Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-01-11
An Unwritten Chapter Of
OregOn'S Political History
(By J. II. Cradlebaugh.)

The conditions that led up to the
nominating and electing of Sylvester
Pennoyer were somewhat peculiar, and
his was a case where the office sought
the man. He had been mayor of Port
land, but had retired from politics, so
far, at least, as a Democrat can ever
perform that feat and was pursuing
the even tenor of his way running his
sawmill in South Portland, and letting
the balance Of the world run itself,
without interference on his part. He
probably would have continued along
that line Indefinitely had it not been
for the fact that, following the discov-
cry Of gold in California, many Chi
nese came across the pond to wrestle
with the blind goddess in the placer
mines, wash the white mans shirts,
occasionally take the place of the
modern hired girl in spelling good
grub in the cooking, and so waxed fat
and numerous, and finally stirred the
white labor Of the coast up against
himself; partly because times got
hard, labor plentiful and money
scarce Mr.. Pennoyer had nothing
whatever to do with any of these
things, so far as causing them was
concerned, but he probably reaped
more benefits from the combination,
politically than any other man on the
coast.
The agitation against the Chinese,
which assumed such large proportions
under the leadership of Dennis Kear-
ney in San Francisco, had largely died
out, before it took root in Oregon, in
Portland in 1887 In the late summer
Of that year a small lodge Of the
"Anti-Coolie" organization was formed
in Portland, organizing and holding its
first meetings in a little place belong
ing to an excellent German, whose
name / cannot now recall, at Thir-
teenth and S streets and 1t was at one
of the earlier meetings of this lodge
that ! became connected with the
movement. Like many others, / was
unemployed been in Portland be.
fore, but had only recently returned,
and, owing to the finincial depression,
which was surely depressing me, |
had plenty Of leisure, and drifted up
against the movement without any pre-
meditation, and with no expectations
of having much to do with It, other
than to stand for the principles which
1t stood for America for the Caucas-
ian race" may say here that one Of
the tenets Of the organization it fact
its motto, was Law and Order" It
purposed stopping the influx Of Chi
nese, and to eventually get rid of those
already here, not by violating the law
or using force, but through ooncentrat-
ed action at the polls, and conse-
quent persistent agitation. In fact the
organization was known more or less
widely by the name "agitators" Now,
here again, Is where Fate stuck her
shovel into Pennoyers affairs, and this
time 1t came not through the lowly
Chinese but through the editor Of the
Oregonian, Harvey w. Scott. Just
why Mr.. Scott, through his paper, took
such a rabld stand against the move
ment, Of course, do not know,
though | presume 1t was from his pre-
deiction to tn aristocracy of wealth,
a trait probably inherent, but certain
ly phenomenally developed Mr. Scott
was the most violent anti-coolie agi-
tators on the coast, and accomplished
the most. OF course, he didn't mean
his efforts to have that effect, but II
was one Of the many paradoXical fea-
lures of Mr. SCott's life that his efforts
generally aided the things he most at
tackled. His bitter fight against Sena-
tor Mitchell, for instance, kept that
excellent gentleman in the senate, and
when the Oregonian endorsed him, and
really tried to help him, he was beat
en- It was so with the anti-coolle or
ganization. Scott found 1t an airy
nothing, but with his trenchant pen
and vigorous English, and he surely
was uenXcelled in the handling of
either he soon gave II a local hablta-
tion and name. Two weeks after his
first attack ON IT, It had three lodges
instead Of one, and two weeks later
seven of them Number three was
probably the stronges' of the lot and
its meeting place was in big store
room on the north side Of the old
Quimby house, and l.. p, w. Qulmby's
brother was, II not It's head, Nt least
one Of It's leaders John Gibson, an old
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