The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-11-02
For the VIRGINIAN.l
, Messrs. Bumgardner and Waters

|
Gentlemen Your card in the last issue OF
the VALLEY VIRGINIAN" is ''cdScutated to n1akt
false Impressions" and we wish to make few
plain statements on behalf of the Stonewall
Brigade Band In your article you say that
the communication signed IS" was calculated
to make false impression" but you fail to
state wherein any such impression was made.
! Capt. Waters as member of the music COM
mittee of the B. A. +. did wait upon the Stone
wall Brigade Band and receive their propo-
sition to play one day Tor $50 and expenses,
and $25 for additional days If it were con-
venieEt for the members of the band to leave
| their places OF business.
| In the meantime Messrs Richmond and
McElreth came to Staunton with their ORA
matte Co., Band and Orch stra for the purpose
of playing at the new Masonic Hall each night
during the Fair, under the management OF MIR.
Robt. Hill, jr., and you not only applied to but
impOrtuned them to furnish music for the fair.
They finally, after three or four applications,
consented to play for you at $50 for two hours
each day for two days, and if their services
were needed for three days their pay was to be
$40. The Stonewall Band numbers II men
and they were expected to play or hours
each day. while the other band numbered only
men and were required to play only 2 hours
each day.
You say the terms offered by our band were
too high, and zoe applied to other 2artses," and
that tile htnd Of Woodstock offered to come to
'Stdunton, pay all their oson expenses and charge
$1,000 for Hear se,Yces for fur days"
Now let us see what the Woodstock band
say in regard to this statement Here is copy
OF II letter from the President of that organ
izaliun:
'WOoDsToCK, VA, Oct. %. 1882.
Z. M. Turner, Dear Sir:--Yours received.
In
to Staunton and play three days for fifty dol
lars and all our expenses paid. Our band
numbers II. Yours Truly,
w. H. BARGELT, Pr
F. G. Band"
There seems to have been some misunder-
standing between your committee and the gen
tlemen composing the Woodstock band, as
the statements of the two parties do not hdr-
| m01aaze very Sweetly.
Now let us see what the cost of the Wood
stock band would have footed up. Railroad
fare-(say half fare -$36.40; board for IA men
for four days-say 81 per day for each man
$4,000; pay for services s50Oo; hack hire to
and from fair grounds, IA 90; making grand
total of $15640, which sum amounts to just
| $106 40 more than you say they agreed to play
for. If the statement of the committee is cor
rect the W0 ldstOck bandlnen are rather bad
financial calculators.
You also state that the s'most excellent band
which was finally engaged, contracted to play
during the qo'oe term Of the Farfor $50 90, and
pay their own expenses, and, i'll addition, MIR.
Richmond, with whom the contract was made,
generously renQuished his usual commission
for the benefit OF the Fair company"
In regard to this statement we reauthorized
to say, by one who knows all about ittbat Mr..
Richmond relinquished nothing except that
he gave his band permission to play tor the
fair and receive the pay, in lieu OF The daily
services which they were required to render
to him an6 his company. In other words, Mr..
Richmond granted them the privilege OF play
ing for and receiving pay from the fair instead
of paying them out of his own pocket, as the
band in playing for the fair, would give his
company just as good or better advertisement
than if they had made the usual street parade.
Again, you say that "the B. A F. Co. does
not consider that it is under any obligations
to the band, and while preferring to employ
home talent, is neither willing nor able to COM
ply with exorbtant demands"
In reply to the first clause of this quotation
we will state that you probably have forgotten
or are ignorant of the fact that the StoneWall
Brigade Band have played at the Fair on sew
eral occasions without compensation. AS to
the charge that the band made "exorbtant de-
mands," we are willing that the public shall
Judge whether or not $4,000 day is an tex
orbitant" charge for the services of - men,
nearly all of whom have spent about 30 years
of their lives and hundreds of dollars in money
to acquire knowledge of music and make
themselves proficient as performers. The band
by attending the fair would have lost at least
four times the amount OF money which they
proposed to charge the fair company.
We wish the committee and the public to
understand that we are not complaining be-
cause we did not get the engagement, as there
is not member of the band who did not save
money by not attending the fair as band but
we do think that it would have been to the
interest OF the fair for them to have employed
their own home organization. There is not q
single member of the band who does not feel
an interest in the success of the B. A. F., and
they are willing now and have shown their
willingness in the past to contribute according
to their means for the accomplishment of that
end.
With this statement we quit the subject and
leave it with the public to judge as to its mer-
its or dement's, and also as to who has created
the "Jislse impressions" S.