The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-04-10
opera is growing in favor-that is, the
right kind of opera.

opera is growing in favor-that is, the
right kind ofopera.
OUR bMAYoRALTY CONTEST.
One OF the lively features of Qua political
campaign this year will be the fight made
4 In this city over the mayoralty. The gen.
eral impression has been all along that
Tammany would be able to elect its next
mayor by reason Of the momentum which
would be impaired by the Presidential con-
test A good many shrewd politicians
think that the best time to have fight over
the mayoralty, is when partisans are alb
sorbed III the Presidency. In 1884 Mr..
William r. Grace succeeded in electing
himself mayor, apparently without any
! body knowing it. We were all full of the
blind fury of the Presidential contest, and
NOBODY seemed TO pay attention to what
was going on in the strata below. Two
days after the Presidential election, and
while we were all trying to find out which
way New York had gone, we were aroused
TO the fact That Mr.. William r. Grace
New York. l have an idea that
Mr.. Grace and his followers, who
are exceedingly hostile to Tammany hall,
| Will attempt to repeat the 1884 campaign
next November. II is hardly POSSIBLE that
! Mr. Grace will make the race himself, but
II he puts up a candidate who can COM
mand fair share of Republican support,
he may elect him. Mr.. Grace is splendid
organizer and man of tireless energy.
From appearances Tammany hall will be
forced to renomlnate Mr.. Grant. As l said
| some time ago, | have every reason to be-
lleve that Grant is anxious to leave the
mayors Office, but there is nobody in the
Tammany organization who can command
| to- day a larger vote than he, and the prop
/ hnt wi VIC
denomination. If the anti-Tammany peo-
pie can unite on popular candidate they
can beat Grant, but with three candidates
in the field, he would certainly be re.
elected.
LoTTA AND THE POOR PLAYER.
Robert Dunlap, the halter, told me yes
terday story about Lolita Crabtree, the
actress, which has never been seen in
print Some years ago when e. L. Daven-
port and James w. Wallack were playing
the legitimate through the country they
made an appeal to the intellectually of
Chicago In the famous CROSBY Opera
mouse. They had as opposition Little
Lotta at that time a genuine song and
dance variety actress. 1t was about the
period that she introduced the banjo 10 the
American stage outside of burnt corkism.
| McVicker's theatre was packed every mig hit
| by people who went wild over Lotta's child
lsh tricks end banjo playing while Daven-
port and Wallack presented themselves to
empty seats. On Saturday night MIR.
! Davenport being called before the
curlain-he was always famous for
his after-play speeches-indulged in
some rather. questionable criticism of
| Chicago's taste. He referred to the fact
that the legitimate had not been appreci-
ated by Chicago, and suggested that when
he next visited the town he would have Mr..
Wallack do song and dance, while he
would, in the meantime learn to play the
banjo. This being published in the news
papers, somewhat -nettled Lotta. A few
days afterwards one of the regulation auto
graph fends called at Totals hotel and
asked for her autograph. When she passed
over her album Lotia opened it and the
first thing that greeted her eye was: sc.
L. Davenport, poor player" 1t was Mr..
! Davenport's custom to modestly write him
self down thus in everybody's album. Pick
ing up her pen Lolita wrote below Daven-
! ports signature thus: "Charlotte Crab
tree good banjo player" When Daven-
port afterward heard of this he enjoyed it
very much and remarked that ii Lolita
would forgive him he would call the affair
even.
THE GREAT FAIR.
Everybody is looking forward to the
great Actors Fund fair. which Is to be held
IN the Madison Square garden during the
| first week of May. The purpose of the fair
is to raise $780, coo wherewith to endow an
orphanage for the children Of the STAGE
| as they are called. The effort In which
some of the best people in the city are en-
gagged, calls fresh attention TO the fact that
no people are so near to the hearts of the
masses as those of the dramatic profession.
IDe great and overwhelming charity of
that splendid BODY of public entertainers
seems to appeal to the warm side of every
nature. No calamity that comes, whether
1t be national or local, ever appeals in vain
| to the people Of the theatres. Improvident
] themselves, they are always ready to ex-
! tend the hand of charity to those who are
in need And now that they ask something
for themselves they meet with mag
nlhcent response from the public. Mrs
Augusta E. Kidder, who is one of the
/ active promoters of the enterprise in
! formed me this week that subscriptions
amount ting to more than $50, 900 had already
been received, and the indications now are
that before the doors of Madison SQUARE
! Garden are opened there will be $50, 900 in
the treasury. The fair is to be conducted
on scale broader and more magnificent
than anything that has been known IN
| this country. Out of town people who
may have occasion to visit New York this
spring will find the first week IN Nav
most delightful period. The weather is
always splendid here at that time of the
year, and the town is full of life and spirit.
The exodus to the country resorts has not
then begun. and taken in connection with
the great fair, which in itself will be
small worlds exposition, no better season
| could be chosen for visit to US.
PAT RooNEY's 5000.
Not one of the newspaper obituaries of
Pat Rooney, the Irish grotesque actor
whose brogue was the thickest ever heard
in this country, seems to have brought out
| the interesting fact that on his appearance
in New York his salary was in three weeks
increased from $40 a week 10 $500. If there
Is any parallel case in stage annals | have
yet 10 hear of it. Manager John F. Poole
q veteran now living in retirement with
his books ard his recoHections, had the
| Olympic theatre then, on Broadway, near
Spring street. He saw Rooney's drawing
powers and predicted his popularity
Engaging this 'lannel-mouth'' Irish
man, who was born in England by the
way, at $40 he advanced him rapidly in sal
airy, but not SO rapidly as to prevent rival
managers from bidding the young man up
to $500. Rooney took his prosperity in
good part but he drank up great deal of
his money. He was seen more than once
at l o'clock in. the morning asleep dead
drunk' in a literal Broadway gutter in
those days. He was an illiterate fellow. I
recall one good story that used to be told
of him. Remarking one day to a friend
that he proposed to visit Australia profess
sionally, he was demonstrated with upon
the ground that there was nothing out there
but kangaroos. What Go l care REPLIED
Pat, their money is just as good at anv-
| body's."