The San Francisco call., 1895-12-15
A Protest Of Hundreds Against
the Introduction of Cheap
Labor.
BELIEVED TO BE A CONSPIRACY.
Coolies Will Swarm the Factories if
the Unwritten Law Is Once
Broken.

TACOMA, WASH, Dec. 14.-Germania
Hall was packed to the doors long before
1880 o'clock this evening, the time adver-
tised for the mass-meeting called by the
anti Chinese committee of fifteen, ap-
pointed by the city of Tacoma on October
3, 1895. The crowd continued to pour
through the doors until 7:4O O'Clock, when
the meeting was called to order, and w.
81. Harris, President of the City Council,
was elected to the chair bv acclamation.
E. r. Hughes and Harry Johnston were
elected secretaries. and the chairman
opened proceedings by stating the pur-
poses OF the meeting and the situation as
to Mr.. Riggs and his two Chinese house
servants.
Only four of the original committee of
fifteen men were present on the stage,
namely: Jacob Ralph, A. U. Mills, Dolph
B. Hannah and John Budlong. They
acted as committee of the whole, how
ever, and Mr.. Mills proceeded to give his
report to the meeting in regard to the visit
they had paid Mr.. Riggs on the occasion
when they presented him with a copy of
the resolutions, informing him that the
employment of Chinese domestics was an
infringement of the unwritten law of the
City of Destiny.
Mr.. Mills described the visit of the COM
mittee with great naivete, and laid par
ticular stress on Mr.. Riggs statement
that he was worth more money than all of
the committee put together. The crowd,
which was good -humored one. received
Mr.. Mills humorous remarks with fre-
quent applause, but was far more inter-
ested when the committees report was
submitted.
Councilman Bulger was called upon to
speak. He dwelt upon the introduction of
Cinnamon into this community, pointing
out that it was simply the entering wedge,
and that if the two Mongols in question
were allowed to stay it was only question
OF time when work in the mills and fac
tories-ln fact, all the labor of Tacoma
would be done by coolies and highbinders.
Mr.. Bulger was applauded to the echo,
and the earnestness displayed during the
latter portion of his remarks illustrated
the stern resolution beneath the good
humor the audience displayed. He scored
the Ministerial Alliance for having pro-
mulgated pro-Chinese resolutions, and re-
minded his hearers that in the former
trouble, in 1885, the same body had worked
of the people. The Ledger came in for a
share of his attention for its pro- Chinese
stand.
D. B. Hannah was the next speaker
He was member of the original commit
tee of fifteen and told of the exodus in
1885 very dramatically and with a great
deal of relish. The audience liked this
and the applause was tremendous. a Mr..
Norton. who followed Mr.. hannah, called
the Chamber of Commerce to account for
not backing up the rank and file of the
citizens of Tacoma in what was so evil
IDENTIFY the wishes of the majority. He
claimed that the two Chinese domestlcs
employed by Mr.. Riggs were forerunners
of Chinese horde that was to fill Tacoma
with cheap labor.
Mr.. Mills spoke again, indorsing Mr..
Norton's views and calling the attention
of the meeting to the fact that Mr.. Riggs
had told the visiting committee that
George Browne intended also to have two
Chinese servants as soon as his wife re-
turned from a visit to the East. He
pointed out that George Browne was con-
nected with the st. Paul and Tacoma
Lumber Company and doubted whether
Mr.. Browne would stop at employing the
Chinese in his house when he could so
easily and profitably use them in the mill.
Harry Johnson, a reporter on the Even
ing News. upheld Mr.. Mills and Mr.. Nor
ton as to the Riggs incident being part of
a probable conspiracy aiming toward a
general introduction of Chinese labor, and
read a long set of resolutions to the effect
that the public sentiment of Tacoma and
Pierce County was that Cinnamon were
not wanted here.
The general trend of the speeches and