Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-03-24
DOCKSTADER ON STRIKES.

.
Movement He Joined-RecaIled by
the Recent Walk-out of the White
Rats-Made Spokesman to Tell
"ParsOn" Davies of Demands.
Nc move in the theatrical world for
many years past has attracted 10 much
| attention from the thousands who de-
pend upon the stage for a living as the
recent strike of the Vaudeville Actors
Union, known as the White Rats,
against a 5 per cent. commission to
booking agents, and the complete sue
cess of the move after several eastern
| vaudeville houses were tied up" sew
eral nights for lack of performers made
heroes of the ringleaders. Had they
failed they would doubtless have met
the common fate of unsuccessful revo-
l%utionists and been dubbed chumps
who deserved what they got. However
that may be. no topic has lately been
discussed with so much avidity in the
profession as the White Rats and the
possibilities lying in a strong combina-
ton Of performers.
Down in Baltimore last week Lew
Dockstader, the minstrel, was in a rem
iniscent mood on the subject of strikes.
! Primrose & Dockstader's minstrels were
playing at Ford's theatre and Lew
leaned against a wabbly chair in the
old-fashioned dressing-room and told
a dozen %loungers what a time he had
in the good old days.
Anytime that I'm in a strike said
Dockstader, Il want to be one of tie
mob out in the street yelling Down
with EN- and Come on, men, III let
someone else be the spokesman. I'm
not at all anxious to crowd up in front
and tell the boss what the troubles of
the strikers are. l did that once-just
once. 1t was my first and last strike
and | hope it will remain the same"
How long ago was that, Lew" ask
ed George Primrose.
Never you mind. 1t was many a
long year after you broke into the
business" said D~ockstader, between
whom and his partner there is a stand
ing fued on the question of years. OF
service behind the footlights. Il was
playing at a little dinkey hall in Chi
cago. went on Dockstader, over on
the west side. some place near Madison
and Canal streets, ! think. 'Parson'
Davies was the manager of the show
and the show was something fierce. It
was so bad that the performers stayed
out of the theatre until they got their
cues. so that they would not have TO
listen to the show. 1t was a female
minstrel show. and / was one Of the
ends-pretty bad. too. thank YOU. Be
sides the minstrel Davies had a string
of pugilists who used to put on three
or four bouts every night-oh. it was a
lovely show. The only trouble was that
salary day used to come around with
out bringing any doings with it. May
be the ghost stayed away so he
wouldn't have to see the show. Any
how. things got pretty fierce and the
performers held a meeting one after
noon and decided to strike.
All Join the Strike.
Everyone was in on it-pugilists.
female MINISTRIES and everyone else. but
it was little Louie who was elected to
carry the news TO the 'parson., |
don't know why they didn't pick out
one of those bruisers to go and spring
it on the boss, but | was all swelled
up over the honor of being spokesman.
Huh, | was the high man of that
show, that was a cinch, | SAYS to nv
self. We fixed it for telling him at
$3.50 that night. just when the house
was filing up. l was to go up. make
my best little bow. and say: No show
unless there is something doing, in the
way of the soft. and at once, with par
ticular emphasis OF the at once. I
was to stand for no promises. We had
enough Of these to fill a trunk already,
and hadn't been able to get a ham sand
/ wich on them. 1t was the coin OF
| nothing. and WI saw where we had the
parsons in Queer street right at the
jump
well. when half past Z came I got
my nerye together and went f. ten