The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1914-03-16
ATTACK JUDICIARY
IN STRONG PLAY
"THE LAST RESORT" AT LONG.
ACRE THEATRE, NEW YORK,
IS VICIOUS IN DESIGN.
Beau Rialto Reviews the Plays Now
Attracting Attention On and
on Broadway.
By Beau RlaItO.

NEW YORK, Mar 16.-"The Last
Resort" at the Longacre theatre is not
that at all. 1t is a regular melodrama
of the ten-twent pattern and grips the
feelings, risibilities and emotions even
If 1t totally lacks the logic that appeals
to the brain. And better still, it is a
clean play, even if George Scarbor-
ough, iurid chronicler Of white slavery
did write it. Scarborough, who wrote
THE Lure" and "At Bay" both of
which aroused storms of comment and
were short-lived, in New York because
of their salacious features, surprised
his folleders with "The Last Resort"
in which the red light" has no part.
The play is one of the most vicious
and violent on the judiciary yet seen
on Broadway In spots it is so pal
pably over-drawn and far-fatched that
perhaps it defeats its object by failing
to impress the audience with its vital
lesson. But in the main, the story of
hC 1Iaol ieSooiI is True W lie. IL
shows up the very things in our iudic-
ial system that are making men agitate
reforms. The things this play depicts
are the things that caused voters to
demand the initiative and the refer
endum and caused Col Roosevelt to
advocate the recall of judges decisions
Is a Strong Play.
"The Last Resort is strong play,
with an undertone of hard common
sense and if the author had not made it
SO STACEY and famboyant, he might
have accomplished great good. The
heroine is pretty newspaper girl who
loves the hero and is always on the
lookout for good story for her paper |
The hero is young lawyer, filled with !
zeal for the rule of the people. He has
made SO much money that he does not !
need any more and he starts out to |
clean up the government, starting in
with the judiciary. The villain is
former United States senator, now a
corporation lawyer, who holds the
states appellate court in the hollow of
his hand by controlling two Of the
members. There are only three judges
and until the last act it is believed that
the third judge, the chief justice who
is an honest man, can do anything.
Well then, the young lawyer, prese-
cutting the damage suit of an Irish
against the corporation
lawyers railroad, calls the trial judge
4 crook. He is sent to Jail for con-
.empt. The case is appealed. The two
corrupt appellate judges and the ex-
senator ''frame-up' the reformer and
ire ready to railroad him when the
girl bursts from the tele-
,hone booth, breaking the glass and
ellis them she has the place honey
ombed with dictagraphs-a machine
invented on purpose for melodrama-l
nd knows ALL"
Girl Has Hard Time.
The corrupt judges arrange to try '
he girl for burglary and she gets five q
ears. The roformer is sent up for an :,
ldefnite term. While he Is in Jail, the b
peepul"elect him governor. They al
} re-elect the chief justice, who gives
lie girl stay Of execution, releases tc
lie hero on habeas corpus writ and IL
sues warrants for the two crooked M
dges and the ex-senator. Then, all fiji
the same breath the chief justice or
aries the hero and the pretty report 50
and Immediately the new governor lii
lrdons his wife and himself Of to
urse, the law by which all this is ill
ne is a bit hazy, but what matter? tn
s melodrama and. thrilling. Just an ge
ter-thought: Someday some revolu- in,
mary play-carpenter will make his oil
70 out of a corporation lawyer. lie
len won't the critics how'll
Collier Took the Tip.
William Collier, of the defunct r
hos Who" and "a Little Water on
: Side" experiments, went into a
oadway lunchcounter place the other
y, when in hurry and ordered fried
gs.
I want the same-but mind they are
,sh," said a man sitting next to the
nedian. Fried eggs-two to come
/ make one fresh" bawled the waiter
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