Today -100: September 7, 1917: One city, one loyalty, one people

Germany and Austria have decided that, since Poles seem to be unwilling to volunteer to be soldiers for them, they won’t get an independent state after all, and Poland will continue to be partitioned, though between 2 countries rather than 3, with Germany getting 1/10th of Russian Poland and Austria the rest. Austria will proclaim a new kingdom of Poland, with its emperor getting the crown, to add to his collection of pretty, pretty crowns; the Dual Monarchy will become the Threesome Triple Monarchy. Poland will get its own subordinate parliament, so Polish deputies will be kicked out of the Austrian Reichsrat, making that body less Slavic and more Germanic in composition.

When Kaiser Wilhelm visited occupied Brussels last week, the Bruxellois ignored a “request” to fly flags and instead put out “closed for national mourning” signs.

The feds raid the offices of four Chicago newspapers, which the NYT describes as socialist but at least 3 of which are German-language.

A Gertrude Goodstein of Brooklyn admits to bigamy but says she thought her first marriage was dissolved by the fact that her husband did not support her. She’s coming forward because she’s heard that he’s claiming exemption from the draft because she’s dependent on him, which she isn’t. Oh, and she’s 15. The first marriage was contracted when she was 13.

Chicago Mayor Big Bill Thompson feels a little beleaguered. He’s suing the Chicago Herald for $250,000. The Herald says, “We accept the compliment.” Thompson says his enemies have bored holes in his walls to install dictographs.

Hungary orders foreigners to leave Budapest. This includes Austrians, particularly from Vienna, who have moved there because food is more freely available.

Headline of the Day -100: 

The mayor’s Commission on National Defense claims that NYC is 80% foreign in birth or speech and must be Americanized. “One city, one loyalty, one people” is their slogan. Which, ironically, sounds better in the original German.

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