The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-03-18
The Most Remarkable
I rust In Existence,

! IuSl III EAlSlCIlCCf
With the single exception Of the
} Standard Oil Company, there is n,
trust which so completely controls il.
field Of operation as the theatrica
trust-the Klaw & Granger syndicate
and everything considered this
theatrical octupus is the most remark
able organization Of the kind in exist
ence today.
Last week Sarah Bernhard. WHO
viii not knuckle TO the trust. PLAYED IN
Jacksonville and Tampa. In the for
mer place she appeared in the skat
ing rink and in the latter at the cast.
no, an adjunct Of the Tampa Bay
Hotel In neither place could either
this worlds greatest prima donna, OF
the people who wanted to see and
hear her, secure the regular opera
house for her appearance.
The same holds true in nearly
every place which she will visit. II
would hold true in Pensacola. and vet
neither in Pensacola nor in any of
these other places does the theatrical
trust own a dollars interest in the
opera houses themselves. And that
is where the remarkable feature of
This remarkable trust comes in.
Who would have supposed that two
New York theatrical managers. who
owned no interest in the play houses
scattered about the country. could
ever have brought the majority of
them under a control so complete that
the greatest actress in all the world
could not hire one Of those play houses
70 appear in without first making
terms with the two theatrical man.
ayers referred to?
Who would have thought that the
individual owners of an opera house
the Pensacola opera house for ex-
smple-wOuld ever have surrendered
the right Of individual liberty and
contract to such an extent that they
would allow two eastern theatrical
agents to dictate who they should
and who they should not rent their
property TO?
II Sarah Bernhard could be Undue
ID 10 come to Pensacola, neither she
sor the citizens Of the community
Sould hire the opera house for her
Swn use or their convenience. II is
not enough that the owners might
avant TO Jet her have the house. that
On opera house is a quasi public insti-
tuition. and that the citizens them
selves are the ones who make the
existence OF the opera house possfble
and profitable. Madame Bernhard
would not consent to give KIaw &
Erlanger a share Of the profits OF her
tour and the houses under their con-
troll are therefore closed to her.
We referred to this trust as remark
able. II is more than that-its power
is almost incredulous. If its moving
spirits owned the opera houses which
Il controls. there would be nothing
strange about il, but they do not own
them. Neither do they own the shows
which appear in them, and therein
hes another marvellous feature Of
their power, for they have the shows
IS well as the houses under perfect
control.
Every theatrical organization which
oomes to this part Of the country is
controlled by the Klaw & Granger
syndicate, although the latter does
not own dollars worth in one ont
u ten Of them. These shows must
appear in the houses which the syn
dicate dictates. must charge the price
u admission which the syndicate stip.
mates, and must pay over a portion of
heir profits 10 the syndicate's treas
Iry. A show that refuses to do this
cannot get a house to show in, and /
house that refuses to comply with its /
md OF the requirements cannot get a I
show TO play in it. And there you
IRE.
n there is a trust under the sun that
controls its field Of operation to /
greater extent than this, its existence
aRs not yet been recognized.