Amid the Rebellion
Pulitzer and Hearst had to get back the money they lost after sales dropped when the war ended. They suggested many different ideas, including cutting salaries of the people working in factories and even firing people working that weren't very important. Then they finally settled on a target, the newsies.
They were going to keep the price of 60 cents for the newsies to pay, even though the war had ended. These few steps were what started the Newsies Rebellion, and caused many other strikes to follow. The newsies weren´t going to stop until the prices were lowered. They weren't going to let anyone intervene with the strike.
Newspaper Article , Prezi , 1899.
Newsies Striking, Shoeleather, 2013
One of the people that could intervene were scabs. Scabs are young men in need of work, often selling papers. Scabs were commonly hired by Pulitzer and Hearst because they knew the scabs needed the money. Fights often broke out between the newsboys and the scabs. Since the group of newsboys was so large in number, the scabs rarely won. The newsies thought the scabs were no better than the large companies themselves and believed they should be put in their place, or join them and strike.
Believe it or not, the newsies did not strike as soon as the war ended. They went through two months of pressure, and at this high rate, newsies could not make enough money to pay for their lodging and food. On July 18, 1899, the newsies went on strike! As a result of the newsies not working, New York’s citizens weren’t able to get news, so the pressure on the World and Journal was acute. The newspaper’s sales were cut in half through the newsies strike.
"Hey bummas, we'se got work to do!"
-Kid Blink (one of the leaders)
Newsgirls selling papers, Zinned Project, 1910