New-York tribune., 1919-08-27

ington Theatre, and the actor. ~.,.
murmuring their disappointmenG wNar
Sompers, WITH his hair ruffled 'sa sa
though he had 3ast finished contest
OF strength with a wildcat, stalked out
on the stage. WV
Cheers Sweep House
He nAedsd no Introduction, and IN a
moment the striking actors and rc-
tresses> who how mean just IA much ta
MT GomYers as the hricklayers> ar
pr'ntersS or carpenters or engineers Of
ms organization, were standing uD
cheering him.
When they had quieted down he as.
sured them that since he Mad landed in
New York ne had not Mad an oppor.
tunity to examine the situation care
1uliy enough to know Just what he
could Go to aid them, but he prom
ised them that until an honorable and
lustitiable end Of the strike Is reached
the actors will be given every particle
o. or AID IN the power Of the American
tederation OF Labor
Mr.. Gompcrs said:
don't know il it is possible for me
to do anything, but il have the power
Will dc, something, But whatever
power and influence there may be in
.he great American Federation Of La
por> want YOU to bear In mind that
until there comes an honorable and
1usti'able end to this matter every
service and aid that can be rendered
you Will be heartily and Loyalty ac-
corded.
Hungry After Army "Chow"
"Your chairman has said that am
q k,,%
hungry You know am not an army
man, and coming home on the George
Washington lived on army chow,
which is not gratifying or satisfying
to civilian.
II know something of the lack of the
actor and Of the theatrical profes sion,
and l must make this declaration no
matter what Interpretation any one may
put on it-thst all men and women in
the profession who work for salaries
or wages have right, the unqualified
right, to sit in the council which de-
termines their pay and the conditions
under which they work.
I'm Amsterdam not long ago had
10 say to the representatives Of Ger
man labor, because Of their arrogant
and overbearing manner, that they had
not learned the real lesson Of the war
and that the tide of Deutschland uber
>>AA>S AoN poSScU OQt 1OT dll TIME.
Rebukes Autocracy
"The time has come when kaiserdom
and autocracy, commercial or indus
trial, also has passed away. This sit
uatlon III which you stand to-day is
similar in character to that of the Ger
mans. l hold that the company of men
which has not learned that autocracy
IS thing of the past, that it has gone
by the board. has not learned the real
lesson Of the war
Il had learned from your president.
Francis Wilson, that a controversy
was likely to arise. Every well-in-
formed American knows that the con-
stltuton of every state in the Union
guarantees the right to be heard in
council. In other words, the Constitu-
ton recognizes the principle that thc.av-
erage man and the average woman are
not able to defend themselves when
opposed by skill. No one will dispute
how important is this guaranteed right
quote 1t IS applicable to this situa-
ton.
"As sure as life and Death, if you
weaken the treatment you received in
the past will be as nothing to the
treatment you will recel.c in the fu-
ture''
When the address of Mr.. Gompers
was read to officers Of the Producing
Managers Association, they issued the
following statement:
In view of the fact that Mr. Gompers
has had neither the time nor the op
portunlty to acquaint himself thorough
ly with the facts of the present situa-
ton, the Producing Managers Associa-
ton refrains from making any comment
on his precipitate stand"
PlayWriChtS Ciya In
The playwrights. having formed
themselves into the "dramatic commit
tee" of the Authors League of Amer
ica on Monday, decided Yesterday at
meeting at the Hotel Astor that they
were powerless to settle the strike.
They declined to send a committee to
see Governor Smith, feeling that the
Executive should take the initiative in
settling the strike, and that any com
mlttee they might send would be un-
able to provide him with any facts
that he did not already possess.
Some OF the playwrights at the meet
ing, yesterday urged their fellows to
declare openly the sympathy of all
their guild for the striking actors. In
declining to do this some of the others
expressed their personal sympathy for
the actors. but said they felt the or
ganization would best serve the thea
IRE by remaining neutral.
Frank Gilmore, executive secretary
OF the Actors Equity Association, said
Yesterday that the striking actors
would not attempt to interfere in any
way with the Gallo opera season, sched-
uled to open at the Shubert Theatre
on Labor Day. Mr.. Gilmore said the
opera company's lease of the Shubert
Theatre was signed before the present
controversy between managers and
actors developed.
George White Angry
In this connection it was pointed
out yesterday that the Equity called a
strike of its members in the scandals
OF 1919" because the Liberty Theatre,
where it was playing, was owned by
Abe Erlanger, member of the Pro
ducing Managers Association. George
White, the producer of the "Scan-
dals," was not member of the Pro-
ducing Managers Association, and his
lease on the Liberty Theatre was signed
before the strike was called, according
TO statement by White yesterday.
White also said:
81 am not q member of the Pro-
ducing Managers Association yet
But l Will be just as soon as they
vote on my application for member
ship. | saw Gilmore on Monday and
tried to find out why my show had
been closed | convinced him I wasn't