The Columbus commercial., 1916-05-04
COPING TIE com"

II the stories that press agents are telling Us be
true moving picture artists and the makers Of cartoons
are pulling down more money than many men who have
achieved fame a. statesmen captains Of industry sew
eral Of them according to the newspapers earning or
rather reevng larger salaries than that paid the Pres
ident Of the United States.
We have already heard that Mary Pickford and
Charie Chaplin two film favortes, receive more than
500 900 year each for their work, il being said that
Mary gets 100000 per annum from the moving picture
concern by which she is employed and $4,000 more
for the articles which appear in the daily newspapers
over her signature and which, by the way are doubtless
written by her press agent, while Charlie also gets
flat salary of 100000 and perquisites which materially
increase the sum- Now comes story to the effect
that bud" Fisher gets $4,000 per year for drawing
the Mutt and JEFF" cartoons, and has vacation OF
four weeks which he devoes to vaudeville running the
total amounts up at least 100000 R. F. Goldberg,
another cartoons said receive 100000 per annum
for his work. and F. opper the dean of the profession
probably makes more than either of them
These figures seem to indicate that the people of
the country willing pay to those who amuse
them than to those who perform serious work and who
ion and the nation President Wilson, who is at the
head of the Federal government and who is generally
regarded as of the braniest that this country
has produced since the time of George Washington
ceves only $4,000 year. while his chief advisers, the
members of his cabinet, paid just about one-tenth
of that If there any lawyers in the country
that make much 100000 in single year the
number is exceedingly small and the number of authors
who earn that amount still smaller We noticed only
the other day that of the most popular conempor-
airy short story writers had signed contract by the
terms of which certain publication is to receive all
the stories which he writes during the ensuing twelve
months paying him $500 therefor and he seemed to
be exceedingly well satisfied with the terms of the
tract Newspapers generally regarded mouders
of public opinion and it naturally follows that the
who make them only possess ability of high
order but must have special training for the work in
which they engaged, yet if there is editorial
writer in the country who receives 100000 for his
work we do not know his name, and it is safe to say
that great majority of them receive compensation
amounting to less than 500 per week
Press agents noted for their procivities to
prevaracae and dare say that some of the salaries
which moving picture producers claim pay their male
and female stars greatly exaggerated, but several
of them undoubtedly receive enormous amounts, sums
far in excess of what they really earn, the manager:
being willing to stand for this graft" on account OF
their popularity with the people This popularity fre
quently due to efficient work on the part of a pres.
agent rather than to any individual merit on the par
OF the actor or actress in question: and the public which
IN the end pays the freight" paying for imagnar,
talent that really does not exist but which is mer,
Pigment of the press agents fertile brain