The Newsboy Strike of 1899

On July 18th, 1899 a group of Long Island City newsboys overturned a distribution wagon for the New York Journal  and declared a strike against the papers of Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst until prices returned from 60¢ to the pre-war price of 50¢ per hundred papers. Newsies of Manhattan and Brooklyn followed the next day, July 19th. Strike methods were violent in the first days; people selling papers were beaten with their papers destroyed. Grown men were hired to sell papers and needed police protection, but newsies found ways to distract officers so they could "get the scabs." Newsgirls faired better because, "A feller can't soak a lady." (quote from union leader Kid Blink.) Newsies distributed flyers and hung signs around the city to gain support and encourage people to partake in the strike.

A rally at Irving Hall took place on July 24th, 1899 that was sponsored by New York state senator Timothy D. Sullivan. Local businessmen and politicians spoke. When they finished, union president and strike leader, David Simmons, read a list of demands to end the strike and called on the newsies to adopt non-violent methods of resistance, which the newsboys abided by. Other speeches were made by "Warhorse" Brennan, Jack Tietjen, "Bob the Indian", union leader "Kid Blink", "Crazy" Arborn, the only female leader, Annie Kelly, and Brooklyn union leader, "Racetrack" Higgins. The night ended with a song sung by "Hungry Joe" Kernan. A floral horseshoe was offered to Kid Blink as a reward for giving the best speech of the evening. The public stood by the strike and it was effective.  

There were a few setbacks that hurt the strike and the efforts of the newsies. The newsies planned a parade on July 26th, 1899 where 6,000 boys would march, accompanied by a band and fireworks. Unfortunately, the parade fell through due to issues obtaining a permit. The same day, union leaders Kid Blink and David Simmons had betrayed the strike and agreed to sell the boycotted paper in exchange for a bribe from newspaper executives. Blink and Simmons denied the charges, but Blink wore nicer clothes than usual indicating he accepted the bribe. The two resigned from their leadership positions. That night, Kid Blink was chased through the streets by a group of boys angry about the rumors that he had abandoned the strike. A police officer, seeing the group of running boys, assumed that Kid Blink was the leader and arrested him for disorderly conduct. Kid Blink was given a fine and let go, while a group of newsboys outside the court jeered at him. The rumors about Kid Blink and David Simmons in combination with the failed parade disheartened the newsboys and leadership diminished. Others stepped up but failed to have the same level of power and influence as Kid Blink.

On August 1st, 1899 the World and the Journal offered the newsboys a compromise: the price remained at 60 cents per hundred, but they would buy back any unsold papers meaning boys wouldn’t have to sell late into the night to avoid taking a loss for the day. The newsboys accepted the deal and the strike ended and the union disbanded on August 2nd, 1899. The entire strike was only 16 days.

The Newsboy Strike of 1899 has been credited with inspiring later newsboy strikes, including Butte, Montana's newsboy strike of 1914 and the 1920s newsboy strike in Louisville, Kentucky. Two weeks after the end of the 1899 Newsboy strike, two other children's strikes quickly followed: The shoe-shine boys wanted a wage increase, and messengers were opposed to the 50¢ "tax" they were being charged every week for their uniforms. Newsies at this time were also the face of child labor issues in the United States, pushing child labor reformers to get to work in the new century. Newsies represented these issues that children faced to support their families while failing to set the foundation for a better future for themselves.