An Unsettled Climate in the Pacific Northwest
A witness reports on the volatile tensions between white labor and the Chinese community in the region.
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 situation here is of more importance than I can tell you. The people say they are terribly afraid, and we are drifting along that road which is likely to burn at any moment. There is great excitement here among the people. The Chinese, who appear to be the bone of contention, make themselves very much in evidence with them, and if things grow much worse, white men will have to do the same thing. A large number of prominent business men requested the mayor to call a mass meeting to consult together and see what could be done towards checking the lawlessness which seems to be rampant in both Seattle and Portland. I am not taking part in this irrepressible conflict on either side, but I am unequivocally for law and order, for I have too much respect for Uncle Sam to violate his laws. If I had my way I would have the law say the Chinamen come no more here. But they are here, and we must not violate the law by driving them out by force.
“I am not taking part in this irrepressible conflict on either side, but I am unequivocally for law and order.”
This reflects the volatile anti-Chinese agitation that defined Pacific Northwest politics in the 1880s, serving as a direct precursor to the forced expulsions in Seattle and Tacoma in 1885-1886.
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