Today -100: October 27, 1920: There are some classes of social equality which cannot be

Terence MacSwiney’s family and Sinn Féin plan to hold a really big funeral.

Ohio Gov. James Cox says MacSwiney “died as a martyr.”

Harding denies that financier Washington D. Vanderlip is representing him in negotiating with Lenin for oil and coal concessions in Siberia in exchange for recognition of the Bolshevik government, as Vanderlip reportedly told Lenin. “I have never heard of Mr. Vanderlip,” Harding says. The State Dept heard about Vanderlip’s activities from its commissioner in Riga, who heard about them from H.G. Wells, who heard about them from Lenin during a recent trip to the Soviet Union. It would be nice to know when exactly the State Dept heard this, since Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby is releasing the “news” suspiciously close to election day. (Update: Wells will deny ever having spoken with the US commissioner in Riga, or indeed ever having been in Riga, but says he did meet Vanderlip and talked about him with Lenin).

Cox accuses Republicans of making promises to the “Afro-American Party” which they don’t intend to carry out. “There are some classes of social equality which cannot be, to quote the words of the immortal Lincoln, ‘We do not want the negroes to be slaves, but that does not mean that we want negro women for our wives.’” (Don’t know if that’s a real quote.)

The League of Nations adopts a plan for a World Court, although a case can only reach the Court if both sides consent. And the cases won’t establish precedents.

After next month’s elections the Greek cabinet will, assuming they win, offer the throne to monkey victim Alexander’s little brother Paul, who is 18. They’ll appoint a regent until Paul returns from exile to take the throne, which I suspect they believe he won’t do. Paul says he’ll have to ask his dad, deposed king Constantine. One condition the government is putting on this offer is that Constantine finally formally abdicates and renounces the throne, and that Paul’s older brother George, Duke of Sparta, do the same. It might be easier just to crown the monkey.

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