The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-30
MAY Give UP.
Marshall, TOpeka's Famous
Band Leader, Discouraged.
Says He Is Ready to Abandon
Organization.
RECEIVES NO SUPPORT.
People Do Not Employ Band
When They Can.
Matter to Be Discussed at Re-
hearsal Sunday.

If Topeka wishes her famous musical
| organization, MarshaI's band, to con-
tinue as an organization some one must
show an interest and give the band sup
port.
The band is not in financial straits at
present and in fact there is a sum of
over thousand dollars in the bands
| treasury but the band as an organiza-
ton has had little or nothing to do
for more than a year and the players
are becoming discouraged. The first re-
hearsal the band has had in five weeks
will be held Sunday afternoon, at the
band rooms, and at that meeting the
members may discuss the situation.
The damaging of Garfield park by the
flood of last year, and the Interrupted
street car traffic to the park and the
fact that Vinewood is being pushed to
the front has stopped the revenue that
the band formerly enjoyed from week
1y concerts. Besides this the band has
not been called upon to play at any
great number of special events in the
cities. All this has brought discourage
ment to the players. The. Democratic
state convention is to be held in To-
peka soon and the members of Mar
shall's band were further discouraged
when they learned that the Commercial
club had decided to furnish a small or
chestra to play for the convention i'm
stead of engaging the band. An or
chestra at a state convention is about
as absurd as could be imagined.
Another feature which has discOurag-
ed the band is that the engagements
the band has had during the past year
or more have mostly been for a few
players, generally about Ii, and that
these 16 players have profited by these
engagements but the band with sc
members, has not.
The band would like to give free
concerts provided that in some way
the organization would be assured of
an income sufficient to keep up the
band rooms and maintain the organi-
zation. Last summer the band gave
free concerts, but besides receiving
one unsolicited donation, which paid
the expense of building the stand for
the concerts, the band received no
Mcpherson, Wichita and other towns
in Kansas the local band or bands
receive assistance from the towns and
give free concerts. In Kansas City,
ST. Joseph and all the larger. eastern
cities the councils make annual ap-
preparations to the bands, and in
turn the bands give series of free sum-
mer concerts at the various city
parks.
J. B. Marshall, director of the band,
said today: 1.-The members of the
band feel discouraged. We have no
incentive to keep up the organization.
practically nothing to do In various
occasions sixteen members have
played, but the band as an organiza-
ton has been practically idle. This
was not the condition formerly. We
no longer have Garfield park and no
concerts there, and we have not been
able to make any satisfactory ar
rangements with the Vinewood park
management. We have no out of town
engagements and nothing to do here,
and there seems to be no good reason
for continuing the band. We have
some money in the treasury and we
will not abandon the organization so
long as that lasts, but one thing is GER
tain, we will not go in debt, and when
our present funds are exhausted
see no reason for continuing.
I'VE would like to give free con-
certs if we had some source of in
come. We gave free concerts last
year. We built our own stand to play
on, and the only assistance we re-
ceived was a check from one public
spirited man who paid the entire cost
of that stand. I am anxious to give
up the dictatorship of the band, and
have felt that way for some time.
don't know what the band will do,
but I see no reason for continuing
the organization"
There has been some talk of re-
organizing the band with twenty-five
members. This would mean the pass
ing of Marshall's band 1t would be
a small band and would no longer be
able to play the concerts and parade
music that Marshalfs is famous for.
1t is for Topeka to decide whether
MarshalI's band shall be supported
and continued or whether it will not
be supported and allowed to dfsband-
The city ought to support Marshalls
that deserved public support it is this
musical organization.
DON'T WANT TO LOSE HIM.