Today -100: June 8, 1924: If government extravagance, hartebeests, ronin gangs, and dry and radiated conventions

Pres. Coolidge vetoes a bill to increase the salary of postal workers, saying “Government extravagance must stop” and that taxpayers are “paying all that it is possible for them to pay.” I hope he isn’t expecting anything important in the mail anytime soon.

The Earl of Athlone, the governor-general of South Africa and, of course, a member of the extended royal family, is wounded by a hartebeest while hunting. Princess Alice kills it. The hartebeest, not the earl, although that would be a great Agatha Christie novel. Death on the Veldt.

Japanese protesting the US’s racist immigration law break up a dance held by foreigners at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, and others – “gangs of ronin” – stop cinemas showing American films.

The NYT expects its readers to know the word ronin without an explanation. I wonder where they would have come across it.

Republican leaders are unable to quell efforts to force the National Convention to take a position on the Klan next week. There may also be a fight over watering down, er, light wine & beering down Prohibition.

Federal and Ohio prohibition agents are working to keep the Republican National Convention in Cleveland dry. The NYPD plan to do the same for the Dems and have already started arresting suspicious characters, who judges will hold without bail until the Dem convention is over.

Former Republican Louisiana Gov. H.C. Warmoth (elected 1868 at 26 years old, impeached 1872) tries to have the R. Convention unseat the Louisiana delegation, saying there is no real R. party in the state: fewer than 1% of registered voters are R’s and there are no R elected officials. He loses, but threatens to bring it up on the floor.

The convention will be the first to feature microphones and to be broadcast on radio (18 stations as far west as Kansas City, with commentary on WEAF by Graham McNamee, the guy who invented play-by-play sportscasting) and to have photos sent over the wire.

French President Alexandre Millerand has been trying to pick a new prime minister, only to be turned down by several people. Finally, he’s found someone willing to take the job: former finance minister Frédéric François-Marsal. Congratulations, Freddy!

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