The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-30

uAct would be made known Mt n mass
meeting at the Hotel Biltmore tonight,
at which Daniel Frohman, president Of
tne actors fund. would receive the check
.Sr 100000 which Mr. Conan gave to
snc tund as the first birthday present
from the Fidelity.
Court Calls stagehands.
In Atlantic City vice-Chancellor John
n: backes issued an order directing the
officers of the stage hands local TO show
cause why they should not be punished
Tor contempt Of court on the charge that
tney violated an injunction to restrain
tnem from calling stage mechanics on
strike when they called the crew of
Listen Lester away from business on
Tuesday.
The statement from the Producing
, managers Association. which was with
held from the public until their case
was made known to Mr.. Gompers. ran
as follows.
THE present actors strike is neither
founded on demands for increased pay
nor decreased hours. Actors are con-
ceded to be among the highest paid
people In the world. Their hours are
shorter than those required of the en-
ployees of any other business.
Since increased pay and decreased
hours are the primary inducing causes
for the formation of unions and afrilia-
tons with other unions, II is evident
that the actor is a stranger to the
fundamental neds of unionism.
From the standpoint of the employer
the hardships of unionism are the closed
| shop and the strike. The actors agree
| that the closed shop would be a serious
detriment to the theatre, and have pub
, l.cly declared that they would not seek
its enforcement. That brings US to the
strike, and that We have with >us. Why
| the strike?
Failing to secure from the managers
| satisfactory form of contract the Ac-
tors Equity Association affiliated with
the White Rats Of America, which In
| turn was aff1liated with the American
Federation of Labor.
The Actors Equity Association at
once became a third party to the con-
| tract between actor and manager and
| the determining party, since at a mo-
| ment's notice it could brush aside the
| contract and sever completely the rela-
| tons between actor and manager no
matter how happy those relations might
| be.
Cannot Serve Two Masters.
"a condition like this can only mean
chaos and finally death to the theatre.
The entire producing business Is built on
! Individual contract between actor and
manager. Productions are planned far
ahead with certain actors in mind.
Frequently productions are long post
poned until such time as certain actors
are free. The manager believes that
| the success of such productions is made
more certain by the help of these actors,
and naturally IL success follows the
manager wants to feel certain of the
services of these actors for definite
period. The actor before he can
honestly enter into a contract for such
certain period must know that no in
, fuence that can interfere with his full
flment of that contract can possibly
arise He cannot serve two masters. the
| theatre and unionism. II he Is true to
| the honorable obligations of unionisin
he has no right to make any definite
personal contract for the theatre. His
duty to unionism may at any time up
set It
| 'Unionisrn was misrepresented to the
actor by the Equity leaders. He was
| told that II imposed no obligation upon
| him, that he could use It to get what
he wanted and it would never make
demands of him. He was getting into
| unionism on a pass He believed It.
Then came the strike. agreed to by
| the actors in a moment OF hysteria
| Again the actors were deceived by their
leaders. They were told they had q
| right to strike-that their contracts had
been broken by the managers. When
| the case reached the courts the actors
advisers had no defence to offer. The
court held that the managers had not
| violated their contracts, but that the
actors had and were personally liable.
| in the meantime the stage hands and
IL . NATL =
| strike. The intelligent actors began to
see their predicament. They were being
bound closer and closer to their affilia'
tons. They were under heavy obliga-
| lions to them. Then the bill poster:
displayed their sympathy. Then control
OF the strike began to slip from the Ac-
tors Equity hands. The stage hands
and musicians took charge. They closed
theatres that the Actors Equity Asso-
citation had promised protection. The
Actors Equity Association was being
bowled over by its own machine
"Now, where does the actor stand In
his ability to fulfil contracts? BY honor
he is bound to the call of at least foui
agencies. In a contract with a manager
now he would be a party of the sixth
part, with the Actors Equity Association
! second part. stage hands third part, mu.
sicians fourth part. bill posters firth part
II he can satisfy the other four parts he
may fiuln his contract
"And with himself thus helplessly en-
tangled he asks why the manager does
not recognize him. The greatest injustic,
the manager could inf1ict upon the thea
tire and the actor would be approval OF
the actors present predicament A
nominally uncertain business would be
come so helplessly hazardous that nc
man who regarded slight security al
essential could venture INTO It
1.-THE Equity officials have repeatedly
claimed that the managers were fighting
the American Federation of Labor. The
charge is either stupid or malicious. The
managers have worked in perfect har'
mony for the last twenty years with the
American Federation of Labor and are
scarcely seeking a quarrel now. But thu
managers do believe that the actor hal
no place IN the Federation OF Labor anC
that the relationship can only work grea
hardships on all concerned"
AETUNnIGT n K IN