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Show &?e XSheatriccil 'BreaK. in Jtfeta yorK '"Reggie" Vanderbilt in Court. (Special Correspondence.) Some of those who daily and nightly utter prayers that all manner of harm shall come to the theatrical syndicate which I understand has caused not a little disgruntlement in the West he-cause he-cause of the sort of service it has given to theatre-goers are rejoicing in an evidence given this week of the straits to which it has been put this winter to find attractions to fill the houses it has taken under its benevolent control. The boards of the largest of the Broadway theatres, the New ork, are in possesion of a negro theatrical organ- I igation, headed by Williams and Walker, who until this season could progress no further than vaudeville. It was the most remarkable experiment experi-ment of the season when this organization was booked, but with the syndicate it was a case of must and they have taken a long chance. The fact is that the Klaw and Erlanger end of the trust have been having plenty of trouble this sea- ' son. Tney brought Martin Harvey over and he proved what Broadway calls a "frost." They put out J. F. Dodson and Annie Irish as joint stars, and the combination played to beggarly houses. They tried "Huckleberry Finn" and had to close it up before it reached Broadway. Then David Belasco came in and took the ground from under them with the Japanese play. With these and other failures the great prob lem of the firm has been to find attractions and the greatest work has been over the proposition of filling the stage of the New York, which they grabbed last spring in order to prevent anybody else from getting it. ' . Hagenbeck's animals, "Everyman," the fif- h' teenth century morality play, and now the negro opera troupe! Here is a series of attractions that has set Broadway laughing. Incidentally they have proved to be exceedingly costly and have had a bad effect on the reputation of a house that is bound to be a white elephant on the hands of even the best management. t fcx ( Of course the moral to be found in this condi-tion condi-tion is the helpful one that no one man or firm can hope to control the theatrical situation in this country. In order to do so it is necessary to pro- duce . sufficient theatrical material to fill all the theatres. That evidently was the idea of Klaw k and Erlanger. They have had an object lesson this season that should teach them that the pro-ductiveity pro-ductiveity of any two men is limited in artistic lines. It is particularly impressive because their embarrassment has been the opportunity of their opponents. Every failure has loft an opening for an independent producer and every ten thousand dollars they have lost has made the opposition so much stronger. Still it is doubtful whether they will take any lesson from this condition. The firm is riding a high horse these days. They have made demands on at least four of the New York dailies for the discharge of critics because they did not like the tone of the criticisms. They have shown no disposition dis-position to decrease the exactions which have caused much groaning among the theatrical managers man-agers who come under the influence of their organization. or-ganization. Their plan of campaign seems to be to make alliances with a set of young managers, who are being built up with the idea that they will supply the needed attractions and pay revenue rev-enue to the syndicate. Charles Frohman, however, has been wise enough to see the drift in theatrical affairs. Ho learned last winter that he could not, single-handed, carry attractions sufficient to fill his theatres ana so he has been opening them on reasonable terms this year to several of the independent managers. It is an open secret that he is not in sympathy with the methods of Klaw and Erlanger Erlan-ger and his liberal policy is the best indication of the futility of their plans to control everything. every-thing. It proof were needed of the growth of the independence in-dependence which Klaw and Erlanger have tried to stifle one. need only go to the Independent booking agency which was started by Hackett, Campbell and Fiske last year. It was laughed at last year and Erlanger said to me contemptuously: contemptuous-ly: "They will have to get $40,000,000 from somewhere before they can equal my string of theatres." This agency started with three theatres. thea-tres. It now has a chain which includes two each in Boston and Chicago and takes in houses as far West as Kansas City and Minneapolis, as far north as Detroit, and as far south as St. Louis. Weber and Fields, who were told by Erlanger four years ago that they would be driven off Broadway, Broad-way, have contributed four of these houses. "Where there is smoke " Probably never has such a shock been given H to the American nobility as that administered by H District Attorney Jerome in the course of his H prosecution of the gamblers here. It was sufll- j jjM ciently an evidence of lack of veneration to invade ) ,H the gambling palace of Canfield; but he has un- ) fl doubtedly committed lese majeste . in his later 1 proceedings. He has dared to summon such so- , M cial quantities as "Archie" Pell and "Reggie" Van- a derbilt to appear in a vulgar and common court ) H and give testimony as to their occasional indul- M gence in gaming. All the nobility is in arms ijl against this invasion of the right of tho man of I! I wealth to do what he pleases, and Mr. Jerome, lfl though a member of the aristocratic Union club, f'H is almost classed with Mr. Bryan as an anarchist. 1 JaV So far as "Reggie" Vanderbilt is concerned i there is every evidence of intense resentment. In ;"' Jl the first place it is embarrassing for him at a time ' M when he is anxious to prevail upon his fiance to ii set the day for their wedding to have his little j 'S failings raked into publicity. In the second place mH the Vanderbilt family has always been able to SH hold itself above such common things as courts, M one of the ancestors of the young man having 9aV coined that famous expression "The public be fll 'damned." "M It is about the details of his last birthday par- 1 H ty that the District Attorney is particularly curl- H ous for at that time he and a party of Yale class- J H mates had a merry time and in the end went to H Canfield's and frittered away at tho roulette j 'H wheel an amount stated at from $50,000 to $150,- H 000. He has tried in every way to keep from ex- M amination on this point, but as Mr. Jerome is a ' M tenacious person he is likely to be compelled to mingle with common persons for a time and give i evidence. E. J. Y. ( |