The sun., 1919-08-16
ACTORS ARE TO GET
BETTER CONTRACT



In separate communication"
Grant Stewart. recording secretary Of
the Actors Equity Association. captured
Tor publication while speaking his way
along Broadway with Elizabeth Risdon
| and other patrols. said that this offer OF
| the managers amounted 10 victory n
the Equity were recognised.
Providing the Producing Managers
Association agreed 10 have the Equity
choose the actors sitting on the joint ar
bitration board" Mr.. Stewart said. 1--WE
should consider that recognition. II the
/ contract Is the same as the Equity con-
/ tract. but the managers don't call It an
| Equity contract, that wouldn't matter
/ to us. We'd be willing to take II. And
| II they were willing TO let us choose the
i actors for arbitration that would be the
same thing as recognition. even though
they didn't call It by that name. We're
not fussy. But n the terms offered by
the managers do not include recognition
they are merely a bait"
| The prominent actors and actresses
invited by Mr.. Sothern to close the run
Of the strike on Broadway met at the
| Hotel Biltmore. while locals of the stage
hands union all over the country were
wiring the A. Il. A. that they were
| ready TO stand by the actors union and
to walk out in a sympathetic manner.
| leaving the scenery to shift for itself
The players who went to an assembly
room Of the Biltmore yesterday after
4 noon were theatre folk who had been
picked BY MIR. Sothern because. accord
ing to his explanation. they might con-
slider themselves sufficiently independent
Of the managers TO be friendly to them
land yet not subservient.
May Exercise stage Mandate.
The players who thus met with tho
hope OF being called upon to estabiish
mandate over the stage were:
Fay Bainter. Leo Ditrichstein. Mrs.
Fislse. Olive wyndham, Laura Walker.
Don Gallaher, Howard Kyle. Mr.. and
Mrs Charles Coburn, Janet Beecher,
Holbrook Blinn. David warfield Lowell
Sherman. Thomas Shea, Minnie Dupree,
Leonore Uric. Frances Starr. Ina Claire
and Eileen Huban. Augustus Thomas
and Eugene Waiter were present. but II
was understood they were allowed In be-
cause Of their standing as playwrights
rather than as actors.
In addressing them Mr.. Sothern said
that in this situation---he called II tragic
he he'd called them together purely in
the interests Of harmony. and with no
intention Of acting as a bare bodlCin
that would give the Equity its quietus.
They were merely seeking a solution.
and Il was his idea that n committee
should ask the managers what kind of
contract they would md It In their
hearts to offer to the actor IN order TO
get him OF the streets of New York.
In the belief OF Mr.. Ditrichstein II was
a situation crying aloud for lawyers.
Legal talent. in his Judgment. should be
featured in deciding whether contracts
had met with foul play. He suggested
| that, following the precedent In SO many
burning issues Of the day. their troubles
should be taken to william II. Taft
Howard Kyle voiced the opinion that
setting a limit Of eight performances on
a players capacity was perfectly ridicu-
lous. Mr.. Kyle's speech indicated the
conviction that such a restriction belit-
tied the powers OF an actor Of the first
magnitude. Out West. he declared In
effect. the extra shows were the life and
| soul of the small companies. giving them
a change to breathe the air outside of the
bankruptcy courts.
Mr.. Kyle said that somebody had told
him Harry Mountford receives $4,000
| to $4,000 q year from the Equity.
though Mr.. Kyle's mind was a blank
when it came to fixing the name Of his
| informant At the actors meeting In
the Hotel Aston on Thursday Frank GILL
more. executive secretary OF the Equity.
had denied this In ringing periods.
Equity Leaders Censurea.
Lowell Sherman was all for voting the
| Equity officials out OF Office on the spot
Louis Mann's contribution to the concen-
trated intelligence of the gathering was
that the managers were justified in not
dealing with the Equity leaders, while
the actors were running contrary to
nature in joining the A. r. OF l..
nj .av.N I'll H1.a Ill RhNUS
dened himself Of the statistical belief
that the managers had broken their con-
tracts with the actors fifty times. without
exaggeration. Mr.. Coburn also was Sc
we're upon the producers. though In an
other way, asserting that the formation
of the Equity would not have been pos
slble II the managers had not encour-
| aged Though Mr. Coburn did not 60
so far as TO make the classical state
ment that the managers had been warm
ing a viper at their breast
: The essence of Holbrook Blinn':
mental state was that the Equity woult
! not have been 30 precipitate II actors
had been the guiding stars at the head
. OF II. Along the same line Mr. Sotherr
: remarked that he now felt 1t was q
mistake that he had not attended NOR,
, meetings of the Equity executive coun
Gil, to which he belonged. since he might
/. l nave uOHo " hrrp tHo pItSeIl
element from having their organization
, on their hands.
Then Mr.. Sothern announced that tn,
managern were ready to meet them. anC
the carriage waited. He appointed ar
| arnlistice commission, consisting OF him
. self as chairman and the following al
star cast of mediators: Leo Dltrich
stein. Mrs. Fiske. Howard Kyle. Lowell
Sherman and Augustus Thomas. Thu
committee went TO the offices OF Cohar
e. Harris, and had a conference Will
: the Leading managers for two hours he
hind closed doors, while Eddie Dunr
entertained the newspaper men.
The actors strike headquarters at 15s
| West Forty-ffth street practically was
stricken speechless yesterday. but II was
| made known that the sleeping volcano
would awaken again to-day with mass
meeting that would give a continuou:
performance from noon on. The speak.
, ers who would present a change OF bill
were announced as Major Reginald Bar.
|, low. Ethel Barrymore. Marie Dressler
Jefferson de Angels. Bruce McRae an6
Frank Gilmore.
Victory Parade Next Monday.
Major Barlow viii give the strikers
instructions on their procession alonf
| Fifth avenue on Monday. which the &C
tors look upon as a victory parade, even
though somewhat ahead OF time. The
parade. II was announced. will start a,
$3.50 O'Clock IN the afternoon from Six
I 4.