Variety (August 1911)

r VARIETY 13 MAJOR DOYLE'S OPINION OF THE PARIS CONFERENCE How the Boy Hero of the Wild Actors Flivvered By the Exile, MAJOR DOYLE Chicago, Aug. 16. It's all over, Boys; the expected has happened. Our pet hero, the great and only overpaid servant of the White Rats of America is coming home, sadder but wiser. He has met with defeat when a wise guy and not a boob would have accomplished a victory easily. He put up an awfully bad fight; was outclassed all the way; was not trained right, and his hand- lers, his backers and his worshippers are all to blame. Why, the man went into the ring without any instructions. I pulled the finish a few weeks ago in one of my articles which appeared In Variety,. I stated that when he returned, although he went away a hero, we should have slow music, the horses walking slow, and all our noble brothers with a sad look on their "pans." I should rejoice but I can't, as I wanted to see our organization win even though I don't care for the delegate they sent across to represent us. Did you notice the banquet he got up for himself, by himself and for the benefit of himself? That was not a banquet—that was a wake, and when he returns why not let us all give him a farewell wake. We will smoke clay pipes so as to get into the atmosphere of conditions, and then let us bury our self-made hero at Richmond Hill In a straight-cut box with all the pomp and ceremony he demanded dur- ing his life. Did you notice who attended the banquet, and how Harry wants to let you know in his personal press sheet that there were some Water Rats there? To prove It he places after their names the letters, "G. O. W. R." I cannot understand why those few received billing matter and the rest al- lowed to run unclassified as a common and ordinary attendant. Even Herr Director Lloyd of the noble order of the White' Rats of America did not get any billing. I also noticed in look- ing closely over the same article that the big moguls of the various Euro- pean organizations were conspicuous by their absence. Where were W. X. Clemart, C. C. Bart ram, R. <J. Knowles, Engene Htratton, Wert Sheppard, Will H. Fox and the others who are known? Funny thing about that London ban- quet I noticed. The boy hero of the wild actors wouldn't break bread with Variktv's correspondent at Paris at the banquet given by the French dele- gates to the visitors, but at the kfd's London spread I see that Vaiukty/s London correspondent sat right at the first table in the picture. Funny, wasn't it? I wonder if the London correspondent has something on him? I shouldn't wonder but what a few of those Water Rats slipped In on our editor, too. I am told the Water Rats mentioned in the billing matter are Just a few good fellows, who probably wanted to see the kind of a curio the boy hero is and wouldn't even hide their dislike for him, at the expense of passing up a good meal, with eats and drinks. The pet hero is in the same class as Wm. Jennings Bryan. He wiil have to get some new stuff in order to get by. The reports on his act are all bad. That "Cross of Gold" of Wm. Jennings Bryan doesn't get over any more, and that stuff of the Richmond gladiator, "Down with the United," can't get any more applause, as the United has stolen his former audience and worshippers and put them to work. It looks bad for Tricky. He has had a good time and cleaned up a nice piece of money in the past four years, but it was too good to last. Dear old Harry, not being a good billiard play- er, did not know how to nurse the sit- uation, and is on his way to the rack. Had he given his tongue a rest and used his ears a little more, he would have lasted longer. Of course, those pals of his are somewhat to blame, as they helped him in his mad dash and downward glide. Had they disagreed with him at the meetings as Major Doyle and a few others did he might have been a hero yet. But no, when they disagreed with the Richmond gladiator, they went to his home at Richmond Hill and had a bite of toast and a bit of jam with him while they disagreed, and he Jellied them over. Well, you know the overpaid hero. He thought he knew it all, and that the White Rats from George Fuller Golden and the late Ezra Kendall down knew nothing. You could never get him to acknowledge he was wrong. Ezra Kendall proved to him he was wrong. Robert Nome proved to him he was wrong.. Major Doyle got tired trying to convince the inflated agita- tor he was wrong on many different occasions. His silly answer—and the answer that disgusted Ezra Kendall— was "Why should I acknowledge I'm wrong"? And he was always allowed to get away with such a flimsy excuse. I don't blame the V. A. F. for Its treatment of our delegate. We were to have three delegates, the same as the other organizations attending the conference had, but no, we tried, or our noble Harry tried, to do It all on his own, and thereby insult their Intel- ligence. I do not think that Mr. Mountford was the proper representa- tive for us to send over, considering how badly he stood with the V. A. F. through past performances; but, as we did send him over, he should have been as diplomatic as possible and used every effort to apologize and to try and square the past grievances he had with that organization and its various members. He should remem- ber he is working for the White Rats Actors' Union, and, therefore, he should have been duty bound to work for the organization, as he was our only representative at the conclave. If he was as loyal to the organization as the organization has been to him, he would have tried every possible way to apologize and square himself so as to help the W. R. A. U. that has paid him and treated him so fine; but, as I have said, the man is so stubborn, he would not apologize even though we would have gained the benefits derived from his action. But he will accept our money and allow us to send him over as our special representative and delegate at a big expense and then cooly hand us a double cross. Then those worshippers will tell you that he is a great man, a brainy man and a good leader of men, and then they don't like it because I say, after know- ing all this, that they are a lot of bone- heads. When are we going to get some common sense? The worshippers might have told him to stick to the truth at least while he was over there. But the great and only had to have some place to test his lung power. The V. A. F. did not invite him to talk at its meeting. They had heard the pet hero before and did not care to annoy the members with his surplus noise, so Harry had a banquet ar- ranged for himself where he could get up and gab and unload a lot of un- truths and hot air. That's very fine and classy for the White Rats' rep- resentative, in another organization's country, to go gas-bagging and with- out their permission (perhaps he did not get the permission of his own or- ganization) to disrupt the atmosphere with his crazy untruths in a foreign land. I think that comes under the term and classification of proselyting. If such Is the case, which It surely is, I sincerely hope our organization has enough gray matter left to immediate- ly apologize to the V. A. F. for the uncalled-for conduct of the special en- voy, and also we should be big enough to acknowledge the sad mistake and print It in our official organ. There is nothing left now but to can that overpaid, selfish hero. He was to have taken two more to Paris, but not he. The egotist could do it all alone. If he has read and remembered what he read, he must have read at some time that two heads are better than one. though that one is a blockhead. What Is all this Detroit noise about? Looks like Jealousy on the part of our overpaid hero. This man in Detroit has been doing things and not making hot air speeches. T suppose he was accomplishing too much, and has nat- urally gotten himself into the limelight unsolicited. Tricky wonts that all for himself. What business of Tricky's worship- pers getting together and finding ways and means to get rid of this hard worker In Detroit? They state in the Player he has resigned. He has not resigned. They asked him to resign. He will not resign'. Of course, under present conditions we ran onlv have one hero In our organization, and the powers that be must remove the De- troit candidate. A committee of two of the officers of our organization (one "his holiness" from Chicago, and the other official from New York), met at the Ponchartrain hotel in Detroit, tel- ephoned the labor council and after disposing of a lot of beer and good cigars, started to sow the poison against the Detroit hero. The sanctified one of the committee went so far as to Invite a single member of the labor council Into the wash room and there sowed some more poison against the same defenseless Individual. After the meeting the two officials are reported to have gone joy riding in an auto- mobile for two or three hours, at, I suppose, the expense of the W. R. A. U. Well, the labor representatives be- ing on the level, wanted a two-sided story. They therefore hunted up the aggrieved party and stated what the two officials had told them. The de- fendant gets In communication with "his holiness" at Chicago about the statement alleged to have been made and the "sanctified being'* repudiated his former damaging statement, say- ing he was the Detroit man's pal, best friend, etc., and wishes he and his wife and family the best of success. "His holiness" has worked that Jekyl-Hyde stuff so often that all White Rats In this section of the country are wise to htm. He once worked It twice a thous- and miles apart, doing the gentle role here and the savage stuff in New York, when he attacked Major Doyle at a New York meeting and then came west and mltted the Major, stating he was for the Major always. His act, as usual, was an awful flivver. We all had and still have his number. I regret that I shall be unable to be In New York to meet our hero-agitator on his triumphant (?) return from foreign lands, for I would dearly love to be present with a brass band and a few Richmond Straight Cuts to wel- come him home, thus giving him an opportunity to use several more pages of our official organ In a description of his return. As ever, the exile, Ma for James D. Doyle. CHARITY STAYS AT HOME. Chicago, Aug. 16. Al D'AljoIs, a well known perform- er, who, until a few years ago was one of The Three Sheppards, died in the county hospital here after a lin- gering illness. His sister applied to the White Rats for sufficient funds to bury him, but the organization refused because at the time of his death D'Aljois was not a member of the order. The girl took up a collection, raising the amount In a few hours. NEW FOREION TURNS. From seven to ten foreign acts placed over here by Charles Born- haupt, have been accepted for routing in the United Offices by Sam Hodgdon. the general booking man for the es- tablishment. Of these Leris Loyal, something of an animal or esquetrienne turn, the Zenga Troupe, an ensemble vocal num- ber, Tvanoff, on the revolving trapeze, and tlie Victoria Sisters, bicyclists, arn new to this side. Salerno, the juggler, is another for- eign booking for the United, made by Iiornhaupt, who Is the international agent at IVrussels.