Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL-
Editor and Proprietor
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY
3 East 14th St., New York
SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States,
Mexico and Canada, $2^00 per year; all other countries,
ADVERTISEnENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per
insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special dis-
count is allowed. Advertising Pages $50.00, opposite read-
ing matter $75.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency form, should
be made payable to Edward Lyman Bill.
Entered at the iVeto York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
NEW YORK, APRIL 30, 1898.
TELEPHONE NUMBER, 1745--EIGHTEENTH STREET.
THE KEYNOTE.
The first week of each month, The Review will
contain a supplement embodying the literary
and musical features which have heretofore
appeared in The Keynote. This amalgamation
will be effected without in any way trespassing
on our regular news service. The Review will
continue to remain, as before, essentially a
trade paper.
ARE WE A LEVEL HEADED PEOPLE ?
ORE dangerous than any Spanish fleet
or flotilla can ever be to American
interests are those papers by common con-
sent designated yellow journals. They shriek
for slaughter so that they can sell more
papers. They furnish imaginary descrip-
tions of possible battles on sea and land in
• order that they may rake in the pennies with
their astonishing and fabricated tales.
It has been this class of journals which for
weeks have injured the best interests of the
country by their vicious carping at the ad-
ministration. By their exciting luridity they
have been more distinctly enemies to the
country than the whole combined army-a"hd
navy of Spain ever will be.
There is not, neither has there been the
slightest necessity for all of this excitement,
this working the people into a frenzy, as it
were, over the war with Spain. The power-
lessness of Spain to prevent our rescuing
Cuba from its dominion has been demon-
strated to all the world, and must be ap-
parent to every sensible Spaniard. He must
see that every drop of Spanish blood spent
in a contest so hopeless will be utterly
wasted, and that the financial drain through
prolonging the futile attempt to stay Ameri-
ca's determination must only accelerate
Spain's downward march to ruin.
And yet for weeks we have permitted our-
selves through the agency of a certain sec-
tion of our daily press to be wrought up
into such a high pitch of excitement, that we
have really been under a close nervous ten-
sion for weeks.
Let us look at the matter in a calm and
deliberative way. We have, we will say,
seventy-five millions of people. Only a
small percentage of them will bear arms.
The war will be almost a sea affair. Spain
M
has less than a fourth of the fighting popula- right kind upon these journals in every city
tion of this country and is now at the high in the country. If we are to have this sort
water mark of her naval power, while every of thing continue for some months with the
week adds to the strength of the United extras multiplying both in numbers and in
States.
poster display as the war advances, it occurs
Is there any reason why we should lose to us that a large percentage of our people
our heads over an affair of this kind and will be suffering from nervous prostration.
permit it to interfere, as it has, seriously
Up from Fourteenth street to The Review
with our business and industrial affairs?
windows comes unceasingly the cry of the
The yellow journals are doing their best newsboys " wuxtra, war wuxtra." Some-
to convince our citizens that as much dam- times it is the din from hundreds of voices,
age to trade will be caused by a conflict with but the murmur never entirely ceases. Now
Spain as resulted from the four long years' we cannot remain uninfluenced by this ex-
strife in our Civil War.
citing atmosphere. What are we all going
One can form the opinion, from reading to do about it?
these lurid accounts, that the ranks of peace-
We make boastful statements concerning
ful labor will be so depleted by the call for our country, our people, our progress, and
an increase of the army, that hardly a pur- then permit even the first froth of war to
chaser or consumer is to be left.
paralyze our industries.
No one can be wholly indifferent to the
Have we not overrated our abilities?
superfluity of extras with the scare heads in
Are we after all a level-headed people, or a
poster type. We are influenced to a certain nation of sensation mongers?
extent by them, and are apt to believe that
trade is absolutely at a standstill. Unfor-
tunately some of the newspapers which have PATRIOTISM is rampant these days.
hitherto been conservative and reliable, have -*- The National colors are seen every-
been drawn into the vortex of excitement where. Broadway is bright with color. The
and have been lead into publishing wild and piano houses are not backward in display-
ing the National emblem prominently; from
misleading statements.
a number of the leading houses "Old Glory"
Some New York merchants have been
floats proudly on the breeze.
compelled to publish broadcast a statement
containing many names, for the purpose of
removing erroneous impressions spread
WHAT IS THE REMEDY?
abroad as to their trade. This is not com-
E have held that aside from being a
plimentary to New York journalism.
purveyor of news, a trade journal
When the cholera scare reached port some should be of still greater benefit to its con-
half dozen years ago, the large retail mer- stituents. We have endeavored from time
chants of this city rose in their wrath and to time to discuss broader topics which
told the publishers of several papers that if should lead to trade unity and trade better-
the editorial department continued to injure ment. It was through the mediumship of
retail business by deterring out-of-town shop- The Review that the first Piano Manufac-
pers from visiting New York, they would turers' As'sociation was formed. It is now
discontinue their advertisements, with the through the mediumship of The Review
result that the publication of foolish and ex- that a broad discussion is under way which
aggerated articles immediately ceased.
is of greatest interest to the men engaged
It seems unfortunate that the commercial in every department of this industry.
element of this country cannot bring to bear
For years past men have claimed that
upon the papers a pressure which will lead something was wrong—was wrong structur-
to more temperate war bulletins.
ally with the business. The Review some
England with a war, or threatened war on weeks ago made the unequivocal statement
her hands every day in the year, maintains that pianos are sold on too close margins,
uninterrupted commercial relations with her that in his desire to dispose of wares, the
own subjects and the rest of the world. average dealer sells too cheaply.
There is no undue excitement, no trade par-
Whether or not all will agree with us in
alysis. In her money markets there is sta- this statement we cannot say, but one
bility, and if we look at our own situation, thing is certain, however, that the assertion
we find that first-class mercantile paper published in The Review has created wide-
which sold last winter at four per cent., has spread interest. Hundreds of dealers have
been discounted recently at eight per cent. already written to this paper in reference to
The policy adopted by the banks is be- the editorials which have appeared in The
ginning to pinch the mercantile community. Review for the past three weeks. Some of
That the mercantile interests of America the opinions from a number of leading deal-
have suffered and are suffering bitterly ers appear in another portion of this issue.
from the result of a war scare accentuated
There is no question but that some bene-
by sensational journals no one can dispute, fit may be evolved from an open discussion
then why not bring pressure to bear of the of the underlying conditions in this trade.
W