Music Trade Review

100
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
April 20th, 1881.
THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.
being the willing tool and stool-pigeon of others. A miserable, wretched no more about this matter unless The MUSICAL CRITIC compels us. If we
being like this can never wield the power he longs for and his efforts are do, we shall perhaps be more outspoken.
doomed to a perpetual disappointment, for which his only consolation is the
[The above tremendous crusher is from a paper published by Kunkel
reproduction of truthful criticisms upon his conduct, which he takes as small Bros, in St. Louis, to advertise their musical publications. It is edited by
crumbs of comfort, as his vanity leads him to give them additional currency, a man by the name of Foulon, whose editorial proceedings surely entitle
small as it may be, in his longing for notoriety, even though it be of the him to substitute an o for a u in his name. If it is fair for these musical
most unwholesome character. But another consolation is in store for him, skirmishers of the Western prairies to read between the lines of our little
if there be truth in the old saying that " doubtless the pleasure of being skit concerning Messrs. Kranich & Bach, and to judge that the item was due
cheated is as great as that to cheat," in the scribe's cheating himself in his to the fact that Messrs. Kranich & Bach had refused to advertise with us,
estimate of the character of the brave and veteran Buffalonian.
why is it not also fair for us to read between the lines of the above article,
Many disinterested humanitarians have shown what might be termed a and attribute the excessive zeal displayed by the Kunkels in behalf of Kranich
fatherly interest in the young man, so unfortunately placed in the nest of & Bach to the fact that Messrs. Kranich & Bach do advertise in Kunkel
cesspool journalists while his mind was plastic, by endeavoring to impress Bros.' mighty publication.
the fact that a pair of golden spectacles did not constitute an editor, even
Now, Mr. Chas. Kunkel, accept this little piece of advice; it is well
tho' brass shone through them; also the no less palpable truth that threat meant. THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW has never, that we can
and blackmailing innuendo was a dead letter in the trade, and that the remember, alluded to you, your business associates, your publications or
methods of its chief exponent could not be aped successfully by any of the your business in any unfriendly or unkind manner. Therefore it behooves
minions who received whatever knowledge of newspaper scribbling they you to give more attention to the proper management of your own paper
possess in his unwholesome cook-shop.
and less to that of ours, especially as, since your subtle endeavors to loose
Such kindly advice should have reached some healthful spot in his your pocket book in from six to a dozen places, at one and the same time,
understanding, but alas, that proved to be without an oasis, his associations in this city, you are not considered a particularly pleasant visitor by the
of two or more years ago had completely dwarfed whatever particle of intel- music trades of the East.—ED. MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.]
lect he may have possessed, and naught remained but egotism—an egotism
that debarred him from ever becoming aught but a figure head of a thing
FROM A BUFFALO PAPER.
calculated to flourish upon spites and fears, which is perforce commercially
EDITOR WELLES.—ABOUT HIS INDICTMENT FOR LIBELING C. KURTZMAN.
valueless.
District attorney Hatch was this morning served with an order from
But to return to the beginning of our homily. The sons of princes Judge Donohue, one of the Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of New
learn nothing right but the riding of a horse, by reason that in tlie exercise York, to show cause why Charles A. Welles, editor of The Musical Critic and
every one bends or yields to them, but a hobby horse that is neither a flat- Trade Review, who has been indicted for libel of C. Kurtzman, etc., should not
terer nor a courtier, being a dummy of a fool's construction, throws a small- be tried in New York City according to the statute of New York State in
brained egotist, though he wield a quill, with no more remorse than he would libel cases.
a beggar, even tho' he break his neck as a punishment for his insolence and
The District Attorney consented that the indictment be sent to New
deception of patrons.
York for trial. Mr. Welles was accompanied by his counsel, Judge Stewart,
of New York. After dispatching their business they were shown through
ABRESTED UPON THE CHARGE OF CRIMINAL LIBEL.
There was taken to the Tombs Court, this city, on Monday morning, a the hall, the jail and the tunnel. The editor is a man of small stature and
blonde and willowy youth, whose countenance was a picture of fear per- of very affable and gentlemanly appearance. He expressed his pleasure at
sonified. The individual was Mr. C. A. Welles, alleged editor and propri- being in Buffalo in such pleasant weather, and thought he would like to stay
etor of an occasional periodical, the last title of which is the MUSICAX, a few days.—Evening News, Buffalo, April 8th.
CRITIC, who was arrested upon the charge of criminal libel, preferred by
Mr. C. Kurtzman, an old and respected piano manufacturer of Buffalo,
ANOTHER BUFFALO PAPER.
whose business integrity is beyond reproach. Mr. Welles was captured
We
have
received
from
publishers the last number of THE MUSICAL
immediately after his arrival from Boston by Detectives McGrann and CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW of the
New York, which, to a certain extent, has taken
Handey, upon a warrant issued by the District Attorney of Erie County, at the place of the defunct Music
Trade Review. It is full of interesting
Buffalo. He was remanded to await the action of the authorities of Buffalo, musical information, and any one looking
for a musical paper to subscribe
after passing a sleepless night in his " dungeon cell," in which visions of for would do well to send for it.—Commercial
Advertiser, Buffalo
other possible suits arose before him. Through the aid of those who said
"kind words " for him, his case was called on Tuesday morning, owing to
WHAT A CHICAGO DEAD BEAT SAYS ABOUT THE LIBEL CASE.
his alarming condition, at Police Headquarters, and he was put under $500
Justice has finally brought Charles Avery Welles, the alleged, and libel-
bail, furnished by some friend, to appear on trial in Buffalo.
lous publisher of an exceedingly Aveakly periodical called the MUSICAL
OUR READERS WOULD LIKE TO KNOW.
CRITIC, in New York, to bay. The individual was arrested last week on the
Will our city officials allow Miss Nancy to ride his '' free lance " plug in charge of criminal libel, preferred by C. Kurtzman, an old and respected
the Centre Street Jug ?
piano manufacturer of Buffalo, and spent one night in jail. The next morn-
Will the next issue of the semi-occasional be edited from "behind the ing he was released on bail, furnished by a friend, to await examination at
bars ?"
Buffalo. An alleged pianist, named Liebling, who is employed by Pelton,
Does he realize that all his glittering proposals will not pan out gold ?
Pomeroy & Cross, is the Chicago correspondent of Welles' disreputable
Will he not on his next trip West go "around the horn " to escape sheet. —W. L. Allen's Dead Beat, Chicago.
Buffalo ?
LIBEL AND ITS LEGAL REMEDY.
A FOOL-ON THE " MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW "
fT^HE subject of libel and its restraint by legal penalty is one of immense
Not long since, we read in the MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW, the J_ difficulty both in England and the United States, owing to the role
which has been assigned in both countries to public opinion as represented
following peculiar paragraph:
"We were going to give Messrs. Kranich & Bach, of No. 237 East by, or embodied in, the newspaper press. Restriction on the free exjjression
Twenty-third street, a splendid notice in this issue, but our reporter, after of opinion through the press and on the criticism in writing of public
having made several visits and not being able to see any other representative officers is associated in all the best political traditions of the Anglo-Saxon
of the firm than the bookkeeper, came to the conclusion that the firm was race with attempts to establish or maintain arbitrary government. As a
in a Kranich (chi'onic) state of Bach-wardness, or else were exclusively consequence of this it has been the policy of legislation, ever since the tri-
umph of what may be called liberalism,—that is, in this country ever since
engaged in stupendous efforts to make their pianos stand in tune."
It puzzled us a little at first to understand why failure to see the pro- the Revolution, and in England ever since 1815,—to encourage the press not
prietors should prevent the MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW from giving to be afraid; to speak its mind freely about persons and things, and indeed,
" a splendid notice " to a deserving firm, but the venomous ending, contain- one may almost say, to take great risks in the matter of libeling, both as a
ing an untruthful slur against the standing qualities of the Kranich & sign and guarantee of freedom. An enumeration of the changes made in the
Bach pianos, enabled us, we thought, to read between the lines an attack law in both countries within the last century, in the direction of protecting
based upon the refusal of an "ad." As the same paper had, shortly before, and even stimulating newspaper boldness, would make it appear clearly
been guilty of a gross personal attack upon Albert Weber, Jr., founded, as enough that the press is not solely to blame for its own faults in the matter
it seemed, upon a similar ground, we thought it time to protest. But fear- of excess. The tendency to excess has been fostered, and the proper legal
ing lest we might be mistaken we wrote Kranich & Bach what we suspected treatment of libel made more difficult, in other ways also. As the influence
and asked them to tell us whether our suspicions were well founded. We of authority, whether in the form of religious belief or of high social or offi-
cial station, has grown weaker, we have come more and more to rely, for the
received the following reply in date of March 11, 1881:
sanction of our social morality, on the strong concentration of public opin-
" Your favor at hand; in reply would say that you read right, between ion.
This concentration of opinion against violators of received social
the lines. Wr. Welles (the editor) and Mr. Walker, one of their reporters, morality
is wrought mainly by the newspapers, and in fact, not to put too
called several times and pressed for an advertisement, and because we did fine a point
upon it, consists largely in what is familiarly known as " news-
not give him one they thought they would bulldoze us into it. Don't think paper attacks^"
Thousands, if not '•millions, of good men sleep more com-
they will succeed with this kind of
KRANICH & BACH."
because they think the newspapers are looking after the bad men, or
We purposely leave out the closing word which is a fitting appellation fortable
for all such proceedings, for the simple reason that we still hope to see the at all events after the men they themselves do not like.
So that, for one resson or another, there is probably no legal line more
MUSICAL CRITIC mend its ways. It is yet young and reformation is still pos-
sible. It has vigor and snap, and we hate to see it commit suicide. We difficult to draw than the line between what we call the freedom and the
say suicide, for such management is sure death to any paper. We shall say license of the press. A timid press would be useless as an exposer of abuses;
THE HARDMAN PIANO
ESTABLISHED 1842.
Manufactured b y HAHDMATT, DOWLIXTG <& PECK.
Warerooms and Factory, 57tii Street and Tenth. Avenue, New York.