davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-12-09
Prshlbltlsa Pre.sI .sllsltlal..

Prohibition Press Bsllstla.
While the good people Of MiDnea-
polls we're crowded In big meetings
Sunday afternoon telling how to. save
the boys and girls, two lassies, one IA
and the other 1e,: we're lying drunk in
an alley near by. To close the s.
looms on Sunday, according to law
and the oath OF the mayor and every
policeman, might help some.
The Retail Liquor Dealers Associa.
ton have levied . private war tax on
tho wholesalers. They have started
movement to buy no liquors from
wholesalers unless it has q stamp pur.
chased from the National Retail Ii
quor Dealers Association. It 10 esti.
mated that this will bring to the Re.
tail Association an annual revenue of
600, 600 which will be used in fighting
legislation restricting the saloon.
~
Chicago is excited over the enforce.
ment of the midnight and Sunday clos.
ing laws. The recent carnival of crime
In the Windy City is the cause.
~
Germany is awakening to the dang
er of drink. There have been more
than 700 books on the subject pub
lished within the past ten years prob.
ably more than In the entire history
of the country.
~
The Prohibitionists are ARRANGING
legislative district conventions to be
held this winter. These conventions
have no legal standing, and are called
for the purpose OF unifying the effort
OF the "drys' in securing the petitions
required by law. There is tax in
some quarters, of testing the validity
of the law requiring q petition of 10
per cent of the total number of voters
as shown by the record of the last pre-
ceeding general election in the same
district. This, 1t is claimed, is q
hardship. In other states from 2 per
cent to 5 per cent Is the usual requis-
tie, and, usually, the signers are not
required to take oath, as is the case
in this state.
~
Y as, the crowd is allus jolly,
An it's pleasant in tn swim,
Seems such kinder foolish folly
Ter stan out with grit an vim
But it's awful cheap an dowdy
Not to hev no good backbone
That kin hold yer strait vile proudly
Yer kin stan, and stan alone
jest
tag.
Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-12-09
Reduced HAta8.

The Glarum Hotel has reduced its
rates for board, and hereafter the
folio wing prices will prevail: Table
board, by north, $12; with room, GA
The same excellent service will be
furnished patrons as under the former
rates. The management desires TO
call the attention If the public to the
good accommod atoms furnished at the
feed barn, which Is run in connection.
23.f
Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-12-09

A Sound Financial Proposition to
those having large or small sums for
inves'ment, or even : few dollars per
month Write for money making.
proposition. Address box q, Kan
diyohi, MINI. 70 s
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-22

pushing In toch others faces and chop
ping up each others shins with dull
ak, or a black-face comedian splitting in
his partners eye. These dainty and
delightful specimens of theatrical wit
get laughs and always will-not be-
cause they are clever or funny or
bright or artistic. but on account of
their absolute stupidity and lack OF
brain. This style of fun is horSe-play
pure and simple, and it is well named,
for it e1emplffies fun as made purely
by the anatomy or the animal part OF
ones personality, absolutely independ-
ent of the intellect. The difference be-
tween horse play and legitimate come
dy IS another case of Drawn vs.. BRAIN
But, as l said before. it is extreme
ly difficulty to draw the line. and some
times one comes very near casting out
good, legitimate effect by mistake,
believing 1T to be unfit when, as a mat
ter of fact it is genuinely worthy. A
case Of this kind, in my own expert.
ence, came up when we were putting
on The Idols Eye If you saw the
piece,you will recall that In the title role
was, among other things, an aeronaut,
and you will not have forgotten my
startling entrance in Act ii. The scene
was the interior Of an East Indian tenn
pie. At the close of the previous act
1 had made my escape in my balloon.
Suddenly there was an awful crash in
the lofty dome Of the temple, and. amid
a shower of broken glass, l was seen
to fall like a shot through the dome
and into the cellar of the temple with
the ragged remnants Of my collapsed
balloon hanging to me. The effect. of
course, was unique, and it appealed to
me; but argued that it was. when one
came down to facts, nothing but an
elaborate and massive case of horse
play, and T hesitated about using it.
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-22

and sung. First Of all, he writes mere
ly the story in dialogue. In doing this
he provides for all the entrances and
exits and the speeches that introduce
or accompany them, as.well as for the
lines that lead up to his important sit
uatfons. He coins his gags works up
his FUNNY scenes, and writes the
speeches that are to introduce or make
excuses for his lyrics. s, -
Then he comes to the f1nales of his
acts. And, oh, those finaIes! That's
where he will find himself sp1ashing
around and trying to feel bottom, If he
hasn't gotten into trouble before. When
1t comes to the finales, MIR. Librettist is
very apt to feel, If indeed he hasn't felt
so before, that conversation with the
man OF music might prove very inter-
eStlng. In this he is not disappointed.
The talk is sure to be interesting to
the point of excitement And after 1t is
over the writer of the book and lyrics
teeis sufer than ever that in the fin
tShes TO those acts he can see his own
nnaIe. sometimes these are not writ
ten until the music, book and lyrics for
a!tsthe rest of the piece have been COM
pleted. They are the most important
OF the single episodes of the work.
At Is probable that prior to this the
author has been motedfby occasional
inspirations and bursts of whatever
on, from time to time, diversified gem
for one of his characters to sing. But
now is the logical time to sit down and
Systematically begin the task of writ
ing the lyrics. AS L have said, the
speeches Introducing these have been
written, and the motive and motif of
each lyric has, therefore; been supplied.
Arrangement Of the Lyrics.
But the knack of5wfiting jingling,
clever verse is far from being the only
thing still required Of the toiling libret-
fist What is PERHAPS the most vital
technical point in the writing of a Ii
bretto IS the proper ordering Of the
lyrics, the arrangement by which one
secures proper and pleasing contrast
OF rythm, of style and of voice, and
thus makes each lyric most effective
when its turn comes. The working out
OF this arrangement may be likened to
the making up of a programme for
recital. Sometimes it is not perfected
until after the piece has been used be-
fore audiences for some little time. 1
have known lyrics that, afterward,
made sensational hits, to go for nothing
on the first few trials, just because
they were put in at place in the
piece at which the audience had not
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-22
Lobbyists May Be
Barred Capitol.

self because he is outside the pale and
will not benefit by contributions to the
general Golfer. Yet to offer him hard
cash would probably upset the entire
plan. Gradually the lobbyist approaches
the tender spot by suggesting that the
corporations stock is just going up in
jumps and that with the legislators
permission he will hold a block of it
for him to see how high 1T will soar.
A couple Of months later when the
independent" has voted as desired by
the corporation he receives from some
firm of brokers In New York or else
where notice that they hold to his
credit so much and asking what dis
position he desires to have made Of
the money He usually notifies them
to send him a check for the amount
and no one is aware of the fact that
he has been bribed, for everyone is at
liberty to take a flyer in stocks, as he
may be supposed to have done.
And yet, although hundreds of thou
sands Of dollars are disposed of yearly
by lobbyists here the majority Of the
men representing the country In con-
gress and senate are serupu1ously hon
est.
1t IS this fact that has probably
warmed the president up to his present
enthusiasm on the subject. He feels
that the entire country gets a bad
name through the misdeeds of a few
sealawags.
With the state legislators it Is diff
ferent
You hear men who come here after
graduating from the state assemblies
express establishment at the way in
which affairs are conducted. Some Of
them thought that a similar condition
Of things would be found prevailing at
Washington to what they had left be-
hind and that the $1,000 salary paid
them would be a mere bagatelIe to
what they would make on the outside.
The condition of things in some of
the Western assemblies is described as
simply disgraceful.
There has been so much scandal in
Illinois that Assemblyman Irvine re-
Gently introduced bill in the legisla-
ture making it unlawful for any lobby.
ist or any agent, or any representative
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-22

style of comedy tricks must bring
about the thing to be laughed at as a
result of brain or wit or thought.
These latter exploits require not
only thought on the part of the in
ventor, but apparent brains on the part
of the characters involved, and they
| thus evoke more hearty laughter than
the brainless rough and tumble fun
because they appeal to the auditors
intellect.
Another test that sometimes ap-
ply to trick to make sure before try
ing it that 1T is legitimately funny is
to get a clean picture of the business in
my mind and then ask myself, Now,
why do you laugh at that? If the
thing has point that is susceptible of
intelligent explanation, and if this
point is sufficiently clear so that 1t
needs no explanation, give it YER
dict as a legitimate joke. If I can't
conceive of a rational reason why the
thing will make a laugh, even though
l am sure the laugh will be there,
cast 1t out on the ground that it is
horse play.
For instance, I challenge anyone to
give a sane reason why he laughs when
he seees two vulgar Irish comedians
lambasting each other with a slap
stick, or q team of Dutch language
butchers and knock-about artists
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-22

Of any lobbyist to solicit the vote of
any member of the legislature for or
against any bill or measure before
either branch of the legislature or to
influence or to attempt to influence any
member of the legislature to vote for
or against any such bill or measure, a
penalty or fine and Imprisonment be-
ing provided for the offense.
The Legislators at Springfield have so
long been under corporation domination,
from what we can learn, that such Iegfs-
latIon Is entirely necessary. A ma jority
sufficient to carry or defeat any bill and
composed OF members OF both parties Is
said to receive regular remuneration from
the corporations to keep down any 1egis-
interests.
In most of the state capitols all big cor
poratfons having reason to fear antag-
Onistic. legislation from any source main
tain special representative whose bust
Ees5 1t Is to make himself closely ac-
quainted with what bills are being pre-
sented.
This precaution is necessary because the
legislators who are not on the inside anG
taking money from the corporations reg
uIarfy are constantly exerting their In
cause them expense and annoyance.
AT most Of the state capitals the liquor
men have a representative to look after
their interests. This man generally makes
himself agreeable in the way of little din
ners and social amenities OF character
which keeps him in close touch with the
men he wants when the danger signals
threaten his cause.
Some of the greatest lobbyists, both In
and out Of Washington are never seen
around the corridors of the capitol at all.
They have their headquarters at some
good hotel and utilize the services of lieu
tenants, who keep them posted on every
move that Is meditated in either house.
They are suave gentleman1y fellows who
have business in every bone Of their
bodies.
Some ascribe their success to a species
Of hypnotism but, If you want to know
the cause, 1t IS the thorough study they
have made Of men and all their weak
nesses and foibles.
Not long ago certain favor was want
ed from a certain senator by one of these
men. 1t was granted and few days
afterwards the senator's daughter, who
Is great equestrienne, was presented
with. one of the most superb mounts to
be seen today at the national capital.
There are so many subtle ways in
Which this kind of thing can be done that
1t certainly is not an easy manner to see
how protesting will stamp it out.
Very often motives might be miseon-
strued when certain bills are passed, for It
Is not always the glittGring shekel that
secures rare favors friendship often com
ing to the rescue where money would
fall to secure any results at ell
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-22

TO work upon his music; but long be-
fore they are written several other
very important things have to be done
by the librettist. First of all. the whole
complexion of the piece is Influenced
by whether it is to have for its leading
character comedian or a prima dom
ma If 1t is the former, the comedy ele
ment must predominate, and the writ
er may reveI with much more freedom
In the realm Of the ridiculous. Tf q
prlma donna Is to be the central fig
ure' the piece must be more romantic
and legitimate In its atmosphere.
With the particular comedian or
pr1ma donna for whom the niaoa =.
being written in his mind tba fitro+
'Ist' even before he knows what his
story is TO be like, will usually decide
upon what sort Of character he fs
going to give the star. Some nrin1s
oonnas appear to the best advantage
IN roles which require them to he more
~ coy and winsome, while others who
lind 1T judicious to use tights as on
adjunct to their part, must be given
sWash-buekling roles, in which +bav
are obliged to disguise in masculine
ATTIRE. as this is the only logical excuse
whereby a woman can assume the
deublet and hose. Or If the star Is a
comedian, the author has to consider
whether he is a man who will be best
fitted with a part that will permit of
unlimited clowning and 'slap-stick
business or one who can make fun
more legitimately by using his brain
as Well as merely his anatomy.
Pictorial Value Is Important.
'"The next point to cover is the locale
and period, and no matter what the
period may be, whether it is up to
the day after tomorrow like Miss
Simplicity or back to the days of
Robin Hood, the surroundings and cir
cumstances must be such that the mise
en- scene will be picturesque and UNIQUE
and colorful. Pictorial value is as i'm
portant an element Of musical piece
as the music itself, for there is an un-
written, but unbreakable, law that re-
quires offerings Of the musical stage to
appeal. not only to the ear, but to the
eye. In choosing the time and place
for his piece. the librettist gives at
tentlon to the beauty and Quaintness
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-22

of the costumes, the possibilities for
striking effects In d scenic way and
the opportunities that are apt to arise
for his leading character to do queer
and uproarious things after the accept
ed manner of comic opera outlandish-
ness. 'G.af
"AH this time the story has. of
course, been assuming shape, but it Is
not yet time to begin to write. First.
the acts and scenes must be arranged
and they must be arranged so as to
be effective. To let the company an
pear in several changes of costumes,
the author must let the players appear
in different places, and a change of
scene or two always adds to the value
and attractiveness Of the production.
with the building up Of the story
the characters come Of themselves into
the authors view. These must be
catal0gued, and he must select which
are to be depended upon for the fun
and which for the vocal effects. Not
much is usually required of comedian
in the singing line, you know. In every
musical piece, whether the star be a
comedian or q prima donna, it is al
ways necessary to have more or less
of an attempt at love story, as love
and its attributes, in addition to hav-
ing been through all the ages the key
to the heart and the pocketbook of the
uSdL serve IIl0~ puZZ1nR IIDret-
fist in an even more practical way
by providing the numerous excuses and
motives for the carrying on Of his COM
plicatfons and action. And besides
what a heartless piece it would be if
there weren't at least two OF three
dainty lyrics of love to be sung dur
ing it's progress. And so in every COM
&c musical piece you will find a love
story.
Eraya1nn nf +ha I iarA4%o
at isn't until he has this love story
and the things that are to keep the
course of 1t from running smooth clear
ly in his mind, and until he has ar
ranged the relationships of his char
acters that the librettist begins to
libret.' He may have written countless
notes. memoranda and stray lines be-
fore. Now he can really begin to write
the piece as he wants it to be spoken
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-22
How a Comic Opera "a
Is Put Together.

"There are some fine scientific points
involved in the building of musical
show, and wish one-half of the people
write a comic opera realized this fact"
The speaker was Frank Daniels,
whose long experience in the front
rank Of contemporary comic opera
comedians gives him the right to speak
as one having authority.
"a wave of the writing habit seems
to have gone over this country during
the last year or two" continued Mr..
Daniels, land at almost every place
that I appear in Miss Simplicity I
find two or three aspiring young au-
thors who waylay me with strenuous
urgencies to read libretto. Realizing
that not much is required in libretto
In the way Of a story, these ambitious
young people seem to think that all
that is necessary is clever dialogue and
witty lyrics. AS a matter Of fact, it is
much more difficult to turn out salts
factory lines and songs than it Is to
provide good story or plot; but
even Hbretto that combines all three
of these elements in acceptable shape
is almost sure to be impossible owing
to the authors lack of knowledge of the
intricate and difficult subject of con-,
struction.
Few people have any notion of the
thousand and one. crafty little tricks
that are employed by the experienced
writer of librettos and composer of
music before their joint work is ready
to turn over to a manager for produc-
ton. If, by pointing out a few of the
mysteries of construction to inexperi-
enced authors of musical pieces. can
secure some release from attempting
to read the absurd things that are
handed to me everywhere I go, shall
be very glad to have spoken.
The book and lyrics are usually
completed before the composer starts
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-22

The very first night we played 1T be-
fore an audience 1 discovered that l
had been entirely wrong in my reason
ing. | had overlooked the real situ-
alton, which was, not the fall from the
balloon, but my demure and uncon-
cerned entrance from the cellar, a mo-
ment after the fall, as happy as ever
and none the worse for wear. There
never was a laugh on the fall but the
moment the audience saw me bob up
serenely there was a roar.
The same principle saves my en-
trance in Miss Simplicity from being
cheap: In this case / am catapulted
clean across the landscape from the
explosion of an automobile; but the
point of the effect Is not made until I
appear without a blemish, blow cloud
of roadside dust out of my mouth and
say, Holy smoke! I'm full of gaso-
Incl
Some one has said that~the differ
ence between high comedy and low
comedy is that in the former the audi
ence laughs with the comedian. and In
the latter they laugh at him. OF course
all comic opera fun comes under the
head Of low comedy; but 1 want to
insist on my belief that If low comedy
is to be deservedly classed as art, the
comedian must not only make his audi
ences laugh at him, but he must create
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-22

the laughter in such way that the
audience is laughing with him, too. In
other words, for an audience to re-
spect a low comedian 1t is essential
not only that he should appeal to the
brains across the footlights, but that
he should demonstrate that he has
brains himself.
There is a survival of the fittest'
in the theatrical business as we'll as
in other walks of life: and, while 1
say nothing about the theory of evolu-
ton, 1 must admit the fitness of things
that relegates comedians who can only
make monkeys of themselves to the
lowest ranks Of the craft"
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-22

tackling representatives and Offering
them stock or other considerations to
vote against the bill.
When the time arrives for action
to be taken consultations have been
held in a dozen or more of the leading
railroad offices and the counsel of one
Or more Of these roads, qualified to act
for all, in common cause, finds his
way to Washington.
He does not make a conspicuous fig
ure of himself around the capitol, but
qufetly proceeds to secure an interview
with the leader Of the delegation in
the senate. To this individual he ex-
plains that the bill has been introduced
solely in the interests Of the manu-
facturer Of the article and that its pas
page would be an uncalled for imposi-
ton on the railroads.
Having made his argument as strong
Es possible he intimates that in return
for the favor of having the committee
fail to report the obnoxious bill he is
empowered to make q handsome con-
trtbution to the national campaign
fund.
He generally goes away with the as
Surance that his interests will be taken
care of, for the sinews of war. fur
nished more or less by such methods
rs this, means another tenure Of Office
to the party in power.
Here is where the power of the Or
ganization comes in. Especially so
with the Republican party, which is SO
well disciplined that individual men,
bers have less and less to say about
how they shall act upon questions of
prominence.
One taste of Washington makes a
man anxious for a second term. He
may cut very small figure at present,
but he hopes to arrive at the high
notch some day. His whole future lies
in the hands Of his party and should
he fail to vote as requested on a certain
question he would probably be out OF
the running for another nomination.
There are q few who succeed in
maintaining their independence and
their seats, and 1t is true that in a
close count these are very much need
ed. The lobbyist usually has a difficult
task to handle such cases. He knows
that his name is not to be caught by
the same offer which stalked the or
EaniZation. He wants the funds him