Las Vegas optic., 1914-11-03

pi fure has been allie To develop tnn,e
portions of it that the stage could
.orly suggest-the scenes in the home
town, the senator's cotton fields, the
Mississippi steamboat, etc. The COW
eling Of anecdote, repartee and, what
is more important, argument, that
went with action in the spoken play,
is missing in the picture. Yet the
story told is clear enough and most
of it is every Bit as clear and as
effective as in the stage play, and the
story here is the thing,
The acting is worthy. There is no
thing lacking in the work Of those
who portray the nine chief roles, al
Though there is an especial flavor to
Tom Wise's dear old senator Nearly
all the lesser roles are also we'll ta-
en-. The back grounds are southern
scenes, actual and convincing; scenes
in Washington, that Of course are ac-
tual; and interiors. ALI amply ex-
plain and interpret the story and all
are excellently photographed A real
Old southern mansion was chosen to
be the Langdon homo. A real cotton
field is the back ground chosen to
show how he looks after his negro
help. Some southern village serves
as background for the political par
a6e when Langdon is nominated as
senator in Mississippi that means
elected. When the parade reaches the
house of the senator there is a touch
of way-back southern humor in the
persuasion of Langdon to take the
nomination community points its
revolver-fifty of 'em-at him and he
accepts with hands up
There had been some talk in the
home town of a new navy yard the
government was going to buy. Lang
don wouldn't speculate in swamp lands
to sell to Uncle Sam at a big advance,
a thing the congressman from that
district was anxious for him to do.
This congressman is the story's viii
lein. He has persuaded Langdon's
son and eldest daughter to put all they
can get into these lands; but Langdon
doesn't know it, Just before going to
Washington, Langdon sends his son
nerth to get money to move his big
cotton crop The congressman meets
the boy in Washington and gets him
drunk, then gets him to invest the
money in the lands and, since he has
his fathers power of attorney, even
to mortgage his fathers property for
the same purpose. The object is-the
picture doesn't make the point quite
so clear as the play does Ito force the
senator to vote for the new navy yard
and SO help the scheme and the schem-
ers.
II washington the senator comes
into contact with two FACTIONS. On
one side is an honest newspaper man
who becomes his secretary; the other
is led by two grating senator's and the
congressman and with them is q elev-
er society woman. His older daugh.
ter and his son side with these, while
his younger daughter sides with him
ard the secretary. The senator falls
before the charms Of the society wom-
an and just escapes being trapped by
her. The action in the last two acts
is very pleasing and cleverly contriv-
ed The climax is the senator's
''plan" to turn the tables on the
schemers when it has been reported
and truly, for the son had bought
the swamps in the fathers name
that the old man is the chief owner
Of the property. It is a good scheme
and it astonishes his enemies when
he throws it at them, like a bombshell
on the floor of the senate chamber