The Newspaper War of Tacoma
A confrontation between the Ledger and the News turns physical as a publisher faces off against a union printer over the use of machinery.
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.
Nelson Bennett, publisher of the Ledger, struck at William McIntyre, proprietor of the News, and called him and all union printers names before reaching for his hip pocket. Stephen O'Brien, McIntyre's attorney, seized Bennett's hand, and editor Snowden separated them. McIntyre had visited the Ledger office to settle an account regarding the use of typesetting machines by union printers. The Ledger had previously shut off the power to these machines to block union work. The dispute escalated when Bennett reportedly claimed the union was jeopardizing his property and his life. McIntyre insisted his men were respectable citizens, leading to a heated argument and a reported physical struggle. McIntyre intends to bring suit for damages over the breaking of the printing contract.
“He got wild and said the union printers were not only jeopardizing his property but his life.”
This 1894 clash highlights the intense power dynamics between media owners and labor unions in Washington's early industrial years. Much like modern struggles over gig economy rights and media consolidation, the battle centered on who controlled the tools of production—in this case, the typesetting machines—and the resulting labor organizing.
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