Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE: MUSIC TRADE: REVIEW
It has been claimed by some that owing to the fact that The
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convened a meeting at Clarendon Hall, New York.
It was the first
Review printed in full the speech of Chas. H. Parsons delivered on
national gathering of piano men called for the purpose of organ-
Thursday night, as well as the remarks of others upon that occa-
izing. The editor of The Review presided at the meeting.
That we could not
This same fellow who now cries coercion remarked, "get to-
have accomplished this work in the brief time unless we had pre-
gether your piano men and the first thing that they will do will be
viously obtained copies of the speeches before they were delivered.
to cut down the trade papers."
sion, that favoritism was shown this paper.
\ \ 7 E may say that Mr. Parsons absolutely refused representa-
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tives of this publication copies of any of the speeches which
he delivered and we could secure no help from him even up to the
banquet hour in any way whatsoever to forward our newspaper
work.
His speech.es with others were taken down by our own corps
Why should he have feared that? We did not. Because a trade
paper—a good trade paper—is necessary to the life of the industry
and will exist as long as it produces a value.
This same fellow has objected to organization during all these
intervening years.
of stenographers and transmitted to New York without the assis-
Now why?
tance of anyone save those directly in the employ of this publica-
Let him give the reasons. The stencil question does not enter
tion. It required some outlay of energy and capital to produce such
into the situation.
a paper.and produce it on time, because that necessitated a large
upon intrigue.
amount of night work, but we won, and it was a fair test between
to control a venal press and profit by its existence, then that kind of
all the music trade papers of America, as Buffalo was practically
journalism lives as it has lived in this industry.
midway between New York and Chicago.
is a fair reflex of trade conditions.
In this, as in other in-
As a matter of fact unclean journalism thrives
If there are men engaged in the industry who wish
Trade journalism
When men fatten on intrigue
stances, we invite a comparison of our work, its completeness and
they wish to control trade papers to carry out their own ends. But
dispatch with that of any other publication in this country.
by coming together for association work, the bitterness and the little
A
T the end of a wearisome two-page article in which he intro-
duces threats to destroy the peace of the industry, Blumen-
Most men, save those of a pachydermic nature, would be some-
what rattled as to their position after receiving such a rebuke as
did this fellow at Buffalo, but with him it required just such action
to bring to him a keen sense of realization of his true position.
The necessity for a debased press, if ever such a necessity
existed, was wholly eliminated through the mediumship of associa-
tion, and the good feeling cultivated at the various meetings. The
opportunities for the legitimate press became greater, and men
patronized not through fear, but through value, and as a result
Well, if he knows where he is "at," it's all right.
It was thought by some that it would be difficult to locate this
individual, but his still plaintive voice announces that he knows
One thing is certain he is not eating his fill of
piano patronage during these good old days of 1903.
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of friendship, thus reducing the opportunities for journalistic prey-
ii g upon piano men.
berg states, "I now know where I am at."
where he is "at."
feuds engendered are quickly dissipated through the warm grasp
coercion became powerless, and now the horizon is ripe with hope
for clean trade journalism, because the trade itself is growing
cleaner and run upon better lines.
Clean journalism honestly represents a clean industry.
T is, however, the first time that the organization has gone
squarely on record as opposing personal attacks, and in this case
it did not hesitate.to offer financial aid.
Of course we must expect, that is the few who read his utter-
ances, to be burdened with long drawn out pages alleging persecu-
tion, of threatened suits against manufacturers, to destroy the in-
dustry by publishing a list of manufacturers of stencil pianos.
Now all that should not in the remotest degree befuddle the
minds of readers as to the real issues at stake.
attacked.
He was called a slanderer.
Mr. Button was
Now, if those articles em-
bodied honest criticism, we have got to write a new definition for
criticism in our dictionary.
It is usual with most cowards to cry coercion and persecution
when they are cornered. We do not recall that this fellow Blumen-
berg recited any long drawn out essays on "persecution" and "con-
spiracy" during the days when he was wielding 1 an active even if
\ \ 7 H I L E the labor conditions in New York are extremely seri-
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ous, for building operations, amounting to many millions
are being held up through strikes, we may say that there is no prob-
ability of these troubles extending to our own industry.
We do not believe that the piano trade will be affected by labor
troubles during this spring or summer.
How T ever, all the industrial
world is in close touch and the prostration of one industry naturally
affects us all. The necessity is becoming more and more^ apparent
to have wise and cool headed men at the head of the labor organiza-
tions.
Present conditions in our city are not brought about by de-
mands for increased wages, or shorter hours, but rather by the un-
reasonable actions of the unions resulting in a constant attack upon
individual concerns.
Employers have for some time been subjected to all sorts of
demands by the unions and their walking delegates.
There must
abusive pen in long drawn out essays on "Gumwood Kimball," "the
be for the peace of the business world a readjustment of our present
Chicago Cahbpge O''gan Co.," "the Meahlers of Boston" and the
condition.
Knabes as well, but now when the worm turns, it is "coercion" and
"persecution."
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N 1889, after months of advocacy of the formation of a national
organization of piano and organ manufacturers, The Review
Undeniably labor has rights, among which is the right to or-
ganize, but the manufacturer also has rights and he cannot have
his business fettered in every possible way and his independence
removed without the collapse of his enterprise.