The Washington weekly post., 1900-09-25
GRIND ORGANS At GOOD PAY.
Italians Get Sc Day in ChIcaso, Of " hieb
81 Ia Paid for Organ.

From the Chicago Tribune.
Five barrel organs, several accordion. =
dozen swarthy soEs OF sunny It7ly. and
any number of Italian women sat around
a bare room at 80 South Jesfer-ou street
yesterday afternoon. The Italians Il-m-
ed what is known as the Independent Or.
der of Organ Grinders, with emphasis N
the word independent" and the do. mi
discussion OF the group centered eblrt
the threat of the Chicago Federation O.
Music 10 curtail the freedom Of the p ap,
and other varieties Of organs. as served
at the curbstone by the Italian colony ~
Chicago.
The l. o. o. o. Gs.. who number in al
about fifty musicians throughout .hs
city, are not sure that they fully au0ra-i-
ated the powers OF the musical Gedera-
ton, but they had decided I'm their OWN
minds that the federation might srIrd
for something as awful as a Chicago
mayor. and. at any rate, had as muca a..
thority as a policeman.
The bone Of contention between the for.
eigners of the Italian type and thogs o,
the musical federation is the ,l-eg ion of
hours and license. At present the hours
are from in the morning until . IN ma
evening. NTH the choice OF the citizen q,
remove any grinder from his street block
at will
Piano organs in the South JEFF rson
street district are generally worked n
shares-that is, several members OF 4
family hire the organs and the proceeds
Of the days grinding are equally dl i'd.
Sometimes men of different families hlre
an organ and work it in turn, dividing
:he proceeds.
The vicinity of No. 3i7 is decidedly ytal.
Ian. The organ divides hOnors with ina
parchesi cheese and the m micaroni OIs
lone organ, which had been working over
time on the South Side for week m
was thus outside of The discussions ~ tes
independent order OF Grinders. stood olf-
side the building when a photogrtp4 :
look some snap shots Ferd .naudi Psp4-
VINO Is popularity but enormously supp -
ed 10 father the industry of prinditg Ia
this city, had an able champion In hi,
young and pretty daughter for the der 7i
army. '''"''S
signorita Papa was indignant that her
Iatnsr' VINO owns much property I'm the
Italian district as the result Of a prosner-
Gus career in his adopted country az n
peanut dispenser on busy downtown cor
ner should have been uaned g an org31-
sIIldef. MA ladder" the young woman
shrieked. he no lisa da grind He-a pIay-T
"a accord some time JUS "a fun. He 10
haV-a ia organi; he no hav-a Odder Ifa f7s
"a playin' IA him. We wanta da gefft
nold Ola da mon dat he putta de lie Ia
de pape."
While Sig Papa may not have any.
tnlnS 10 DO with the actual Organization
OF the oTgan-grinders. 1t is A fact that ali
9. tne colony apply 10 the venerable tai.
ian for advice, and Il was he who ADVISED
MS countrymen to fight the proposed
abricgemeat Of their field OF usefuIga5s
a son OF This 'e~T I'D tsK.rf D..
to give de -.on. You lika de plav you
giva TIE lind something. You no Hk7 De
grind you waita fora aHOdder grind N
play wat you lika. Den you siya De m0a.
We wanta earna da live. No work wa
playa da organ We hava work an We
no playa 1e organ"
At H7 South Jefferson street there Is Z
large yard and large shed In this !u-
c'asurc some twenty men store their or
gdnS. which they hire by the month from
n firm OF organ manufacturers
The house il a TickeJy structure. as an
jhe houses are IN the ueiEhbOFho3d and
there Is not an Oversupply q ventilati.l
anywhere within hailing distance
II any one thinks that the organ-grinIs-
is a subject OF pity he should listen q,
this one Of the grinders SAYS that 'ha
clan has set the figure for a square book
Of grinding al an average OF 81 The same
authority says that every organ-gTi Ir'
does poorly when be does not take .l
from s. 10 81 day. out OF which he PAYS
s. for his organ.
The musical federation may succeed a
securing the passage OF an ordinance iu-
posing a tax OF SO a year on the organ
grinders and also diminish the hours p
playing on the public highway. But 80
grinders. IN congress assembled declare
that they will fight every step 0r tna DID.
ceedings. In New York the orgau-gria1-
ers are limited 20 7>30 .. m. after WI Fen
hour they are subject 10 arrest if caught
playing their instruments In ErOGriyu
the law allows them until $40. WhT- IN
Philadelphia the strains OF sweet Marie
or after the Ball" may be heard as llt3
a 1920 O'Clock al night