The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1907-09-26
A SEATTLE LETTER
How the Citizens of the Western
City Viewed Taft
LABOR'S UP IN ARMS
Japs, Driven From Vancouver, Rush
In Something About the Big
Steamship Minnesota
Special to The Herald

SEATTLE, WASH, Sept 16-Th'
past week GAS been one Of unusua
interest in tine city of Seattle and filled
with big events. Foremost in the lis
is the visit of Sec. Taft who arrived
Sunday afternoon or private yacht
A delegation of the city magnates
constituted the reception committee
augmented by about 10000 OF the rank
and file all congregated on Pier 2, benz
On catching glimpse OF the noted
visitor who is not at all hard to find
in a crowd on account of his general
bigness. But he has been so repeat.
eddy misrepresented by cartoonists
that it is with a feeling Of surprise that
one first beholds the real Taft. Keen
eyed, alert of movement, of command
ing presence, and with smile whic h
has become a habit and will not rub
Of. 4 big man certainly, but his
higness applies to his mental calibre,
as one can see at glance. The day
Of his arrival the weather fairly smiled
ID welcome but within IS hours the
weather man decided on an extra
demonstration and on Wednesday
poured out upon US such a storm as
has never before been recorded. Rain
dashed down in torrents, and on Madi-
sen street where the grade is steepest
and the excavation deepest a veritable
cataract was formed, and then just
above on Third Avenue sewer burst
and tuned the whole street into
rushing, roaring river. soon washing
out the car tracks and putting two
lines out Of commission. Roofs not
built for storms like this leaked like
sleeves and the city hall had to be
vacated for the day. The big secretary
spent the day on the road to and from
Aberdeen.
To add to the weeks interest and
furnish entertainment for our distin-
guished guest the Hindus, Japs and
Chinks came pouring into the city,
driven out OF Vancouver and Belling-
ham by the riots at those places. The
Japanese and Chinese found refuge
with friends AMI countrymen but the
poor Hindus, frightened and helpless,
huddled together down on the tide
flats silent and hungry-eyed. Afraid
to apply for work for fear Of another
uprising of the exasperated working
men, they cannot beg in the city OF
Seattle, and what to do with them is
pulling the wisest. They are British
subjects and many of them were
England's soldiers and had heard OF
this great, free, beautiful America
where wages were fabulous and so left
their native land of snakes and fevers !
and driven by one storm or another
have at last reached Seattle only to
face what threatens to be new menace
to their lives and liberty.
The leaders in this Japanese Korean
Exclusion League have talked to their
followers only too we'll. The ignorant
excitable element among the white
workingman stands ready, after listen
ing to these fierce speeches, to do the
most rash and extravaganza bidding.
1t now stands these leaders in hand to
90 slow and to recall these frebrands
OF theirs if it is not already too late.
The situation is grave one. The
Japs are rallying to some kind OF
secret call and more firearms have
been sold to the little brown men in
the past few days than for years
previous. In Vancouver the Japs re-
naming there sit armed behind
barricaded doors. This city is said to
be full of Jap spies. 1t is stated that
three weeks ago an officer in the
japanese imperial army washed dishes
in Seattle for two weeks ant then