he shall forfeit and pay the sum of one hundred dollars for every such offense.' Capt. Starr knew that these men were destitute of means, and hence paupers; yet for the miserable bribe of a dollar per man paid him by the owners, he consented to bring them and introduce this most vile element among our citizens.

The history of this outrage is as follows: A few months since there was a strike at the Wellington mine, near Nanaimo, B.C., and the proprietors sent to San Francisco for workmen. Some of these were of a most exceptionable class. They were met at the mine by the strikers, who refused to work with them if they persisted. They were then conveyed to Victoria, where the police arrested a number and subsequently forcibly put them on board the North Pacific. The authorities of Victoria, under the flimsy subterfuge that they came from American soil, ordered them sent back to American soil. Had they been American citizens they could have applied to the American Consul at Victoria, who would have had it in his power to return them.

The prompt and energetic action of Sheriff Miller met with the hearty approval and support of our citizens, who will stand by him in enforcing our laws should another attempt be made to introduce criminals and paupers into this town from British territory.