Seattle Newsboys Battle the 'Ledger'
A newly formed union of newspaper sellers takes a stand against a Tacoma paper, sparking a confrontation over 'scab' labor and restaurant-bought loyalties.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
At a meeting of the Newsboys' Union last evening in the Marine Firemen's hall on Yesler dock, it was decided by a unanimous vote not to sell the Tacoma Ledger, and subsequently a card was addressed to the public concerning 'scab' newsboys. During the meeting, the representative of the Ledger and the president of the union spoke to each other in plain language. About a week ago, a meeting was held and the impression went out that the boys had agreed to sell the Ledger. The Ledger representative, Carlos Watkins, gave the boys a supper Sunday evening at a Front street restaurant, and was present at the meeting last night, presumably thinking he had won the boys. President Armstrong, of the Pacific Coast Federated Trades, was also present and addressed the meeting. He gave them a history of unions and ended by telling them that the Ledger was a 'scab' paper. There was a great chorus of voices announcing that they would not sell the paper, and when quiet was restored, Secretary Higginbotham thanked Mr. Watkins for the supper and told him the union boys could not sell his paper.
“President Gleason informed Mr. Watkins that, while he was sorry the boys had 'blowed' him for $6, the price of the supper, they would blow him for more if he kept up the fight.”
This 1894 standoff reflects the long history of organized labor in Seattle's waterfront and media circles. Just as these newsboys leveraged their collective power against a corporate rival, contemporary gig workers and independent contractors in Seattle continue to form unions to fight for fair pay and working conditions in an increasingly digital economy.
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