“...Of course Belasco went to Erlanger’s house and was a suppliant to the tender mercy of Erlanger to permit him to hire theatres in which to produce his play. He went there because the Syndicate’s unholy and criminal alliance which controlled the principal theatres throughout the country had made it impossible for any man with a play, a company, scenery, costumes, and all the requirements for a complete production to book his play (which means to find a roof under which to produce it) except by the grace of Klaw & Erlanger, who controlled the Syndicate and the theatres. And they could ask just such proportion of the profits by way of rent and impose such other conditions as they chose. Of course Belasco went to Erlanger’s house, and when he confronted ‘the great man’ he not only agreed to pay the rent, generally _fifty per cent. or more of the gross receipts_ of every performance, for the theatres, but he was also forced to agree to give secretly to Klaw & Erlanger under cover of Brooks’ name fifty per cent. of all the profits of that production. No wonder Erlanger did not want that little arrangement known to his Syndicate [Illustration: Photograph by Byron. Belasco’s Collection. THE CROWNING ROOM,--BELASCO’S PRODUCTION OF “ADREA”] partners! Why should not Belasco go to Erlanger and smilingly consent to be fleeced? His venture was ruined unless Erlanger would furnish ‘bookings’ on any terms Erlanger chose to extort. Should the King go to the Beggar? Or was it meet that Belasco the Beggar for a chance to pay for the use of theatres in which to produce his own play with his own company, should go humbly to Erlanger, the King of the Syndicate that controlled the theatres? “No such despotism has ever been known or dreamed of in this country and none so fatal to the development of art as the evidence discloses this Theatrical Syndicate. Every monopoly that has been dragged into the court pales into insignificance and seems almost harmless beside it. Every owner of a theatre contracted with throughout the country was required to agree not to permit his theatre to be used for any performance not under the direction [of] or assented to by the Syndicate even during the times it was not in use or being paid for by the Syndicate!...” CONVERTING CONVENTION HALL:--“ADREA” IN WASHINGTON.