Today -100: December 26, 1909: Of death, payment for MPs, and exile

Mark Twain’s daughter Jean died.

The House of Lords in its judicial capacity rules that it is illegal for unions to finance Labour Party MPs. MPs were not paid a salary at this time and Labour MPs, unlike those of other parties we could mention, tended not to be independently wealthy. And, um, if this needs saying, there were no Labour members of the House of Lords.

Former Nicaraguan president Zelaya goes into exile aboard a Mexican gunboat.