The Washington herald., 1908-01-21


night over the excellence Of the play.
The Man OF the Hour" by George
broadhurst, and the excellence of the
playing by a strong company headed by
AR orrin Johnson and Miss Frances
hlhg. President Roosevelt occupied one
OF the stage boxes. and as the play deals
ehurely with politics-practical politics
'Wl1ch means. usually, crooked politics-it
was unusually interesting To watch the
PRESIDENTS Endorsement. by laughter and
applause, Of certain passages in the play
which hold the political mirror up TO ma
ture and which show the inside workings
or the game Of government by the bosses
the game which Mr.. Roosevelt knows
so well in all it's various phases
The story of the play IS one that ap-
peals vitality and strongly TO the Amer
lean people 1t deals WITH a subject
which, of recent years, has been increas-
ingly interesting 10 the voter it gives a
practical demonstratiCu-hardly exagger-
ated-of the methods that are used some
times in the great game of graft; and
it shows how the boss" Of "a municipal
lty, working according TO his lights, and
justifying his crooked conduct to him
self by specious reasoning, works relent-
lessly and remorselessly toward his end
money making!
The scene of 1.-THE Man Of the Hour
is laid in any large city-many munich
palities have been guessed at as the To-
Gale. There have been two rival bosses,
and, typlcally enough, both are Irish
men-HorTigan and Phelan. They are
bitter enemies. The party represented by
Honigan has been in power for some
time; the judiciary Is corrupted. fran
chises are faTmed out-in short the boss
owns things. They are on the eve Of a
campaign, and the people are about
aroused, so that it is necessary to get
a clean man, and one absolutely above
suspicion. TO run for mayor. There is "a
young man. Alwyn Bennett. "a rich man 5
son, who has never done anything. He
has fallen in love with Dallas Vain
wright the niece of the man who owns
one street railway, has secretly bought
the other, and is seeking to secure a
perpetual franchise for both companies.
Dallas urges Bennett to do something, be
something, and when Horrigan and
misunderstanding for this perpetual
franchises, which Is 10 mean millions TO
them-offer the nomination to Bennett he
accepts. warning Horrigan. however. that
he, II elected, viii be the peoples mayor,
not the machines,
He is elected, and the bill for the fran
chise is passed by the board Of aldermen
brfr bnF.v.r RT,r-r- 11or,1r-
PheIan comes in and shows the crooked
ness OF it, He is not perhaps, actuated
by fine motives, but his work IS none the
less effective and righteous, and Bennett
vetoes the bill, Then Horrgan tries to
have II passed over his head. There are
bribery and threats and still, although
Mayor Bennett finds that his sweethearrs
fortune is in the balance. that HE father.
honor is there, too-nay, his own good
name threatened, he sticks TO the right
and fights the bosses and the machine
single handed and to the finish and wins
out in the end The bill is Withdrawn
Wainwright sees prison staring him i'm the
face, and Bennett wins the girl he loves
There are some side issues. as, for in
stance the issue of Wainwright having
ruined the Garrison family, and his undo
ing Is in part due 10 the fact that young
Garrison. under an assumed name Sc
cures a position as his private secretary
t and secures evidence against him. There
is another love affair. an interesting one
between Cynthia Garrison and Perry
Wainwright and there is the episode OF
The rogue. Scott Gibbs. a weakllng crook
TOO spineless TO have the courage of hii
dishonesty.
All these characters are brought into
the story as it is told in this play I'm a
thoroughly consistent and logical way
and the effect of it all is a story that Is
intensely human interesting from begin
ming TO end and rejecting powerfully
one phase Of American life of which most
of Us are heartily ashamed. but which
most of us recognize still exists, and
which many OF us would stamp out IL
we could, not only because dishonesty
is always bad in itself. but for the good
the honor Of our country.
The play is full Of fine situations and
clever dialogue-illuminating and instruC
tive dialogue Here is a passage between
the mayor and the man who would boss
him.
Mayor Bennett-'I think this bill Is crooked !
PERMITS the5n 70 use any motive power they please.
The little Joker In paragraph allows them 20 hu
a subway II they desire 10. Under paragraph the
can do an express business; they coIid also bIild
conduit and Use u for telephone telegraph wires
iu fact it gives the streets above and below % th
company. not for ten years. not for fifty years bu
forever This franchise delivers 70 the borough CON
Tauv. bound hand and foot, not only us, bat ou
children and their ClildTsns children Until ths da
Of Judgment and I tell sou that the time f0g sICi
things has gone by never 20 return.
Huuilau-.S So we've elected a Tesomer, eh
kemett-'I was placed In my position 90 rrOj0c
and defend the rights and property OF our constit
Ueuts and 7 intend to do it,
And. as the actor on the stage said "AnC
I intend 10 do IT, with considerable en-
phasis, President Roosevelt nodded hi.
head vigorously. as if 10 say Good fol
you and appauded as enthusiastically
as If Il were all real.
The character OF Horrigan. excellentIy
weH played by Robert A. Fischer. is on,
that has a large appeal. because Of IL,
truthfulness. Tn way the man IS hon
est-at least with himseif-and his mind is
SO politically WaTped-llke the1minds Of 81
many who call civil service reform -'hum
bug that he really believes that the peo-
pie, the voters are there Only TO bt
used for the benefit Of the people who
control them. Here are some Of hiI
choice aphOTisms:
Hor-iwH-"I don't trust nobody-vith me it's M
word and the other fellows; J keep mine and
zee that De keeps his
The people vote blt we count
when she troubles an Blown over. then vou1
frd people won't ask how you got your money,
I but have you got b.
when a mar in The organization starts a frh
with me- there is no turning hack. I never com
promise with hm-I crush him Do
"A man should not play the game II he can't uIa
for The chips.
Il like 60 keep these judges on the anxious seat
bt. 20 teaches them their place
Phelan. ON the other hand. though he 4
opposed 10 Horrigan, makes no pretens
of being any better than Horrisan. 1t &