Seattle’s Chamber of Commerce Grapples with Anti-Chinese Riots
In the wake of the 1886 anti-Chinese expulsion, the city's commercial leadership convened to discuss the city's reputation and its stance on 'law and order.'
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 regular monthly meeting of the Chamber of Commerce was held last night. The attendance was large and the proceedings of more than usual interest. A report of progress was made by Mr. Kittinger, of the Committee on Mails, in the matter of securing service on the Puget Sound Shore Line from Tacoma to Seattle. The efforts of the committee have been accompanied with almost entire success. The mail for and from the Seattle office now passes over the road alone, and it is thought a further move will easily accomplish all that the Chamber desires. The committee were given more time, with instructions to keep doing until the object sought is attained. Upon motion of Judge Lewis, a committee was appointed to draft resolutions indicative of the sentiment of the Chamber in regard to the recent lawlessness in our city, Messrs. Lewis, Burke and Hanford being appointed as said committee. Upon motion of Mr. Leary, the same committee were instructed to inquire into the conduct of members of the Chamber during the exciting events of the past month, with a view to further action by the Chamber. The general expression of members was that the Chamber of Commerce was a loyal body, and that it should go on record as in favor of law and order and right.
“Upon motion of Mr. Leary, the same committee were instructed to inquire into the conduct of members of the Chamber during the exciting events of the past month.”
This meeting took place in the immediate shadow of the 1886 Seattle riot, where local leaders and mobs forcibly expelled much of the city's Chinese population. The Chamber's sudden pivot toward 'law and order' reflected the tension between the city's economic elite and the violent populist unrest that had just upended the city.
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