The Mediums' Trust: When Seattle's Spiritualists Tried to Fix Their Prices
A secret meeting of clairvoyants and mediums ended in failure as new arrivals undercut their rates, proving that even the spirit world is subject to market forces.
The story, cleaned up
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MEDIUMS FAILED TO FORM A COMBINE To Establish a Uniform Rate of Pay for Their Services. THE STORY OF A RECENT ATTEMPT Given to The Star by One Who Was on the Inside. LACK OF UNIFORMITY IN PRICES Due to the Arrival of New Mediums in This City Who Cut Prices in Order to Secure Business.
An attempt to form a combine of a most unique character was made recently in Seattle. It was to have been a sort of trust, the avowed object of which was to establish uniform fees for services of all spiritualistic mediums and clairvoyants in the city.
The story of the attempt to form the combine has leaked out through one of the mediums. To a Star reporter she said today:
"Yes, we made an attempt to form a combine, and failed. At the present time fees have not been uniform. In fact, they range from $5 to $20.
"Seattle has attracted many imps [imposters] in the spiritualistic business, and they have put down the price to such an extent that we who have been here for some years cannot now make a living.
"Sometime ago a number of the leading spiritualists and mediums in the city got together and mapped out a scheme to combine in one organization all the resident mediums in the city. A uniform fee of $10 for a séance was to have been fixed.
"We also decided that when any medium or spiritualist reached the city, he or she would be informed of the arrangement, and be asked to conform strictly to its rules. Upon the arrival of hitherto unknown mediums, the members of the combine were authorized to submit him or her to a test of qualification. Should the new medium refuse to submit to such a test, or fail to pass it, a number of our members was authorized to denounce the alleged medium as an imposter, particularly should any business be attempted.
"Several mediums who recently located in Seattle refused to co-operate in the scheme. They said were making a good living at 50 cents a sitting, and did not believe in trusts.
"The scheme failed, but it has not been given up. Another attempt will be made to form the combine on new lines."
In an era before consumer protection laws, even those selling intangible services like spiritualism felt the sting of price wars and 'cut-rate' competition. This early 20th-century struggle mirrors modern debates over gig economy pricing and the difficulty of maintaining professional standards when undercut by unregulated entrants.
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