New-York tribune., 1905-06-04
Much Ingenuity

II is the stvle lust now to expose graft; in
fact one hardly understands how the lucent
magazines could exist IL it were not for the
"grafters" The Tribune, probably, could still
get out seven issues a week II there was no
graft" at ALL but at the same time, 1t is Wiling
to do its share toward exposing" various forms
Of getting something for nothing. The dramatic
department Of The Tribune feeling that eyensln
;+s field there might be found ONE graft to
exnose and that without the aid of Samuel I'm
ternver either cast about recently. and has un-
earthed a tale of graft" which will surprise
many who read and will have the further enect
of exciting public sympathy for the poor press
agent Possibly the press agent needs no piea'
b,,t If he did this tale would go a long way
toward affording him one.
The graft" referred to is that of free tickets.
or masses to the theatres 1t Is part of the press
agents lob to issue passes; and this story Will
chow how great a part. The story could not be
told in its full and startling details were It not
for +he Press Agents Association, which was
formed last January, and which has since py
co-operative investigation, compiled plachls'
of 147 names All these men (and women) on lhe
blacklist are persons who in the past nave Sc
! cured passes under false pretences and VINO are
now, debarred from free seats in any of the
broadway theatres. What the press agents can
the Colonel Marshall Lee episode caused the
birth of the association. a man giving the name
o4 Colonel Marshall Lee asked for seats of sew
oral nress agents, stating that he was the corre-
( snon6ent of Washington paper. Channlng FOL
I lock of the Lyric Theatre, became suspicious
q and telegraphed to the paper in washington ne
learned that no such man was connected win
/ the paper and he warned the other press
/ o,,on+e II was decided that CO. operation would
ston many such impostors from securing seats
/ co the association was formed, with Mr. Pollock
/ - t+s head and including Mason Peters of Mr..
e,a,-aee,s office: c. E. Cook, for Mr.. Belasco, ana
j g. o+har nress agents for the Broadway
theatres ,..
of course, there is a certain amount OF ieslti-
,,o+e favor in theatre tickets. All managers
giya seats willingly to newspapers ana periodi-
81, ;n qood standing 10 hotel clerks who ald
/ than, NV recommending shows 70 railway IN
! formation clerks and to the PROFESSION ou'
.to .,-af f., has in the past extended far beyond
tbese limits For instance, three theatres IN
! chic civ. under the same management, used TO
( ,. o,,t 15n 7,airs of seats week not Including
+,,a nawspaper passes to regular dramatic edi-
/ ,ors This meant 5000 week given away IN
! oo,6 cash. How many of these passes, found
Their way into cigar stores and were soid can
! not be estimated, but probably large poitio4A
of them It was stop this dram that the
association was formed
1,xsn,nles of discoveries of graft made by
the association plenty. Here is an arluslils
one. For a long time a man giving name
.lrov,,, to gtage annals, and writing on the sta
tionerv of newspaper. wrote to various thea
tres for seats. saying he was the son OF a wei
known actor and connected with that news
paper He got dozens Of seats this way F1nailN
investigation was made, and il turned out tina
he conducted a pie counter on. the top moor D
the newspaper. building He is, now on th'
blacklist near the top! Another instance! vas
furnished by a person who represented himsei
as a New-York correspondent OF Two paper
outside of New-york, with an once III down
town building. This person usea 70 get from d.
the theatres together, as manys as sixty seat
ueek At cigar store rates this amust hay
matted an income of about $50 week. Call
were made at the Office IN the building by tn
press agents, but nobody was ever there Du