Chicago circulation wars
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The Chicago circulation wars were a period of competition between
William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...
's '' Chicago Evening American'' and both
Robert R. McCormick Robert Rutherford "Colonel" McCormick (July 30, 1880 – April 1, 1955) was an American lawyer, businessman and anti-war activist. A member of the McCormick family of Chicago, McCormick became a lawyer, Republican Chicago alderman, distinguish ...
's ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
'' and
Victor Lawson Victor Fremont Lawson (September 9, 1850 – August 19, 1925) was an American newspaper publisher who headed the ''Chicago Daily News'' from 1876 to 1925.David Paul Nord. "Lawson, Victor Fremont". ''American National Biography Online''. Oxford Univ ...
's ''
Chicago Daily News The ''Chicago Daily News'' was an afternoon daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, published between 1875 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois. History The ''Daily News'' was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Doughert ...
'' in the early 1900s that devolved into violence and resulted in more than 20 deaths.


Background

The nine established English-language newspapers in Chicago enjoyed a friendly rivalry, competing for readers and advertisers through sensational headlines, lurid photos, and scoops. Chicago had thousands of privately-owned newsstands licensed by the city. Newsstand operators purchased bales of the major newspapers to resell. In 1900, the National Association of Democratic Clubs had elected Hearst its president, a boost to his ambition to become the
President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
, with the agreement that Hearst begin a Democratic newspaper in Chicago to compete with the ''Tribune'' which was Republican. Hearst, fresh from the circulation war in New York, started the ''Evening American''.


The wars begin

In an attempt to quickly win readers from the other newspapers, Hearst set the price for the ''American'' at a penny, half the price of the others. Other newspaper publishers blocked Hearst's evening paper from newsstands and conspired to block businesses from advertising in the ''American''. Hearst hired Max Annenberg away from McCormick's ''Tribune'' to manage circulation for the ''American''. Annenberg recruited fighters, muggers, and bouncers to join his crew. They were armed with blackjacks,
brass knuckles Brass knuckles (variously referred to as knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, knucklebusters, knuckledusters, knuckle daggers, English punch, iron fist, paperweight, or a classic) are "fist-load weapons" used in hand-to-hand combat. Brass knuckle ...
, and guns, and instructed to make sure news dealers sold the ''American''. Hearst began publishing a morning version of the ''American'', and hired Moe Annenberg, Max's younger brother, to manage its circulation. ''Morning American'' was renamed the ''Examiner''. The price of the ''Record-Herald'' was reduced to a penny to compete with the ''Examiner''. Price wars ensued, with the other papers cutting their price to a penny to compete with Hearst's papers. With all of the papers selling for the same price, violence and intimidation became the preferred methods for achieving dominance at the newsstands. Annenberg's tactics resulted in daily battles throughout the
Chicago Loop The Loop, one of Chicago's 77 designated community areas, is the central business district of the city and is the main section of Downtown Chicago. Home to Chicago's commercial core, it is the second largest commercial business district in Nort ...
. News dealers reduced their orders of other newspapers to make room for the ''American''. Newsboys were threatened into taking delivery of more newspapers than they could sell, and some were taken off the street and beaten. One newsboy was beaten in public until he was unconscious. The circulation gangs of the ''American'' ordered news dealers to hide all rival papers out of sight, using violence to get their way. Streetcar riders reading papers other than the ''American'' had the papers ripped from their hands by the gangs. The political might of the newspapers encouraged the police to look the other way. Annenberg led his thugs in terrorizing shoppers at
Marshall Field's Marshall Field & Company (commonly known as Marshall Field's) was an upscale department store in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in the 19th century, it grew to become a large chain before Macy's, Inc acquired it in 2005. Its eponymous founder, Mar ...
until that leading department store took ads in the ''American''. In 1907, the circulation gang for the ''Evening American'' hijacked a ''Tribune'' delivery truck, tossing all of its newspapers into the Chicago River. In 1910, both the ''Tribune'' and ''Examiner'' budgeted approximately one million dollars to finance the circulation wars. The ''Tribune'' fought back by hiring both Annenberg brothers away from Hearst. Annenberg was sued by the ''Examiner'' and ''American'' for breach of contract, but the contract was ruled void because "it was a contract to commit illegal acts". Now working for the ''Tribune'', the Annenberg gang would park near a newsstand. When the ''Examiner'' delivery truck arrived, it would be met with gunfire. Hearst recruited a new gang of fighters which would use decoy delivery trucks to counterambush the Annenberg gang. About sixty armed men were involved in one such battle. Multiple fighters, news dealers, and passers-by were shot.


Public response

Despite daily battles in the streets, no newspapers in the city reported on them, bewildering the public. The city's Commissioner of Public Works, Joe Patterson, thought that the circulation wars could be stopped by banning newstands from sidewalks, but resigned without taking action. Only the ''Chicago Socialist'' reported the resumption of the circulation war in October, 1910. When the attacks finally began to be mentioned in the newspapers in response to the public questioning the lack of coverage, they were attributed to a fictitious union dispute. Little action was taken by the police or the prosecuting attorney due to the influence of the newspapers' owners. The ''Tribune'' had a hold on the State's Attorney and Hearst controlled the chief of police. Max Annenberg was even deputized by the sheriff.


Aftermath

The start of the
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
brought an end to the circulation wars as the newspapers were able to rely on daily violent headlines to attract readers. The circulation gangs were disbanded. Some of the circulation gang members, such as Mossy Enright and Dion O'Bannion, went on to engage in the 1920s bootleg wars, and O'Bannion formed the notorious
North Side Gang The North Side Gang, also known as the North Side Mob, was an Irish-Polish-American criminal organization within Chicago during the Prohibition era from the early 1920s to the mid-1930s. It was the principal rival of the South Side Gang, als ...
. One compromise resulting from the circulation wars was an agreement that the ''Tribune'' be displayed exclusively on the top shelf of newsstands. The Chicago circulation wars have been described by historians as the industry's most violent period. McCormick testified in 1921 that about 27 men and newsboys had been killed between 1910 and 1912. McCormick would deny any involvement in the violence, but said that Max Annenberg "proved to be much the best circulation manager in town". On November 4, 1938,
Harold L. Ickes Harold LeClair Ickes ( ; March 15, 1874 – February 3, 1952) was an American administrator, politician and lawyer. He served as United States Secretary of the Interior for nearly 13 years from 1933 to 1946, the longest tenure of anyone to hold th ...
entered a statement by Joseph F. Guffey in the Senate record:


See also

* :1910 in organized crime


References

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