The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-14
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ACTORS RAISE A HOWL.
TdEY WANT NTRACT LABcR
LAW TO KEEP Up THEIR PAY.

An Assertion that 4mportations from
England are as Menacing to Them az
the Chinese to Other Toilers-The
cBritish Ballet Girl on the List.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 13.-The American
actor has taken alarm at the invasion of
the theaters of the United States Ly the
ever Increasing of English and European
tootllght arti IS. He says that the profess
sion is overcrowded, and that he is being
pushed to the wall by actors from abroad
who come here and, after securing a large
share of the money of the cou try, fit lack
to their native shores to revel in their
newly acquired wealth. He tells the sams
story that miners, M mechanics and others
nave told OF be g supplantel bv cheap
LABOR, brought to is C untry DIR con-
tract. Like artisans, he wants protection,
BEFORE THE CONGRESSMAN.
Louis Aldrich Harley Merry and Le-,~
NJ. Sanger, com nittee representing the.
Actors Order of Friendship, appeared be-
Iore the Ford immigration investigating
committee to-day, and ask d that the coa-
Iract labor law be amended so as to include
professional actors and musicians among
the classes prohibited from entering the
U United States under a labor con ract At
and mus cia1s from its provisions. Under
his exemption the committee said that
large numbe OF foreign actors were annu-
ly brought to this country for the le
reason that they would work cheaper than
Amerlca actors
THEIR GAINS CARRIED AWAY
The money obtained was not s ent here.
but was taken back to the Countries whence
tney came; when their engageme 1t wa at
an end. They did not, the committee sid,
object TO the presence of s'ars Ike Iryiig.
Cuquelin, Patti and others, but to the host
or minor actors they. brought vi ith them,
and to the che p grade of foreign ac ors.
whom American managers In ported solely
because of their cheapness. The average
pay Of an A nerican actor was $40 a week.
for season averaging twenty-six weeks,
while the average weekly pay of an En-
gllsh actor was only $l6.
LIKE THE OLD SOLDIER.
The American actors we the equals of
their forelgl brethren in every respect.
Many OF tie American aclors had served
the country during the wa, and they all
contributed to the prosperity of the coun-
try. Their profession was already over
crowded, and they thought themselves
falrly entitled to protection against the
VIII lesale importation of cheap foreign
actors, who are under no obligation to the
ChAbVN cAu %. auuei son, I0ey u3-
clarAd, had brought her whole company,
supers, stage mechanics and all, from Eng
land, because she could hire them cheaper
than Americans.
IMPORTED BALLET GIRLS
The Kiralfys bad for the same reason inn
ported all their ballet girls, actors and stage
people The same thing was true of the
burlesque show, "Monre Cristo, Jr.,n now
running In New York city. The committee
Furthermore complained that wardrobes,
stage properties and scenerS were all i'm.
ported CO trary to law without the pay
ment Of customs du les and TO the harm Of
Americans dealing in these things This
was done, the committee decl ired throush
ballet girls and Others falsely swearing that
the wardrobes and otner property were
their personal effects.