Evening star., 1936-01-22
Musicians, Offered Check, Walk Out
"Lakme" Given to Accompaniment of Portable Organ
After Audience Joins in Union Dispute.

their services and walked out in
group attended by dramatic de
nouncements and appreciation.
Prayed nerves Of the opera cas-
rose above the two-hour wrangle ant
"Lakme" was concluded at little afte
l am. to the accompaniment Of {
portable organ played by q voluntee
and q parting salvo Of "bravos" from
the audience.
Almost half of fashionable gath
ering of $500 was in at the finish.
Audience Waits Hour.
The curtain hour Of 8:l5 saw Con
stitution Hall comfortably filled will
music lovers in formal attire. The!
waited with an air Of polite expectanc!
for at least half an hour before q spirit
of restlessness began to assert itself II
scattered bursts Of handclapping.
Nothing happened, however. ane
certain irrepressibles began to add foo
stampings and an occasional Bron,
cheer to the inquiring applause o.
their elders. At 9:l5 there was sud.
den hush caused by the appearance o.
Mrs. Peggy Albion, wife Of Edouarc
Albion, president and general director
Of the association.
Mrs. Albion was waving the $1,50(
check. She explained the orchestra
had declined it In favor Of cash, al.
though 1t was signed by G. Danist
Pinter OF New York, baritone, formerly
with the Metropolitan Opera.
Invites Endorsement.
"This check was issued by one ol
the country's leading singers" Mrs
Albion said, yet the musicians refuse
to accept 1t and won't play. Will
some one in the audience please come
forward and indorse it,"
There followed q somewhat embar.
RAISING silence, and presently Mrs.
Gertrude Lyons, president of the
Washington Federation of Music
Clubs, appeared on the stage.
Mrs. Lyons explained that "every
effort had been made to persuade
the musicians to play, but still they
refuse" She said telephone call to
Albert c. Hayden, president of Musi-
clans Protective Union, Local No. 16l
had elected the information that Il
was against union rules to accept q
check.
Meanwhile, the musicians were COL
lecting their instruments and prepar-
ing to depart. Many of them play
with the National Symphony Orches-
ira, and . voice from the audience
called:
They'll find out what we think Of
this when they play with the SYM
phony!"
Musicians Booed.
The musicians went on with their
preparations for departure, a gesture
greeted with Kisses and boos from the
audience. The same response fol-
lowed q remark to the audience by
Mrs. Lyons to the effect that Il know
you're bitter about this!"
Mrs. Albion ssid:
This opera is making history-and
don't mean maybe!" A roar Of
laughter followed.
It was $50 pm. when several voices
from the audience suggested a collec-
tion. Several persons waved bills, in
cluding q 500 note.
How much Is wanted?" some one
demanded.
Fifteen hundred dollars-cash!"
came the reply. in no uncertain terms.
With this announcement the volunteer
collectors subsided.
At this juncture a man in the gal
lery rose from his seat and shook his
fist above his head:
I've been q union man all my life, I"
he shouted. Il want to say"
Whatever the man wanted to say.
and did say. was drowned In chorus
Of boos from the orchestra floor.
Union Mans Message.
He later told q reporter, however.
what he said and what he wanted
to tell the audience was:
i've been q union man all my life
and I want to say that I always got
paid after my job was done and not
before"
At 10 O'Clock Mrs. Albion invited
the audience to come on down here"
md those Of the crowd who had back
Or gallery seats crowded toward the
orchestra pit.
During the confusion Mrs. Cabot
Stevens. . member Of the audience,
moved along the aisle, exclaiming:
This is outrageous! Nothing like
this has ever happened before! What
will the Nations music lovers say to
this? Down with the union! Down
With the union!"
The crowd meanwhile had assembled
about the orchestra pit. A man in for
NAL attire proclaimed that too much
had been said on the side OF the
music lovers and not enough on that
Df the union musicians.
Replies for Musicians.
Form . committee" he told the
men In the orchestra pit. "Get on the
stage ana tell your side of this!"
Several replies came from the mu-
yicians.
I'VE were to have been paid $l,600,"
one mus cisn said, and another, '"The
association owes us money for pre-
nous performances" and still another,
TITS against union rules to accept .
check. They say every one else has
oeen paid in cash-why not us?"
A man rose in the audience and
:ried:
"Committee, debate! What do you
mean, debate? I came here to listen
% music, not q debated"
At 1910 O'Clock, Mrs. Albion, who
ought to arrange things out front
while her husband prepared to sing
lis first role In one of the associations
raised her hands for
luiet, and inquired:
"Is there q piano In the house?"
A litter of laughter swept the audi
nee. Some one remarked: How
Ibout q doctor?"
Those about the stage seemed to
;lnink there was no piano, but Mrs.
Stevens, who Is . member OF the
,. A. r., and long familiar with Con-
i