Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Today -100: July 21, 1921: The most Illinois story ever


Massachusetts Attorney General J. Weston Allen rules that the 19th Amendment didn’t overturn the state’s ban on women holding office.

Illinois Gov. Lennington “Len” Small and Lt Gov. Fred Sterling are indicted on charges of embezzling public funds, conspiracy to defraud the state, and running a con game. Small is accused of defrauding the state of $2 million and embezzling $1.2 million (some of those acts in conjunction with Sterling and/or other officials). These alleged crimes occurred during the periods Small and Sterling were state treasurer. They used a bank which had actually gone out of existence years before to deposit the state’s daily balances, which were then used to buy short-term notes issued by two meat-packing companies, resulting in profits that Small and Sterling kept. Small says the attorney general only came after him because Small didn’t let him use public money for his political machine. Small’s enemies point out that if he committed crimes before the November 1920 election, he wasn’t qualified for office and hence isn’t actually governor. Anyway, Small will be acquitted after using the age-old defense tactic of giving most of the jury jobs with the state. Both Small and Sterling will be re-elected.

Members of a farmworkers union round up and expel 58 Japanese field workers in Turlock, California.

New York Gov. Nathan Miller appoints the heads of the new film censorship commission.  Former lt. gov. George Cobb will be head, Joseph Levenson secretary, and a Mrs Eli Hosmer, noted Buffalo clubwoman, will be a commission member. Levenson says films should promote “Americanization” of immigrants to counter the “pernicious influence” of the foreign press, which is “socialistic, communistic and Bolshevistic.” Ic. The NYT notes that none of the 3 have any particular expertise in the movie industry and are basically political appointments (they’re all Republican, for a start).

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