Newsboys Form An Organization.

Boycott on Two Evening Papers To Be Continued as Result of a Meeting.

 

About one hundred newsboys and a few proprietors of news stands held a rousing meeting last night in Gardner’s Hall, No. 21 Suffolk street, to strengthen the boycott against the Evening World and Journal, which has been on for ten days. It was resolved to continue the boycott, and an organization known as the News Sellers’ Union was formed.

Abraham Lipman, who sells papers at Canal and Allen streets, called the meeting to order. He urged the boys to stand firm and to form a union. Patrick Cadley, who represented the West Side News Dealers’ Association, was elected chairman. He insisted that a sergeant-at-arms be appointed to keep the rabble out, including milkmen and icemen. He then introduced James G. Neill, a newsman who sells newspapers at the Bridge. Neill said an agent of one evening newspaper had told him that it was suffering a loss of 70,000 a day in its circulation. He said the two papers had made a contract by which either was to forfeit $25,000 if it broke the agreement.

These officers of the new organization were elected:—President, James G.Neill; Vice President, “Race Track” Higgins; Recording Secretary, “Abe” Cutter, of Fulton street; Financial Secretary, Solomon Levy; Treasurer, David Ruben, of Bleeker street and the Bowery, an Sergeant-at-Arms, Simon Levy. John Mason, of Brooklyn, was elected head captain and will select the district captains of the organization.

Source: “Newsboys Form An Organization.” New York Herald, 31 July 1899, p. 4.