Today -100: July 25, 1914: Of letters, ultimata, volunteers, and Hawaiians

The Madame Caillaux trial continues. Yesterday Joseph Caillaux’s first wife, after a display of reluctance so theatrical it’s hard to believe it was innocent, handed the two remaining letters that Calmette hadn’t published at the time of his untimely demise over to the defense lawyer Fernand Labori, putting him in the position of either using letters that put the Caillauxes in a bad light (they were written by Joseph to Henriette to Henriette while he was still married to Berthe) or looking like he was suppressing them. For now, after Berthe repeatedly refuses to take them back, he’s keeping them under wraps.

Imperial Arrogance of the Day -100: “The Haitian and Dominican situations are being closely watched by American naval officers on the scene, who have given stiff warnings to the combatants in both island republics that peace must soon be restored and that no interference with foreigners or their property will be tolerated.”

The Colorado Democratic Party county assemblies are meeting to elect the state assembly which will name the party’s candidates. Everyone wants to (and will) dump Gov. Elias Ammons, whose siding with the bosses during the coal mine strike/Ludlow Massacre looks like costing the party working-class votes for some reason.

Germany says the Austria/Serbia kerfuffle is Austria’s business and it won’t involve itself... Unless, of course, some other Power involves itself and prevents Austria getting satisfaction from Serbia.

Some other Power, aka Russia, asks Austria to extend the ultimatum it gave Serbia, implying war to defend its client if Austria refuses.

There are demonstrations against war in Vienna, where the people think that Germany is pushing an unwilling Austrian government into provoking war so that it can start a “preventive” war with Russia. Austria is calling its reservists outside of the country to join their units.

Also preparing for mobilization: the Ulster Volunteers, as the conference called by King George to end the Northern Ireland crisis fails. The Irish Nationalists were more or less willing to concede the exclusion of Ulster, but no agreement could be reached on how many counties that means. County Tyrone (which is majority Catholic) was an especial sticking point.

Prince Jonah Kuhio, Hawaii’s delegate to Congress, campaigns for re-election for a 7th term. He says the native Hawaiians should vote for a Hawaiian: “If the Haoles [pale-skinned devilswhites] had a majority here they certainly would elect a white delegate.”

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