3. News Article, Passage of the Chinese Bill, 1882

The Willamette Farmer, a newspaper that was published weekly between 1869 and 1887, promoted Willamette Valley agriculture. This article reflects the sentiments of many Oregon farmers, merchants, and business owners that “the American continent should be kept as a home for the white races that are our natural kindred.” They feared that low-wage Chinese workers would eliminate job opportunities for Caucasians and European immigrants. Chinese immigrants arrived in Oregon as early as 1856 to work in mining, railroad construction, fish canneries, and other businesses. Some Euro American settlers believed that the Chinese did not contribute to the local economy because they sent most of their wages to family members in China. Underscoring those economic issues was a general fear, hatred, and distrust of other cultures.