The Price of Keeping the Peace
After anti-Chinese riots rocked Seattle in 1886, the city found itself with a massive bill for martial law and the cost of keeping the peace.
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 Board of County Commissioners for King County has submitted a formal memorial to the United States government seeking reimbursement for the costs incurred during the civil unrest of late 1885 and early 1886. The document details the deployment of Companies B and D of the National Guard of Washington Territory, who were called to duty for six days to prevent violence during a period of intense public danger. The memorial highlights the financial burden placed upon the County of King, noting that the soldiers—mostly laboring men with families—served while their individual employers ceased payments and the burden of their maintenance fell upon the community. The total expenditures for the militia, including pay for Company D ($668.00) and Company B ($616.00), along with arms and ammunition, amounted to $4,168.77. The document stresses that without the intrepid conduct of these troops, the government would have likely faced even higher costs and significant international fallout due to outrages against Chinese subjects in the city. The Board prays that the United States government will appropriate the sum to cover this outlay.
“The militia was composed entirely of laboring men having families depending on them for support, and not only were they taken from their respective employments, but the entire expense of the maintenance of said companies was at all times borne by the individual members themselves.”
This 1886 document highlights the recurring tension between local civic instability and the financial weight of maintaining 'law and order.' Just as Seattle grapples today with the costs of policing protests and public safety initiatives, this report captures a moment when the city's infrastructure and treasury were pushed to the breaking point by the social upheaval of the anti-Chinese riots.
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