New-York tribune., 1886-02-11
THE SEATTLE TROUBLE.

| THE SEATTLE TROUBLE
The Anti-Chinese riot ut Seattle evidently
ovos the seriousness of its proportions to the
fact that the law-abding element in the COM
! munity took strong ground at once AGAINST the
movement of the mob The Presidents slngu-
lar reluctance to respond to the appeal OF Gov
ernor Squire for Federal troops has had the
effect of emphasizing the pluck and firmness oi
the home guards. who for three days have heId
tbc mob at bay The action of the civil author
| tiles of Seattle in offering the Chinese the
choice of going or staving, ard thnS rendering
| the departure of those who went voluntary
was iudicons though IN the circumstances 1t
| NAV he said that the Chinese really had little
| option since if they stayed they must take the
risk of much worse treatment than they had
| received 1t is, however, evident that Governor
Soure and the local authorities have done their
dntv 10 the full ext mt of their capacity, ana II
| sneaks well for the people Of Seattle that, uni
vprsal as the feeling against the Chinese Is IN
| that region, the majority nf them should nave
| shown so resolute a determination to uphold
the law, and to protect the obnoxious foreigners
| from the attacks Of the lawless class.
II is not little strange that though the Presi-
dent issued his proclamation againpt the riot
ers on Tuesday night. and dispatch was
alleged TO have been sent ordering General
| Gibbons TO Seattle with troops from Fort Van
| couver. M to a late hour yesterday no snch in
structiops had reac he'd the scene of action, ami
the Governor of Washington Territory was ap-
parently unaware that the head of the Govern
ment had responded to his appeal. This may
have b.ep due to some tclcgraphic difficulty,
but the President cannot be held free FROM re-
| Gov ha a SpattIe
turbance. The law-abiding people throughout
tbe Pacific Coast are at this moment specially
| anxious TO avoid any action that may prejudice
the amendments to the Restriction Act pending
in Congress. They have, however, been serl-
ously handicapped by the encouragement de-
rived from the Presidents inaction regarding
the Chinese outrages of last year. by the less
patient and more turbulent elements. These
| latter seeing that the crimes committed against
the Chinese in Wyoming, at Tacoma and else
where were followed by no punishment, have
for some time been tending to the conclusion
that the best way to end the Chinese question
was to drive out the hated race, regardless OF
rreaty obligations and he law of the land
This movement having been carried into
effect in two or three small places, and no in
tmation being given that any responsibility
| was involved, III was lneViidDie IhaC 'ho '''"
ency toward violence should increase, and that
law abiding men should feel the ground grow
weaker under them. There can be no doubt
that if the first outrages had been swiftly and
sternly repressed. aDd the leaders punished
severely, the whole programme OF violence
would have been abandoned. But when tue
chief executive officer of the National Govern
ment shows by his inaction that he has no re-
gard for the obligations o, treaties or for the
lives and property of the Chinese who are re-
siding in the country under the pledge of full
protection, it cannot be expected that ignorant
and undisciplined men, who are smarting from
the injuries inflicted Oh them by Chinese COM
petition in the labor market, will take more
statesmanike view of the situation. The plain
truth is that the home guards of Seattle have
exhibited far higher sense of duty and ap-