Lietuviškasis balsas

Lietuviškasis balsas (original spelling: Lietuwiszkasis Bałsas; literally: The Lithuanian Voice) was a Lithuanian-language newspaper published by Jonas Šliūpas from July 1885 to February 1889 in New York City and Shenandoah, Pennsylvania.

The competition and ideological debate between the two newspapers identified the two main branches of the Lithuanian movement – rationalist nationalists and conservative Catholics.

[3] Šliūpas elicited help from other Lithuanian Americans, mostly sewing shop owners, who donated 250 dollars (equivalent to $8,478 in 2023) so that he could purchase a pedal-powered printing press and establish his own weekly newspaper Lietuviškasis balsas.

[5] Initially, several Catholic priests, including Antanas Varnagirs who worked with Šliūpas on establishing a Lithuanian parish in New York, supported Lietuviškasis balsas.

[10] The newspaper published mostly long abstract and theoretical articles (often split between issues) that were difficult to understand for the poorly educated Lithuanian immigrants.

Šliūpas was the only one working on the publication – writing and editing its texts, printing them, mailing them out to subscribers – all the while financial difficulties often forced him to take random side jobs.

In response to the anti-Polish Lietuviškasis balsas, Vienybė lietuvninkų advocated Catholic ideas and unity among Polish and Lithuanian immigrants.

[7] Hoping to increase the readership, Šliūpas moved from New York to Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, where many Lithuanian immigrants worked in local coal mines, in early 1888.