New-York tribune., 1903-06-03
TNT0N MTSIC.

The stand which the labor organizations have
taken against the National Guard has not as
! yet caused the disbandment of any organiza-
| tions nor has it affected recruiting in any
| marked degree. A few men have WITHDRAWN
| from the service and few have declared pub
| icly that they would never, never, never, join
the Guard so long as it was a tool in the hands
| of grinding monopolists' who use 1t to quell
disturbances and to protect property. 1t is gen
orally conceded that the men who Withdrew
| from the National Guard because they believed
| that their obligations as union men would
prevent them from doing their duty as soldiers
can well be spared, and that their friends who
| will never enlist will not be urged to change
| their minds on the subject. On the whole, the
| fight of organized labor against the citizen SOL
| diery was dismal failure which did much
to discredit labor and to place thousands of
honest union men who do not share the radical
| views as to the National Guard in a false light.
Despite their defeat, however, the labor lead
| ers have again opened war on the military, but
| this time their effort is directed against the
regular service. The American Federation of
| Musicians has instructed Its members to re-
| fuse TO play at any place where United States
Army or United States Navy bands take part.
The army and navy musicians do not belong to
a union; they are-so foolish as to take orders
only from their superiors In the service and not
| from walking delegates and the pay which they
| receive for making music is not in harmony
with the labor union musician scale. Hence they
are unfit to associate with the members of the
| American Federation of Musicians. If because
of the opposition Of the union men the United
States musicians were driven into union. a
result which need not be looked for, fine state
of affairs might be evolved. The unionized mu-
| sician might be prevailed upon to make no
| deep scrutiny as to the labor standing of COM
| posers. He might wink at the fact that Verdi,
Rossini. Gounod. Wagner, Strauss and all the
rest were not union men; but if it ever came to
| the question: Shall union non-union music
| be played? the. decision would have to be in
| favor of the union made article. A march by
Meyerbeer, who never took out a union card,
would have 10 chance against The Tubular
| Bridge Over the Susquehanna River Polka"
which composed by union trombone play
er in Pittsburg.
Then the walking delegate-what q time he
would have When one of these labor officers
recently presumed to dictate to all officer at the
| navy yard he was promptly kicked out but
| this same labor officer, still smarting under the
severe and unfeeling treatment could with all
| prnpriety compel the unioniZed band to pIav
| Chopins funeral march in three-auarter time
or 10 strike drums and all. rather than play at
| the funeral of who in life had opposed the
union. With all these possibilities before us we
| hope that the musicians In the employ of Uncle
| Sam will be content to serve one Union and
| that the organized opposition to them will be as
| great failure as was the war ON the National
| Guard