Today -100: August 9, 1913: Of impeachments, truces, Spigoties, and the Infra-Red Rays of Doom

More evidence suggests that NY Gov. Sulzer’s Wall Street investment account grew quite fat from diverted campaign funds. Impeachment is now a certainty, driven entirely by the Tammany-controlled wing of his own party, while the Republicans look on pretty much in silence.

Mexican Constitutionalist leader Venustiano Carranza rejects any suggestion of a truce pending elections in October (this is believed to be the proposal Gov. Lind is bringing from Pres. Wilson). Carranza says that the Huerta Junta is not a legally constituted government.

British Prime Minister Henry Asquith meets with a deputation of non-militant women’s suffragists. He says that he will do nothing for women’s suffrage in the current parliamentary session and that if anything were done in future sessions he would leave office rather than be a part of it. However, he told them that if they were able to persuade “the judgment of the people,” their opponents would not be able to stand against them. He fails to explain what proof of this persuasion he would accept.

Historical Epithet of the Day -100: Spigoty. It’s what Americans in Panama call the natives: Spigoties with their Spigoty ways. It’s supposed to be derived from the Panamanians’ attempts to speak English. Seems to be linguistically related to “spic.”

An Italian scientist named Ulivi who works for the French government announces that he has invented a ray-gun that can set off mines, torpedoes, and gunpowder from a distance of 15 miles, which will make warfare impossible. Phew.

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