Today -100, December 2, 1909: Of diplomatic breaks, startled mules, what the black cat said to the monkey, and pshaws

Taft breaks off diplomatic relations with Zelaya’s government and opens “unofficial” relations with the Estradaites (General Estrada, by the way, is governor of Zelaya province) while telling the charge d’affaires of the Zelaya government, who he just broke off official relations with, that he can, if he likes, continue to represent his government unofficially. In other words, the US will put both sides on an equal footing. The NYT notes that this is rather unusual, and further that it is being done on the basis of allegations (that Cannon and Groce were tortured before their execution) that even the US admits have not been proved.

Secretary of State Philander C. Knox’s letter to the Nicaraguan charge d’affaires says that Zelaya has “almost continuously kept Central America in tension of turmoil”, that public opinion and the press in Nicaragua have been “throttled,” and that “prison has been the reward of any tendency to real patriotism.” Appeal for intervention has been made to the US by a majority of Central American republics, the letter says, and also “through the revolution, of a great body of the Nicaraguan people.” Indeed, “the revolution represents the ideals and the will of a majority of the Nicaraguan people more faithfully than does the Government of President Zelaya”.

A Norwegian ship has arrived in Nicaragua from New York with arms for the rebels.

Two of the striking women waistshirt strikers snuck into a shirtwaist factory that was still operating (on the 8th floor of a building on W. 20th Street) and yelled Fire, creating a panic.

Speaker of the House Joseph Cannon, asked by reporters about rumor that he intends to step down, says “And the black cat said to the monkey, hurrah.” Whatever that might mean.

The Spanish Episcopate has petitioned the Spanish government to close all secular schools in the country.

At the AAA annual meeting this week -100, one reason mentioned for the need for stricter driving laws was the tendency for reckless driving to provoke violence. Well, in Georgia today -100, a black preacher got into a shoot-out with a presumably white automotist whose car startled the mules on his wagon. A mob tracked him down and burned him at the stake. They let him pray first.

Rockefeller denies taking the purported plot against him seriously. “Pshaw!” he said.

I miss the days when people said “pshaw,” don’t you?