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the club which the trust holds over
the head of the actor, for the actor
knows that if his name appears on
this blacklist he cannot obtain any
work until these six agents remove
his name from this typewritten list.
It was not to be thought that men
and women brought up with Amer
ican ideas of liberty, with rudimen
tary ideas of justice, would stand this
without protest, and it was because
of these and other injustices prac
ticed on them that the actor and act
ress joined the White Rats Actors'
union in thousands.
Directly the White Rats Actors'
union became strong and ppwerful,
the managers advertised publicly, in
total disregard of the Sherman anti
trust law, or of any laws and statutes
against conspiracy, that on and after
Oct. 31, 1916, they would not book
any actor or actress who was a mem
ber of the White Rats Actors' union
or Associated Actresses of America.'
Those organizations being secret,
it was difficult for the managers to
find out who were members, and so,
to avoid making any mistakes, every
vaudeville actor and actress in the
country, to obtain work, has to swear
an affidavit that they are not mem
bers of the White Rats, or, if they
were, that they have resigned. And,
to make assurance doubly sure, the
managers stamp on the contract:
"The actors who are parties to this
contract hereby warrant and guar
antee that they are not members of
the White Rats Actors' union, and if
this warranty is found to be incor
rect that they may be discharged at
any moment."
These wholly un-American pro
ceedings could not be allowed to go
on unchecked, and the White Rats
Actors' union, after repeated letters
asking for a conference were left un
answered, after repeated attempts at
personal interviews, when our inter
national executive, Mr. Harry Mount
ford, and myself were shown the
door, after published requests for a
conference were rudely and abruptly
declined, and after the Chicago Fed
eration of Labor had attempted to
bring about a conference with a sim
ilar failure, there was nothing left
but for this organization, not only to
preserve the right of actors to or
ganize as they saw fit, but also to
preserve. the vaudeville business, to,,
strike.
And the first blow was delivered on
Monday night in Boston, when the
Bowdoin Square, the Washington
Square and the Olympia, Boston,
were closed and the big Hippodrome,
Lynn, Mass., which seats 2,600 peo
ple, was also shut because our mem
bers refused to work.
Only one actor in all these theaters
refused to obey the strike order. We
knew we had 100 per cent of the bur
lesque actors in our organization, we
knew we had 100 per cent of the cir
cus actors, but we only claimed 80
per cent of the vaudeville actors, and
yet 96 per cent of the actors obeyed
the call.
And even now, when we have
shown own strength in aristocratic,
cultured old Boston, we still are will
ing to arbitrate.
Whether this strike will reach Chi
cago or not, it is impossible for me to
say today.
o o
New York. Liner Rhydam, which
sailed Jan. 29, has been ordered by
Holland-American line to return to
New York.
Washington. Minister Ritter of
Switzerland instructed by his gov
ernment to take over German dip
lomatic interests in United States.
Philadelphia. 3,000,000 members
of the German-American alliance are
pledged to "unqualified loyalty" to
the United States should this gov
ernment be forced into a war with
Germany.
New York. The 31 German and
Austrian ships detained in this port
have been so disabled that it would
take months to put them in service.
More than 4,000 of their crews cf
5,460 have disappeared.
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