Spokane's Theater-License Fight Gets a Seattle Showman

John W. Considine, whose memory as proprietor of the People's Theater and as the sturdy leader of the Democratic forces in the First ward is still fresh to residents of Seattle's variety district, now posts as an injured innocent in Spokane. He desires to secure a license for a variety theater there, to be run presumably on the same plan as the old People's Theater, and in urging his claims before the city council takes the bull by the horns, speaks in his usual diplomatic manner and, in face of strong opposition, scores a point, although he has not secured his license.

It does not require a vivid imagination to picture the Democratic war horse who used to manipulate the First ward primaries standing in the Spokane council chamber, clad in fine-fitting clothes, a massive diamond in his immaculate shirt front, a high collar close around his pugilistic neck and a cut of gum between his determined jaws. If there is one thing that gives the statesman character it is his under jaw. When he sets that jaw he is as hard to move as an iron post. He has evidently got his mind set on running a show in Spokane, and may teach the council some of the tricks he learned in Chicago politics.

The Spokane Spokesman-Review, in telling of the meeting at which Considine made his little speech, says that Commissioner Cooper stated that a committee had reported unfavorably on Considine's license because it had been informed by numerous letters from Seattle that Considine had always run a very disorderly house, and that Commissioner [??], after interviewing Mayor Phelps and Chief of Police Rogers, had reported that it was undesirable that he should conduct a variety theater in Spokane. It appears that Considine has already opened his place and is a tenant of Dutch Jake and Harry Baer, two well-known characters in Spokane. Each of these men championed Considine's cause before the council and said that it was to be expected that Considine would make enemies in Seattle, where he took an active part in politics.

Just then the sport began, for one of the councilmen told Considine that he had been violating city ordinances ever since he opened his place.

'Maybe we have,' responded Considine, 'but so have the other varieties.'

'The police have put minors out of your house every night since you opened.'

'Well, I suppose they have. My employees have put them out every night too. I can't keep a man at every door to see they don't go in. Every man in my employ has orders to put them out as soon as they see them. My place ain't the only place minors go into, though the police don't seem to bother them in the other shows.'

'Well, I am in favor of running these theaters much closer. The police have been letting things go too easy.'

John Considine, Harry Baer and Dutch Jake all answered together, 'You can't run them too close for us.'

John Considine made a long statement of his difficulties with the city authorities in Seattle, ending by saying that the ordinance closing up all variety theaters had been drawn up by himself and passed by the city council at his request, as the executive officers of the city, who were Republicans, were compelling him to pay a license of $1,000 a year while his Republican competitors paid nothing and were not molested.

Considine did not tell the whole story nor credit himself with the legislation that he actually had a hand in putting through. Everyone in the variety district knew something of the bitter feeling Considine had for the people who were running dance halls. He often said that it was unjust for him to pay $1,000 a year license when the dance houses were running on the same general plan and paying only a small revenue to the city. He was anxious to get affairs arranged to suit him and in that connection did get an ordinance through the council which was aimed at the dance halls and thereby in favor of his variety theater. The scheme did not work well, and when the present administration came into power it was determined to exterminate dance halls and variety theaters. Considine had about as much to do with the acts of the present mayor as he had to do with his election. Under the previous administration it was a notorious fact that he had a crap game running in a side room of his theater many weeks. The police made spasmodic attempts to close him down, but the game went on just the same.

On the evening of May 22 Mayor Phelps sent a message to a joint session of the city council calling attention to the fact that the city was licensing saloons, theaters and places of public resort which were frequented by minors and lewd women and where women solicited on commission the sale of intoxicating liquors. He then referred to the practice of persons licensed to sell liquor conducting gambling games. In closing he recommended that an ordinance be passed revoking the licenses of theaters or other places of amusement connected with a saloon and prohibiting the granting of licenses to such places in the future. An act was immediately passed covering the recommendations, and before long Chief of Police Rogers was after the People's Theater.

When Considine pleaded his case before the Spokane city council, he was responsible for all this legislation. Perhaps he was, to the extent that he tried to close up the dance halls to turn revenue into his theater, and in so doing overplayed the mark and precipitated legislation that closed every theater of low degree and dance hall in the city. But he did not legislate himself out of the city tooth and nail when it tried to close him up. He took the matter into superior court, but of course was beaten in the end.

But Considine is no worse than other men engaged in the variety theater business with no other attachments. Many robberies were reported as having occurred in his theater. Some of these reports were undoubtedly absurd, but no one acquainted at all with the worst characters who 'rustled' in the boxes would doubt that many an intoxicated logger or countryman was stripped of his last dollar.

Considine is a man that, no matter where he is, will have a certain following, and if Spokane gives him a foothold he will be heard from in more ways than one. He is a natural-born politician and always works for the best of it. Considine is not a dissolute man, for he drinks water and chews gum.