Variety (August 1911)

VARIETY 11 MAJOR DOYLE TELLS HOW MOUN TFORD G ETS IT OVER 44 Worshipping Is the Cause' 9 By the Exile, MAJOR DOYLE Chicago, Aug. 23. Is It possible that the members of the board of directors of the White Rats Actors' Union do not know con- ditions as they exist to-day^ Of course the few that do attend the board meet- ings have always been easy for this overpaid "schoolboy." I always knew they were easy, and those who were not easy, left the board rather than keep fighting with their brother mem- bers on it. Then there are the others who refused to attend the meetings for the same reason. It is impossible to convince those few stubborn bone-headed worshippers that the present condition of the or- der is unhealthy and the order itself in mighty bad shape, and has been so for nearly two years. Little do they know that as the W. R. A. U. is an incorporated body any member dissat- isfied can insist on looking over the books. If finding anything wrong he can have a receiver appointed. One board member stated at the Chicago meeting that we had $200,000 in all. In New York at a meeting a few weeks .afterward it was stated by the secretary-treasurer that we only had $140,000 in all. Where is that other $60,000? The "vacation" could not have been that expensive. Some- one said he was to have only a month's vacation. He must have voted himself an extension. Go to it, Tricky, and rub it in. Make them like it while you have those worshippers and "yes men" on the run. I suppose Tricky will slip over his automobile bills, his banquet bills and make that clique of boneheaded wor- shippers like it. Let's all have a good laugh. How they must be laughing in England at the White Rat Actors' Union. What a joke we must be to them. Four years ago we were some- body, respected and feared. Every- body wanted to join the organization, only wondering whether they could get in. We had our big entertainment every year, bringing us in a few thou- sands for our charity fund, but it was the great and only Tricky who got us in wrong with the managers that wish- ed to help us, by his impossible meth- ods, but sad to relate the powers-that- be have blended charity, equity and brotherly love into one word and only one word. . That word is Mountford. It means the ad lib agitator and "its" collection of war stories, battles and lies, to fool and bewilder the very easy listeners. It also means the ad lib salary taken and the ad lib expense account. We had a great organization once. Every- one was proud of it. It was as wh.te and pure as the lamb Mary took to Pittsburg. Now look at it. How the mighty.have slipped. We have drop- ped out of the race. Where are the heroes? Have we none or are they all disgusted? Get it out of this ter- rible disorder It is now in. George Fuller Golden has written an article or two and the powers that be tried to belittle his wonderful mes- sage by saying he did not know condi- tions. I will now tell you dear read- ers of two incidents that I think were the meanest and most despicable ever, and they were both put over on our founder and his articles by this self- same, overpaid, tricky schoolboy. It was Golden who notified the W. R. A. U. that our second big chief, Ezra Kendall, had died. Golden wrote a beautiful eulogy about his old pal, Ezra, and sent it to the Player. It was published in the Player. Bat how? I will tell you. You can look up the old Players as you have them bound in book form in the club room and see that my statement is correct. Directly in the center of Golden's eu- logy of Ezra Kendall was Mountford's eulogy of the same man, an article within an article and Mountford's ar- ticle brought out the strongest and with a heavy black border around it. I suppose that is not dirty work? Well it's Mountford's and that says it all. Kendall never cared for Mountford nor his methods. He considered him a very selfish egotiat. Mountford claimed he had nothing to do with putting his eulogy inside of Golden's. But murder will out, and I will prove that he did, as he has repeated the stunt, but not in so dirty and nasty a man- ner. Look at Golden's last article in the Player, his answer to J. C. Nugent, and you will see where this overpaid hero could not let that pass without putting a few lines at the top intend- ing to try and annul all the beautiful and sensible things Golden had said. If you Rats ever grow wise enough to have an investigating committee ap- pointed, among other things find out what Tricky did to Golden's book, "My Lady Vaudeville." I don't think that would be a bad little story. Why was that book smothered And speak- ing about Golden, do you think that Tricky's eulogy of him expressed Tricky's real feeling I am sure that Tricky will never tell anyone what he thinks of Golden. Why he thinks it, is because he saw in Golden the idol of the actor, and there could be no other God of the White Rats while the I Am was on the job. So he stuck Golden in the back while smearing the salve outwardly. Golden needs no defender, but I am just letting this escape rrom me while it is handy, for I am con- vinced that during the past three years, Tricky Mountford's main object toward Golden has been an attempt to oblit- erate his memory. The poor nut! He hasn't a chance to obliterate any- thing excepting himself, and it looks very much as though our Tricky has nearly accomplished that. Now, how do you like Tricky? That's the man you are following, Rats. That's the man you are paying. That's the man who is getting all the money. That's the man they tell me has a contract calling for a year's notice. That's the reason, Rats, you cannot get any charity. That's the reason the bankroll Is not larger. That's the reason we have a secret fund, and do you know what that secret fund is? It's a very large amount of money. It's the back dues and the other fif- teen and twenty-five dollars that per- formers owe to consumate their mem- bership of the W. R. A. IT. It only totals about sixty thousand or more. That's your secret fund, and what has caused it? Dissatisfaction and the methods employed by the tricky schoolboy and the marionettes he con- trols and feeds on hot air. Are you going to stand for this? Are you asleep. Rats? Have you all lost interest? Do you know how much salary our overpaid hero gets and takes? Fifty-two hundred from the organization, and he takes, I believe, thirteen hundred from the Player, making sixty-five hundred in all. Also his traveling expenses and hotel bills, automobile and ad lib incidentals. The officials of the United States Govern- ment's Revenue service found they could not travel in automobiles at the expense of our Government, so why should our imitation Napoleon, who is in perfect health, be allowed to play the automobile circuit when there are so many deserving cases of charity. Of course Tricky figures a sick rat or non-paying rat is a dead rat, and therefore pays no attention to him. I have stated about what sum Mountford receives for his anarchistic efforts. What do you think Mr. Sam- uel Gompers, president of the Federa- tion of Labor receives? He must un- derstand the details of 128 Natiohal and International unions, which have 27,000 locals, and contain a member- ship of three million unionists. For this he only receives $5,600 per year. Frank Morrison, secretary of the Fed- eration, gets $4,600 per year. John Fitzpatrick, president of Chicago's Federation of Labor, is paid $30 week- ly, and has to look after 400 locals, with a membership of 260,000. Now you can plainly understand why I consider Tricky the overpaid hero, when these great men, unaided by a personal press sheet, do not get any- where near the amount of his salary for their great work. So you see, Rats, you are the joke and the laugh- ing stock of all sensible people. I have waited patiently for his return. His time is up. He may be here Sat- urday, so let's hear from this wonder- ful schoolboy. It's an old story that- a one man organization is no organization. Even if you must disagree with your best pal, don't weaken because he has more gab and a stronger will power than yours. Always call in the third party and let him decide. Worshipping 1h the cause of all the troubles of the W. R. A. U. Worship- ping was never intended for servants, because when you worship anyone, you will not correct them when they are wrong. As ever the exile, Major Jameit I). Doyle. THE SAVAGE OPENING8. When the English operatic version of "The Girl In The Golden West" is produced by Henry W. Savage, it will cost him every bit of $10,000 a week to keep it going. "The Girl" opens Oct. 29, at Bridgeport, Ct. Only prin- cipal cities will be played. 160 people will be carried, includ- ing three sets of principals. Savage's original company in "Ev- erywoman" reopens at the Lyric, Sept. 4, and after playing until October, will be taken to Boston, while Henry Kol- ker in "The Great Name" will bid for favor at the Lyric. Kolker opens at Allentown, Sept. 21. After two weeks of "one nlghters" he will come direct to New York. "The Great Name" will enter Bos- ton after its New York engagement. The musical production "Boy Blue" scheduled for a New York showing at the Lyric. The Western Company of "Every- woman," with Jane Oaker and Fred- erick Warde, starts Sept. 26, at Buf- falo, and after playing Cleveland and Detroit, goes into Chicago for a lim- ited engagement. "Le Million." the new French farce, of Savage's, opens Oct. 6, at Trenton, N. J. After a ten days' road trip, skips into New York to follow "Ex- cuse Me," scheduled to go direct from the Gaiety, New York, to the Studeba- ker, Chicago (Oct. 23), for an indefin- ite engagement. William Burress, formerly of "Con and Co," will play one of the leads in "Le Million." Mr. Savage will produce a new mus- ical piece by Avery & Hopwood and Gustav Luders some time before the holidays. CA8AD A DUCK ON DRESS. Campbell B. Casad has been ap- pointed press agent for "The Spring Maid" company which closes at the Liberty theatre two weeks from to- morrow night and takes to the road, opening in Boston for a four weeks' engagement after playing a week of one-nlghters on the way. There were more than a hundred applicants for the publicity job but Campbell landed it for various reasons. In addition to writing a lot of press notices and putting over some real stories, the man in question must be a regular Beau Brummel in one sense of the word. That is he must don a becoming business suit in the morning, wear a Prince Albert and a Hi Henry in the afternoon and at night display the regulation evening clothes. Casad is there on the dress thing like a duck. The show Is due for a six weeks stay in Philadelphia and about sixteen In Chicago. SIM'S SHOW TOO EXPENSIVE. Sim Williams has been doing some close trailing after his three shows. Sim swears by all that's holy that his Searl Allen show is too expensive for his own good. He says if he pulls out even money he will be doing some- thing as he claims he spent Js.ihih on the show. He experts to make inoiuv on tin other shows