The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-12-23
DOWN WITH THE
THEATRICAL TRUST


tyranny that is being praeticed by the the
atrical trust. The trust is not in harmony
with the idea of freedom as understood by
the American people. It is an enemy to
everything the people admire. 1t is the
friend of selfishness. 1t was created by
seheming men. The theatrical trust will,
If it can. destroy art best portrayed
upon the stage. It will place thetalent Of
every artist in the hands of a few money
changers. 1t proposes to control every
theater in the United States and every
travelling company. 1t proposes to foist
upon the people octapus more gigantic
than any of it's kind. 1t would build tenn
pies for the display of art, and lower the
standard of art. 1t proposes to corrupt
and change art. 1t has no respect for
those who have devoted the best part of
their lives to the encouragement of all that
is artistic upon the stage. 1t proposes by
combination to decrease the earning power
of legitimate artists. The theatrical oc-
topus proposes to rule with an iron hand.
Those who oppose the octopus, its manag-
ers think, ought to be sandbagged and way
laid Every newspaper whose editor ex
presses an opinion against the trust is to
have no source of revenue from the trust.
All dClOI WIN uditS " SAplSoo Oil hOiSSS
opinion in opposition to the monopoly is
blacklisted. 1t proposes to say who shall
act and who shall not act. 1t proposes to
place its market value upon every actor
and actress in the United States. It pro-
poses to control all theaters in every city,
wipe out all opposition and increase prices.
While 1t lessons the salary of actor it
raises the prices of admission at the box
office.
The theatrical trust should be beaten. 1t
will be beaten. The indignation of the
people has risen against it. 1t can be
beaten very easily. The thing for the
people to do is to decline to attend per-
formances in any theater if it is controlled
in any way by the trust. If it is travel
ing company under the direction of the
trust, the people should remain away from
the theater. Another thing the theatrical
trust is doing and that is one of its means
of existence. 1t sends out plays that have
achieved regulations in New York and
other large cities with inferior actors. Ac-
tors it can procure at the trusts cheapest
salary. The trust has reduced the salary
of actors almost so per cent. The trust
is not dealing fairly with the people. 1t
places companies Oh lHe TOdu lAdt nave
never appeared in New York Mt all. The
trusts asks that the newspapers shall lie
for it, and print that the original New
York cast constitutes the travelling COM
pany. In ninety-nine cases out of one
hundred, this is a lie
person claiming to live in Birmingham
and signing himself New York Dramatic
Nawenana Corrasnondont in Rirminp-
ham," has sent letter to The Age-Her-
aid in which this person, toe coward y to
give his name, defends the trust in a some
what lengthy, but badly constructed COM
munication. AS there is but one first-cass
dramatic paper in the United States, and
that is the New York Dramatic Mirror,
which is the leading journalistic antagonist
to the trust, it is needless to say that the
person referred to is hardly the authorized
correspondent of the Mirror in this city.
If he is he would not dare write such let
ter to that paper defending the trust as
he has written to The Agc-Herald. In
the first place the New York paper would
not print it, and if he did write it, he would
be deposed as correspondent, and therefore
would not be allowed free entrance to the
theater in Birmingham. This alleged
Correspondent to the New York Dramatic
| Papers" makes statement that the trust
has reduced the price of admission in it's
| houses from $1.5O to 81. This is not true
In every house the trust controls in the
| city of New York. such as the Knicker-
| booker, the Garrick, the Empire, the price
, of admission still remains at $l.5O. In the
| city of Philadelphia at the Broad street
! theater, the Chestnut street theater and
ba hOusa all
trolled by the syndicate, the price of ad-
mission remains at $780, The three the
aters in Washington controlled by the syn
dictate, the La Fayette, the National and
! the Columbia still retain the price of SIS
| The Columbia, McVicer's and Hooeys in
| Chicago, the price is still $780,
The correspondent claims that Klaw and
| Erlanger. two of those comprising the
| trust, have an expense account in one
| year of million dollars. In the first place,
they have not an expense account of half
| that amount and if they did have an ex-
pense account of one million dollars year,
| it is safe to say that Klaw and Erlanger
are not losing money on it. They have a
| large expense account because 1t pays them
to have. Any person who will write a let
|
hood or womanhood to sign his or her
| name is entitled to little respect from
| the public. Anonymous letters are gen
orally made up of falsehoods. If persons
want to defend the trust. let them do so
! over their own names.
|
| If the signs of the times count for any
| thing, the theatrical trust is doomed to
| dissolution. Hundreds of actors have been
| forced to yield to it's mandates, because
| they wanted to earn living. Others more
| fortunate have had the courage to speak
| their sentiments. Francis Wilson has said
the trust was made up of robbers. Richard
| Mansfield has said that the prime object
| of the trust was robbery. Mrs Minnie
| Madden Fiske, wife of the editor of the
New York Dramatic Mirror. substantiates
the statements of Mr.. Wilson and Mr..
| Mansfield Hundreds of other actors feel
| identically the same There is not an
| actor who has any manhood, and is not in
| the grasp of the octapus who has hesitated
| dapounoa ite m a n uoraa tba n