THE MIGHTY DOLLAR.

SLOTE SORE AT BEING CALLED A DODO. [Although this play has been severely criticised by the press, in spite of all, it has become a popular fav

orite; and despite the splendid acting of Mr. W. J. Florence in Captain Cuttle, in the hero of The Ticket of Leave Man, and other characters which he prefers, yet, strange to say, he is likely to descend to posterity as "The Hon. Bardwell Slote" rather than, to him, a more desirable character remembrance.

The Hon. Bardwell Slote, "the cheap Western politician," is really the creation of Mr. Florence; and, although put into play form by Mr. Woolf under the title of The Mighty Dollar, everybody recognizes its parent, father, and foster-father as Mr. Florence.

Knowledge and keen appreciation of the follies and

foibles of human nature are necessary for such produc

tions. Mr. and Mrs. Florence have shown their posses

sion of these qualities, and have made it a great

success.]

SCENE.-MANSION AND GARDEN OF MR. DART.

SLOTE. (Speaks in house.) Join me in the garden. I see what's become of Mrs. Dart. (Enters from house, CLARA.) Ah, there you are, my lady, enjoying the cool air of the evening; all alone, too. I wish I had known it; I would have hastened to help you beguile the tedium of your loneliness.

CLARA. (Crossing to house.) Pardon me, my guests require my presence. (Turns, bows on step, and exits.)

SLOTE. Certainly, my dear lady; attend to your guests by all means. That's a remarkably fine woman, but just a trifle too high-strung. One of the kind that you have to talk dictionary to, and keep your eye on your etiquette. No calling for soup twice at her table. Oh, no! That's a woman who wouldn't give a healthy laugh if she could. Whenever I see a woman-(Sees Roland.) Ah! Humph! along-in the garden: something R. Q.-rather queer. This is one of the penalties an old man pays for marrying a young wife. To be eventually referred to the Committee on Judiciary. I wonder who this young man is. Gad, I'll find out. Fine night, Judge.

ROLAND. Well, sir?

SLOTE. Why, it's Mr. Vance. I did not know you. Couldn't stand the heat of the ball-room, I suppose; my case exactly. You look pale; not ill, hope. Up late at night. Ah, I see how it is.

VOL. V.-W. H.

You newspaper men do have a hard time of it, so do we statesmen.

ROLAND. Excuse me, Mr. Slote, but I am not ill.

SLOTE. Not ill; well, I am glad to hear it, and now that we are alone I want you to give me a few hours, while we talk about the tariff bill.

ROLAND. (Taking his arm from Slote.) Excuse me, Mr. Slote, if I cannot enter upon this subject at present. Good-night, sir. (Turning at step.) GOOD-NIGHT, SIR.

No

SLOTE. Good-night, sir. That's a D. S. -a dead shake. I'd like to clip that young man's wings; in fact, I'd like to clip the wings of the entire newspaper brood; they make it impossible for an ambitious legislator to obtain the perafford to come to Washington for the quisites of office; as though he could honor of the thing-and his salary. sooner does a man begin to look after his own interests than they set up a howl about rings, bribery, corruption, etc. Confound them, they robbed me of thousands. Here, for instance, was a financial party, a perfect J. J. A.-John Jacob Astor-wanted to build a railroad solely for the benefit of his fellow-men, and so confident was he of the success of his scheme, that he professed himself ready to back up his opinion with $10,000, which was to be forfeited to me in case the bill passed. Now, when a man is willing to take such risks on the strength of his ability, when, I say, a man is prepared for such a sacrifice of H. K.-hard cash-is it for me to discourage him? No, sir, not by a G. F.-jugful-and the bill would have gone through; but just then out come these newspapers, with their howl about corruption, bottomless schemes, etc., and frightened the man off, railroad and all. So, to indulge in highly figurative language, knocked the lining out of that. I have suffered so, not once, but twenty times, and yet they talk about corruption in Congress. Why, I've never been corrupted once, and what's more, I'm not likely to be, if these newspapers are to be encouraged. Liberty of the press! I'd press them. If I had my way I'd put all those newspapers down P. D. Q.-pretty damned quick. But I owe this Vance a special grudge for having referred to me in his paper as a political Dodo. A Dodo! I, the Honorable Bardwell Slote, member from the Cohosh District, a Dodo! I

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