Today -100: November 5, 1914: Subordinate to our rules and desires

This is the 5th anniversary of my first Today -100 post.

Headline I Really Didn’t Want to Click On of the Day -100:  “Wants Cat Skins for War.”

Okay, now I really want Germany to lose.

Headline of the Day -100:  “PICK OFF RUSSIAN OFFICERS.; German Soldiers Then Have to Stand Revengeful Bayonet Charges.”  Another London Standard propaganda story, the gist of which is that Russian soldiers love their officers and that Germans hate hand-to-hand fighting, preferring to take pot-shots from a distance, because they’re cowards.

Headline of the Day -100:  “French Officers Swordless.”  Not a euphemism.  Because of that pot-shot thing, they’re trying to be less conspicuous.  Their new uniforms will be indistinguishable from those of the grunts (poilus, to use the French term coming into use right about now).  Officers are also ordered to lead from the rear, because they’re so much more valuable than the poilus.

Mrs. Arthur Dodge of the National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage says the elections show that women’s suffrage is doomed.  In addition to losing 5 of the 7 state referenda, none of the 18 anti-suffrage members of Congress targeted by the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage lost their seats.

Turkey breaks off relations with Britain, France, Russia and Serbia.  Russia invades Armenia.  The London Daily Chronicle says “The campaign in this wild, mountainous Armenian region will mean considerable hardship at this season of the year, but it will certainly be a most picturesque episode of the great war.”  So that's okay then.

Gen. Paul von Hindenburg says “The war will not end until all the nations who are fighting against us have become subordinate to our rules and desires.”

Woodrow Wilson warns the people of the part of Arkansas into which he’s sending federal troops against “doing, countenancing, encouraging, or taking any part in such unlawful obstructions, combinations, and assemblages” and says they should return to their homes.

The British government pays Orville Wright £15,000 to settle his patent-infringement case and to cover any future use of airplane-related patents.

Walter Lanfersieck, executive secretary of the Socialist Party, is happy with the election results.  One Socialist congressman, several state legislators and city council members.  But with the general collapse of the Progressive Party, “There is now no place for honest Progressives to go but to the Socialist Party.”

The German minister of war bans the use of Boy Scouts in the field.  They have been used up to now to bring food, ammunition and such to the troops.

NYC Mayor Mitchel (a Democrat) says the poor showing of Democrats in the state’s elections shows that Tammany’s Boss Murphy must go.  Boss Murphy disagrees.

Elsewhere in fixing-the-blame news, the White House says congressional election losses were down to the changes made in tariffs.

Don't see comments? Click on the post title to view or post comments.