Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-04
Barrel Organs to Be Barred in
Gay New York.
A s ARK NUISANCE
HURL FORTH THEIR HARDENING
CLANGoR IN PUNCHES.
Pestiferous tumble Of Tympanum
Bursting Standardization Of Pic
lures in Gallery Of Rogues.


NEW YORK, June 3, 1904.
Presently, 1t Is said, the aldermanic leg
islative body of Greater New York will
formulate and pass ordinance banshng
barrel organs and street pianos from the
streets of this municipality. 1t Is semi
officially announced that Mayor Mcclellan,
In courageous disregard of the italian vote,
will sign the measure. The usual driveling
attacks are being made against the carry
Ing out Of the plan by the double-negativ-
Ing try-bunes of the pee-pul." The barrel
organs and street pianos arc the music of
the poor. they say, with verbal caloricity
to match the highest temperature. The
children of the tenements dance to the
ground-out strains, and their elders, on the
stoops and fire escapes, find keener relish
In their mixed ale when the shrfll, tinny
box music is being ladled out to them. 1t
was very easy. a long time ago. to answer
this specious argument of the peepuls adj
vocates. The spokesman of the overwhelna-
Ing majority of New Workers who abom-
mate barrel organ music suggested that it
would be the simplest thing in life to re-
strict the street pianos and barrel organs
TO the tenement districts, since the claim
was advanced that 1t would be hardship
10 deprive the tenementers of the sort of
musical regalement they enjoyed. The pee
puPS pleaders, however were always indi-
viduals who had Italian votes as the mo-
i've OF their raucous eloquence, and so
they weren't listening to suggestions from
the anti-barrel organ majority.
Inc movement against the box music of
the streets has now originated with the
Dcard OF health. 1t is being pushed by the
beard of health In the interest of sick folks
In the residential districts who are driven
perilously close to madness death by the
street pianos on these summer nights. No
body who has not lived In New York can
conceive OF what an utter, stark nuisance
fro
The 5angly. brass-foundry noise of them is
never stilled during the warm weather,
even In the section to which you may have
removed for the alleged quietude of the
neighbortOod. Three or four of the things
often hurl forth their maddening clangor
at one and the same time in the space of a
single block. They make home music out
Of the question. Who would care to take
up his violin with barrel organ at one
corner grinding out "Anona," street piano
directly in front OF the window Gathering
boxes at the other corner sending out clut-
tered and knotty punches Of "Hiawatha?'
Can't Sit on Front Steps.
People can't sit on their front steps for
the pestiferous tumble of typanum- bursting
sounds. Men who have right to the occu-
pancy of their front steps on warm even
ings have to take to the contiguity of the
ash cans and the refuse barrels in their
back yards If they desire to enjoy their to-
bacco in peace and quiet. II they don't do
this they have got to compound a sort of
bfackmail by giving the grinning Dagos
backsheesh as a bride for them to go away.
This has come to be a regular thing. The
willy Sicilian pulls his big wheeled nerve
shatterer up in front of your stoop. You
give him the poTpous watt by means of a
gesture indicating that you don't want him
or his music. But does he watt? He does
staccato and pizzicati-wise. BY the time
he has completed eight bars of that I'M
speakable rendering you have rushed down
the steps and handed him coins of silver,
again giving him an agonized waiting ges-
ture.
He gives you smile of foxy benignity,
and goes. He marks you mentally for a
good thing, and few nights later he is
back again with the "Miserere" done in
the form Of a Quicksteps Again. most prob
ably, you yield to the Matchmaking stunt
And so on. By the time the summer is
well under way 1t costs you a couple of
organists. just to sit on your front steps.
Attributed to Sullivan Clan
Insiders are attributing the apparent
willingness of the aldermanic body to pro-
coed against the barrel organists to an in
cident that occurred down in the Cherry
Hill section one evening not long ago. 1t
is, of course. understood that the Sullivan
clan is powerful moving force with the
New York aldermen. A man intimately
ASSOCIATED Win the sullivan clan lay DEAD
on the ground floor of a Cherry Hill tene-
ment on this evening. There was a wake. |
Many mourning Sullivans and Sullivanites
were at the wake. The absorption of
mixed and the praises of the deceased |
were at their height when barrel organ !
In front of the house opened up its battery.
1t is only fair to the wielder of the crank |
to suppose that he was not aware that he |
was performing before a house of death |
Yet the tunes of which he delivered his |
shuddering machine were sacrilegiously |
pat, SO to speak. The first one was Some |
body Has Got to Be the Patsy" mock |
mournfully rendered. The next was 81
Don't Think He's Coming Back Follow |
ing this-the barrel organist receiving. 1t is
said, copper encouragement from gang of |
blasphemous blades at the corner groggery-
came stop Burnin' Me Up The barrel !
organist was just permitting HE Got Just |
What Was A-Comin' to Him to trckle |
Historically from his machine when 1t hap
pened. The outraged Sullivans and Sulli-
vanites came out of the tenement with
united whoops of ferocity and chased the
Sicilian plumb into the East river. They
as If it had been hit amidships by White
head torpedo.
So that now there are cynical persons. |
who habitually attribute mean and sinister |
and revengeful motives to our municipal |
lawmakers, maintaining that it is the Sulli-
van clans personally conducted plan, this
movement to drive off the barrel organists
and street pianists. But nine out of every
A REP