Sunday, April 05, 2015

Today -100: April 5, 1915: Of bribes, falabas, dye, pencil cases, and spats & hats


Prince Bernhard von Bülow, the former foreign minister and chancellor of Germany who is now ambassador to Italy, is trying to mediate between Austria and Italy to keep Italy out of the war. Austria has been saying it’s willing to cede territory (no it’s not, or at least the emperor is not) but that in order to assure Italy’s continued neutrality it would only hand it over after the war is victoriously concluded. Von Bülow is suggesting a compromise by which Switzerland would occupy the territory until the war is over. I don’t think anyone’s asked Switzerland what they think about this. (A version of this proposal later in the month would have the Pope rather than Switzerland do it, although again I don’t think anyone asked the pope first).

The London Morning Post claims there was much celebrating in Germany over the sinking of the Falaba, but that the German censors banned mention of it because it would look bad to the neutral countries.

The archbishop of Canterbury agrees with the king that British workers should really stop drinking. Independent Labour Party leaders Keir Hardie and Fred Jowett call this dissing of working class drinking habits insulting.

The New York constitutional convention opens tomorrow. Lawyers want imprisonment for debt abolished.

Thomas Edison is getting into the dye business, to take advantage of the disruption to German trade.

Thomas Crozier, foreman of a lumber company in New Jersey, wants to get bail so he can attend Billy Sunday’s services (he made the sawdust for Sunday’s tabernacle) after he shot a black man. He doesn’t get it.

Queen Mary will give every man in the Royal Navy a pencil case made out of a used cartridge.

Headline of the Day -100:


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