Life — March 2, 1905 — page 24: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

In Lieu of Criticism. P' BLIC interest has been a theatrical lawsuit, lished « tickets New Vork City for two dollars a vance of fifty ¢ son the advertised price of each Uicket, twenty-five cents of this advance ¢ of the theatre citizen who takes the ter how moch in ady fe. never last two or the rows bane . two dollar J Seats four weeks ant for credulous persons who are un ted with Uh nd crooked ways of the Theatrical Trust licensed by the city, So are the theatres, Ifa cabman sa citizen bis license may be tiken away, If the theatres the public by exacting more than t price for seats, the as though that might provi way their lic <cret of the popularity of Di ernor Folk, of Mi 1 office-holder di ri, is that they do things. The cor t do thin; He gets himself elected a n con’ s his ett utine duties, to gra favers to those who helped elect hin to laying pipe in the regulation way for t. A large part of his Thorough enforce future political f 1 trade is re= ‘raining from doing tof the laws of ses. inconvenience, ani the ¢ le office-holder_ makes friends ad influence by not doin, ings that he ought to do and that he bas sworn to do. Jerome's activity in the matt lustration Wh the criminal and preventable horrors of off the safety of New York in all America was roused by e Iroquois fire, the ol vie New York had to put up at le thing. Mayor MeCle a pretence of doing some- ition of the ation, As calle for reports theatres and ordered his subordinates to make ult, one oF two theatres whose managers had no political influence fora little white, Other well- oriously one of the worst, whose p. dat all but were ordered re ordered closed and rem: known fi towner isa leading ti in, Were not f the chan to make ch es being determin by th sand managers could bring to bear, And there action stopped. The responsibility for the safety of human life in our theatres is a divided one, The Departments of Buildi ein it, Rack of them all, however, is the Mayor, who can call each of them to aces x, Fire and Police each havea st unt and compel them to work together to general safety Unfortunately, Mayor McClellan is an of l of the old typeywhois tied down by the machine methods which govern New York, and which “LUPE Lire h ut the iafuences broug’ gave him his offi ss no doubt he would like todo his full duty in the matter nt to bear upon him and his subordinates are such that inaction of a pretence of action an- swers all that the public requires, and makes it easy for everybody concerned. With other officers doing their duty there would be no call for Dis- t Attorney Jerome to ts of the condition of the theatres. But the scandal has become pronounced. The state of t Jud! Id for a responsibility which does tr coggniz, affairs is so evident th nd b shoulders, if he did not take official notice Jerome would be shirking his duty fact belong upon his of the violations of the law which expo: if the Di this inves © many lives to dang trict Attorney shows the same fearlessness and energy in rtaken tion that he has ino hers which he has v cessfully, a number of theatres in. New York will be close their de This will not be an unmitigated evil. st be worth while for Me, Jerome to ascer- 1 buik construction of the Liberty Theatre, and then inve ie IDENTALL tain whether the fire aws were complied with the circ stances which surrounded the approval of the plans for that the. by the Buildin Those plans w that « The Liberty Theatre is owned by Me shortly after the Lroqu n the public me ory Klaw and Erlanger, who were also largely terested in the Lroquois Th were the principal owners of * Mr, Bluebeard, qu ing-agents for the Iroc h was playing at the Iro booked th when the fire occurred, and w sors Theatre, NPY READING. comicbooks.com