Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-02-23
DAILY POST IhTELLIeEhcER
rns rRs.. o. sssrTIE.

tent, Tor The r.Otoo7 pslc1efilfRs 10 w.
city on Fsbr AIRY 10 and stb. Hint.
and statements 90 this fleet are ocea
sionally 10 be seeu M papers published
ia distant cities. and they are repeated
By persons. who thOngb residents 81
this eify. have not watched The eogrss
Of events xitn that narrsSuss= and
care which IL essential 70 an accurate
judgment concerning them. In almost
every case. These charges are made
against the Seattle pres 10 papsrs puo-
Iishsd in the East. These, % course,
are utterly incapabis Of judging cor
reotiy either the sOsisl Conditions or
the state Of public opinion on the Pa
cifo Coast. An argument 10 favor OF
the exclusion Of Chimes, they regard IS
sedisi0as; and ststemsut of ihe sYll-
resulting from the presence Of Chinese
In a community IL 10 them an appeal TO
abe passions Of the mob. IL -, Of course,
useless 20 deny 3 charge of melting the
people To riot. when made by these who
have 20 poor an understanding OF the
problem for ~hieh the people Of the
Pacific Coast have so long been seeking
q solution.
On tbs Pacific Coast, where the qnss-
tion at issue and the conditions OF tbs
problem are thoroughly Understood. fev
such criticisms ars made Among all
the PAPERS Of the Pasihc Coast ne knoS
OF only one which has eVeR iDtimated
tha. the press Of Seattle has been at
faui. In its manner Of dealing with the
question which has 50 agItA;ed the peo-
ole. That one ia the Portland Orsg0n,-
an. which states 10 pretty emphatic Ian
guags that II the papers Of Seattle had
adopted the course which II thought
best rather than that which they them
selves chose. there would have been no
trouble, and Seattle would have been as
peaceful on February 7gb a. kew
England village. II the Seattle press is
responsible for what has taken place
here, however. one may ask sho il re-
sponsibls for the condition OF affairs 10
Portland. According 10 the Ort0onidn
and there can be- no doubt that lts
statement IL oorreot-P Portland narrow
ly escaped riot compared With which
that 10 Seattle vorld be Insignificant.
This calamity, however, was arrested
by the thorough preparations made by
the Portland authorities 10 suppress
any riotous demonstration. II the
rioters OF Seattle had been a. bold and
open in their movements ss were the
would-be rioters Of Portland. the Seat
ts Authorities would have been equally
we'll prepared for them and there
woald have been no riot here.
The state OF public opinion in
Portland seems % have bssu pre-
oisely the same as in Seattle. There,
however, the preparations for riot were
made openly. and the authorities we're
able TO avert II. Hsrs the riot came
Suddenly aud without warning, aud
the surprised authorities and people
dealt with 1t IA best they oonld.
II the Seattle press ia responsible for
the condition of the psbIio mind in Sc
attic, who ID responsible for the condi.
ton Of the public mind in Portllndl
According 90 the Orsgoaian, the tendency
10 tua ana
there than here. And yet. the press OF
Seattle must be held responsible for the
feeling that was no stronger here than
In Portland. in San Francisco or in a
hundred other towns and cities OF the
Pacific Coast.
10 far as the PosT -lsTELLIGESoKR
alone 10 concerned, Il IL perfectly salts
fed with the course u has taken from
the beginning Of the anti Chinese agi-
tation. IL has nothing to uhsay aud
nothing 10 take back. Il believed shat
direct competition between white and
Chinese labor could not fail to be dis
astrous to the former. and i, said 80.
IL urged all practicable legislation
against the Chinese. II was glaS TO see
white labor substituted for Chinese
wherever the change csuld be made.
These sentiments il held in common
With the vas, majority of ths people Of
Seattle aud the Pacific Coast. Ii IL alb.
snrd 10 olaim that public opinion on the
coast 10 favorable to tho Chinese. for IL
10 not, ADD the Posr- IsrKILioESoxR
would have been untrue 10 the oom-
munity In which IL lives had IL fail
ed 10 properly represent the views
OF It's constituents on qaes
tioa Of such vital importance.
On the other hand. the posr-lSrKf-
LIoKscEa has never. directly or indi
rscsly, favored v,olencs In dealing With
the Chinese question. Ii has never
failed 10 warn the people against VITO
ience ~hen IL believed ii TO be msditat.
cd. IL stated and repeated many tunes
tia, the people OF Seattle would net
brook violence or lawlessness, aud that
an appeal 90 brute force wosld be suici.
DIAL 60 those who made 10. IL regarded
the Chinese question as practically, and
all thugs considered happily. settled
80 far ~ Seattle was concerned. many
weeks before the riot Of February Tth.
And the Question vas then settled. Chi
ncse labor was 40 logger brought into
direct competition with white labor. aud
the community was gradually adjusting
itself 10 the pes order Of things. Tn.
der such circumstances, the aitssnpie
foreible expals,ea came As a total SUI
prise. and the posT lSrKLiIaxxorR De.
ileyed I, then, IS Il believes u now, 10
have been rs anwATrAnted, anstse and
unIastiaahle al act "a xAs ever De
iiberAieiy planned and earned out.
In a certain sense, perhaps. John
BFigh, vas responsible for the riot.
which accompanied the rrform move
msnt. In the same sense. Garrison and
Phillips and their eoAdjatars 10 TIE