The Fair, the Band, and the Union Telegram
When Tacoma's Interstate Fair hired an out-of-town military band, the local musicians' union balked—prompting an angry telegram and a last-minute scramble to catch the train.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
San Francisco, Sept. 20.—The Interstate Fair now being held at Tacoma feels the need of good music, and to obtain it engaged Charles H. Cassassa and his well-known military band to play up North at the expiration of their Sacramento engagement. Secretary Eugene Schmitz, of the local musicians' union, received a telegram from R. E. Landers, secretary of the Tacoma union, stating: 'Notify members not to come here for Interstate Fair. No salary.' Twelve hundred dollars was said to be the amount due the musicians, and, according to the rules of the organization, until that amount is paid no work can be done by union men. Mr. Schmitz notified the members of the band, and greatly worried, Cassassa wired for information. Today forty excited musicians debated over the following telegram received in reply: 'A lot of bum musicians, who never filled their contract, struck because of our engaging you. Their time was not up until next week. We always paid them promptly. Only part of the week's salary is coming to them now. Can pay them any minute, but they must settle loss as per contract first. Have deposited money for transportation both ways with Southern Pacific agent here. Take train and be here Saturday sure. Answer at once. Other union bands want to come.' For the five weeks' engagement Cassassa was promised $7,500, and the fight between love and duty was a hard one, and five of the principal soloists refused point blank to go, but when the Oregon express pulled out of the Oakland mole at 7:30 o'clock this evening all of the instrumentalists were on hand but one.
“A lot of bum musicians, who never filled their contract, struck because of our engaging you.”
In 1894, the year of the Pullman strike, even a fair band engagement could become a test of union authority and contract obligations. The episode rhymes with modern fights over contracted labor, local hiring, and who gets to perform at public events.
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