The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-05-30
TALK ON TRUST
BY MRS. FtSkE
Actress Tells of Her Dealings With
Theatrical Syndicate.
EXPLAINS WHAT 1T MEANS
SAYS HIGH TALENT is KEPT
BACK.

Mrs. Fiske delivered her address on
The Theatrical Trust and Its Effect
on Salt Lake City in Barratt hall last
night. Every word uttered by the first
American actress was heard with the
closest attention
Mrs. Fiske made no attempt at dra-
matte effect. Full of interest in her
subject and with a thoroughly cOmpre-
hensive knowledge of it, she talked for
an hour to her friends. She was intro
duced by Russell Lowry, president of
the Press club of salt Lake City, by
which organization the entire net re
ceipts from the lecture will be distTib-
Uted among the four orphan charities
of Salt Lake City
There can be no doubt but that the
cause Of the theatrical stars and man
ayers who are opposing the syndicate
was distinctly advanced by Mrs FIske' 5
address. She spoke. in part, as follows;
Although the Manhattan company IS
any one Of your theatres. ! am happy 10
say that the theatrical trust. Which eA-
! cludes 1t from your playhouseS, IS hot
sufficiently powerful to prevent us from
stopping in your city on cur way TO the
Pacific coast. Nor can II rob me OF TINS
privilege Of addressing you.
3 4
from the freedom which the constr
tuition of the United States is supposed
to grant to every citizen OF TINS repubhc
that we are not permitted to appear as
actors in salt Lake City But the thedt-
rical trust is at present paramount 10
the constitution. so far as we are con-
cerned. and SO far as several other play
To give you some idea of the working
/ of the trust. I must of necessity zeal
with personal matters. The Manhattan
I
I City to Salt Lake City. We are here
/ Every member Of the Manhattan Theatre
I company arrived here today We nave
! the most earnest desire to present to the
! theatre-goers Of Salt Lake CITY our pres
I ent play There is no reasonable doubt
/ that the theatre-gOeTS Of Salt Lake City
would offer to us as kindly and cordial q
/ greeting as We hope awaits US at san
/ Francisco.
There is no good reason to doubt that
/ the Manhattan company would succeed
1 in your city. both from an artistic stand
point and in that more material ana
| equally necessary manner: there Is no
| reason to suppose that the local man
| ayers of the theatres IN Salt Lake City
/ bear us the slightest personal gTUdEe-
| am sure they would be glad to open the
| doors Of their theatres to us in all cor
4 diality and courtesy if they dareC-bUi
/ they dare not
Since the creation Of the trust it is
/ impossible to discover that actors are
/ greater than they were or that PLAYS
are better than they were. or that tn,
/ theatre Is more prosperous than 1t was
Trust Exacts Big Fees.
/ Still. this great middleman. the trust
! has grown enormously stout and prosper
! GUS Thousands OF dollars are pouring
/ into the pockets Of the men who COMPOSE
/ the trust Of what use to the theatre
1 has the trust heen2 Is il not true that
| the theatre existed Drosperously without
! 1t for geneTatiOns2 The trust exaCts
4 large fees. for which there is no aCtUa
/ quid pro quo The trust risks nothing
| The scheme required no capital in tht
| beginning. The device was to seize upOT
( and manipulate the property OF others
/ In many cases the trust eXaCts fees from
! managers before permitting them Il
/ transact business at all. This fact has
| been denied repeatedly by its spokesman
/ The denial palcS before the disclosure
/ recently made by testimony In the suit OF
] David BelascO against the booking agents
| Of the trust. It was shown that Mr.
| BeIasco was compelled to surrender Il
| these persons no less than 30 per cent be
| fore he was permitted to present a GER
/ tain attraction in their theatre.
! These opportunities. Of course, near
| enormous and iIlegitimate gains aside
/ from the embargo on Independent bust
! ness they imply.