The Governor’s Tightrope Walk During the Anti-Chinese Riots
How local officials navigated the tense atmosphere in Seattle before the arrival of federal troops in 1885.
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.
While Governor Squire has been sized up for his action during the past month by extreme partisans of one kind, and by those of another, it is no rash prediction to say that when the present excitement has entirely disappeared and men can look at recent events calmly and dispassionately, it will be generally acknowledged that he pursued a very prudent course in a time of perplexity and danger. At the outset, the Governor declared that it was his duty to preserve order and enforce the laws. Throughout the period of excitement, this idea of his duty and his responsibility to the Government on the one hand and the people of the Territory on the other seems to have been consistently followed.
Prior to the unfortunate meeting in the Opera House on the evening of November 6, there was no apparent necessity for the presence in Seattle of United States troops. Excitement ran high and much talking was being done, but there was not that feeling of intense bitterness that afterward appeared. Governor Squire, as well as Sheriff McGraw and the vast body of citizens, did not believe that a necessity for such interference had arisen. After the meeting of November 6th, however, there was a change in the situation. A new element was introduced. A feeling of bitterness was evident which had not before existed. Then there was danger, and all thoughtful men realized it. The Sheriff noted the change, and promptly reported it to the Governor, who as promptly acted. Troops were sent here, and their coming was approved by peace-loving men of all parties.
“The Governor did not at any time become excited, did not forget that his duty as an official must be superior to his prejudices and inclinations as an individual.”
This editorial reflects the volatile atmosphere in 1885 Seattle, where labor tensions and anti-immigrant sentiment led to calls for federal intervention. It mirrors modern debates over the role of government, the use of policing during civil unrest, and the city's ongoing struggle to balance populist pressure with civic order.
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