The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-07-15
NEW COMBINATION TO
 MEET THEATRICAL TRUST
PROMINENT STARS JOIN HANDS
 FOR SELF-PROTECTION.

Announcement Made by Lee Schubert Company Controls Fourteen Theaters
 Including the Hyperion in This City David BeIascO, Minnie Maddern FIslSe,
 Sarah Bernbardt, Jefferson De Ange-
 lis, Lillian Russell, Blanche Bates,
 Mrs Leslie Carter and Number of Other Stars fin the Movement.
 New York, July 14.--Announcement of
 a new combination of actors in America
 against what is known as the theat-
 rical trust was made to-day by Lee Shu- bert of S. Shubert and L. Shubert. The
 leading companies in the new combina-
 tion are those headed by David Belasco and Mrs. Minnie Maddern- -Fislke. sil
 Lee Shubert will manage the line of
 theaters which will be placed at the
 disposal of Mir. Belasco, Mrs. Fiske and others. .z,a ! l The new combine will back fifteen
 companies on the road. and such actors
 as Sarah Bernhart, Ada Rehan. Jeffer-
 son DeAngelis Henry Miller. Lillian Russell, David Warfield, Blanche Bates, 1 Bertha Galland, Robert Hilliard.. Mrs,
 Fiske, Bertha Kalish. and Mrs, Leslie
 Carter. These actors, under the new
 mana agement, expect within another week to have a sufficient number of 1 theaters on their own circuit in Ameri-
 ca and England to play in the year around. Mir. Shubert announced to-day that lis company now has fourteen play houses under it's control, including theaters in New York, Philadelphia, l Chicago. St. Louis, New Haven, Conn.
 and London, England, and that he would within a week be able to open about half a dozen more theaters to his attractions. among them house in
 Boston. Besides these places, the new combination is counting on the support of independent houses all over the country. The administration, by the theatrical syndicate managers, of a contract
 which Lee Shubert says he made with
 them, agreeing to pay them 25 per cent.
 of the profits on all the syndicate's at fractions booked at his theaters was the
 cause of his break from the trust ranks. His friendliness toward David Belasco
 during the last two months, he said,
 was a further cause of trouble.
 Two years ago" said MT. Shubert,
 in explaining the origin of the dispute
 with the syndicate, we signed a con tract with the theatrical syndicate, Iwhich is headed by Messrs. Klaw & Err tlanger agreeing that the syndicate could
 book their attractions in our houses, for 25 per cent. of the profits, for period of five years. After we had signed this contract. letter was sent to us by the syndicate, asking us to amend the con ! tract by agreeing not to add any more | theaters to our own circuit"
 Mir. Shubert says that at this point
 he had only eight theaters in his owl, circuit, and did not feel strong enough | to make a fight against the syndicate. When I asked" MT. Shubert contin- ued, why this new amendment was re- quired. I was told that our company
 had violated its contract with the sym dicate, by refusing to accept some of
 their attractions, which they had book ed at our houses.
 They said that this was a violation of our contract, although that docu- ment contained the provision that the syndicate attractions were at all times subject to our order After this conver- sation the matter was allowed to rest,
 for a time.
 Meanwhile the Lyric theater conn pany was extending its own circuit and acquiring new attractions. When our company was building the Garrick theater in St. Louis, the syndf- cate told us that we would not be al- lowed to book our own attractions in
 our own houses if we pursued our pol- l icy. And, yet, at their convenience,
 they always filled their theaters with
 our attractions.
 "On my return from Europe last 1 June I was sent for by Mir. Erlaneer ] and had chat with him about patch- | ing up our difficulties. He told me that if did not book Belasco in any of our theaters I could have anything I want ed. And because I booked Belasco in
 one of our theaters (the Garrick in St.
 Louis), he said that the tours of the Royal Chef and of Fantana, already 1 booked, were off.
 Let me say that in the present move
 we are not attempting to fight the sym dicate, but merely in self-protection, trying to find a place for our own at- fractions"