Sloop Louisa Seized in 1891 Chinese Laborer Case
Federal authorities clamp down on the waterfront as the government moves to forfeit a vessel for allegedly smuggling Chinese laborers into Elliott Bay.
In the District Court of the United States for the District of Washington, Northern Division, the United States of America has filed a libel of information against the sloop Louisa, her rigging, tackle, apparel, etc. It is alleged that on or about the 5th day of September, 1890, the vessel's master, Anthony, did knowingly and unlawfully land—or attempt to land—certain Chinese laborers into the United States and the Puget Sound district. The laborers, whose names are unknown, had been brought on said vessel from a foreign port, namely, a port in the province of British Columbia. Furthermore, it is alleged that upon arrival, the master failed to report to the Collector of Customs within the required twenty-four hours. By reason of the violation of the Chinese Restriction Acts, the government has moved for the forfeiture of the vessel. Judge C. H. Hanford has ordered that a monition be issued against the sloop and that a public hearing be held on the 15th day of January, 1891, at the city of Seattle.
“The said vessel did then and there knowingly and unlawfully, in and upon said waters, bring into the United States and into the Puget Sound, certain Chinese laborers.”
This 1891 legal notice details the aggressive enforcement of the Chinese Exclusion Act, a dark chapter in federal immigration policy. Today, Seattle's waterfront is defined by a different kind of commerce, but the tension between national policy and the lived realities of immigrants remains a recurring theme in the city's civic history.
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