Today -100: December 7, 1923: Down with imposition!

Calvin Coolidge gives his State of the Union (still not called that) Speech. “For us peace reigns everywhere.” How nice for us. He is against joining the League of Nations but for the World Court, with qualifications. He is for tax cuts (boy is he for tax cuts). He is against the bonus for veterans. He wants to build up the Coast Guard – with power boats! fun! – to fight booze smuggling. He won’t recognize Soviet Russia, but has nothing against US citizens doing business with it. He favors an anti-lynching law, though not at great length.

British elections: Stanley Baldwin’s Tories lose 80 seats in Parliament, bringing them to 258. Ramsay MacDonald’s Labour Party gains 49 seats, bringing them to 191, and David Lloyd George’s Liberals gain 43 seats, bringing them to 158. No one has close to a majority.

Frederick Pethick Lawrence, whose career in electoral politics was stalled by his pre-war involvement in the militant women’s suffrage movement and perhaps by his pacifism during the war, and will later be the last Secretary of State for India before it receives independence, enters Parliament at 51 after defeating Winston Churchill. During World War II Pethick Lawrence will be briefly Leader of the Opposition (the small part of the Labour Party that didn’t join the National Government), facing Churchill during prime minister’s questions.

Labour Party Secretary Arthur Henderson loses his seat (although two of his sons win seats), as does Sir Reginald “Blinker” Hall, who ran Naval Intelligence and the code-breaking Room 40 during the Great War.

Lady Astor retains her seat.

Secretary of Labour Sir Clement Anderson Montague-Barlow, which is not a very secretary-of-labour name, loses his Salford seat to, hm, Labour Party member Joseph Toole, which is a very labor-type name.

The Liberals’ position is weakened, despite its increase in MPs, by the loss of many of Lloyd George’s closest associates.

The number of women MPs increases from 3 to 8, including future first female Cabinet member Margaret Bondfield (Lab).

A revolution starts in Mexico, as was the custom. The cause is the attempt of Pres. Álvaro Obregón to impose Gen. Plutarco Calles as his replacement next year (Obregón is not allowed to run for re-election). It’s led by Finance Minister Adolfo de la Huerta. Motto: Down with imposition! It is expected that Obregón will declare himself dictator.

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