Today -100: December 28, 1911: Of bastards getting off scot-free

The owners of the Triangle Waist Company, Isaac Harris and Max Blanck, are acquitted of manslaughter for the Triangle fire. Money well spent on the most expensive lawyer in New York, Max Steuer, who charged them at least $10,000 each, and money also well spent on the cheapest perjurous witnesses. Also, the judge’s charge to the jury set a ridiculously high barrier for conviction: they would have to find that the door was locked, that Harris & Blanck knew it was locked, and that the door being locked was responsible for the deaths. The judge, as it happens, had been the NYC Tenement House commissioner in 1905 and wound up taking the fall and being forced to resign following a fire which killed 20 people in a building whose fire escapes had been boarded over (which I know from a book; it is not reported by the NYT).

President Taft modifies an executive order regulating the practice of medicine in the Panama Canal Zone in order to allow Christian Scientists “healing.” The NYT castigates him for it.

Former President Roosevelt sent a furious seven-page refusal to attend a Citizens’ Peace Dinner, which I’m curious to read. He will only tell reporters that he’s not going because “I’m not hungry.”

Mongolian and Turkestan declare independence from China and are expected to be annexed by Russia.

The health officers of Lenoxdale, Massachusetts have banned kissing on New Year’s Eve because of a diphtheria outbreak. And they’re killing any dogs and cats found outside.

Headline of the Day -100 (Memphis Appeal, reprinted in the LAT): “Oyster Drowns a Duck.”

Today -100: December 27, 1911: Of attitudes of growing hostility

Headline of the Day -100: “Russians Continue to Slay Persians.” According to the article, “The Persian attitude is declared to be one of growing hostility.”

James Wickersham, the (Republican) delegate of the District of Alaska to the Congress, says “President Taft imagines the way to develop Alaska is to turn it over to the money interests. ... He would have a second great East India Company, which would not only control all of our resources, but our Government as well.” He wants Alaska to have its own elected government.

Women are asked not to linger in this area

If there’s one thing this blog enjoys – and this blog is not ashamed to admit it – it’s pictures of ultra-Orthodox Jews protesting in Israel, which they did today in support of segregation of the sexes and forcing women to cross the street so they don’t walk in front of synagogues and pollute them, and to not dress like whores, like an 8-year-old girl interviewed on tv about how she’s been repeatedly screamed at on her way to school for dressing “immodestly.” This is her.


Look at the slut! Look at her!
They also enjoy spitting at women, because of course they do.

Today ultra-Orthodox in Beit Shemesh, 20 miles or so from Jerusalem, rioted, throwing eggs and rocks at police and reporters.

Today -100: December 26, 1911: Of executions, lynchings, massacres, and rebellions – you know, Christmas stories

Gov. Hiram Johnson of California has commuted several death sentences and plans to allow no more executions. He will sponsor legislation to abolish the death penalty.

It’s-Beginning-to-Look-a-Lot-Like-Christmas Headline of the Day -100: “Christmas Lynching in Baltimore Suburb.” A black youth shot a white guy over a game of pool, and later was pulled out of his jail cell (there was no guard at night) and either shot (according the NYT) or hacked to death (LAT).

Russian troops seem to be massacring Persians at Tabriz, even though Persia gave in to all of Russia’s demands.

In Mexico, the rebellion led by Gen. Bernardo Reyes (which I probably should have mentioned at some point) has ended with his surrender, in the form of a telegram which read in part: “I called on the people. I called on the army, and they did not respond, so I must give up.”

Today -100: December 25, 1911: Of campaigns, Russian brides, and doggies

Supporters of President Taft are suggesting that there needs to be some sort of organization to support his renomination by the Republican Party.

A meeting of the Russian immigrant colony in Los Angeles protests the testimony of other Russians in a juvenile court case that “they are in the habit of selling their daughters in marriage to the highest bidders” ($500, if you’re wondering what the price of a 17-year-old Russian girl was in 1911, although this was evidently at the high end).

Remember Hunnewell, Kansas, where Mayor Ella Wilson was locked in battle with the all-male city council? The governor brought suit to oust the councilmen. Since they would have bourne the legal costs if they lost, three resigned immediately, leaving a council without enough members to be able to override Wilson’s vetoes.

Chilling Headline of the Day -100: “Dogs Fails to Catch Negro.”

Merry superficial glitter to you too

As is traditional, Pope Grandpa Simpson complained about “the superficial glitter” of Christmas while surrounded by lots of gold trinkets.


As I imputed to Benny after another of his anti-Xmas rants, “Why, when I was a kid we got a new Hitler Youth uniform and we were happy to get it.”

Today -100: December 24, 1911: Of stirred Italians, the king-emperor’s shooting, stern Russians, pickled meat men, ugly dogs, and president-Santas

The treaty allying Italy with Austria and Germany (the “Triple Alliance”) expires in 1914. France is desperately trying to lure Italy into an alliance with it and Russia, and so has been supporting its little imperial adventure in Libya.

Speaking of which, Headline of the Day -100: “Italians Stirred By War.” I’ll bet they are, I’ll bet they are. Anyone who dares express opposition to the wog-killing (Socialists, mostly) has been beaten up. Students are especially pro-war.

A black man who shot the town marshal in Donaldson, Georgia, is killed by a mob.

Oh no! King George has been shot! “The sparsest details come from India about the King-Emperor’s shooting in Nepal.” Oh, all right, he’s actually been shooting tigers. And rhinoceri. He did it sitting on an elephant, as is the custom.

Russian troops are bombarding the governor’s palace in Tabriz, Persia and generally killing lots of the locals, or, as the NYT’s subhead put it, “Russia Stern to Those Who Attacked Troops – 50 Persians Killed.” Sternly.

NY State Senator Franklin D. Roosevelt says that state government is not a real democracy but a machine legislature run by Tammany. Evidently he’s just now figured this out.

Disturbing Headline of the Day -100: “Pickled Meat Men Win.” The story’s pretty disturbing, too. They were charged with pickling the meat of sick horses and cows and sending it to the Netherlands, but were acquitted because while it would be illegal to sell such meat in the US, it’s not in the Netherlands. The Secret Service was the agency prosecuting them.

Dr. Charles Naughty, Jr. is receiving injections after being bitten by Dr. Charles Bell, who he was treating for rabies. Bell subsequently died.

Xmas story: former judge David Pugh, who served with a West Virginia Union regiment during the Civil War, donates Christmas dinner (chickens, fruit and whatnot) to be distributed to needy Confederate veterans, to “pay back some of the chickens we took down South.”

Xmas Headline of the Day -100: “Ugly Dolls in Demand.” In Britain. Aw, who wouldn’t want a gollywog?

Disappointing Xmas Headline of the Day -100: “Taft Plays Santa Claus.” He gave turkeys and gold pieces and whatnot to various White House staff and secret service, but he did not actually dress as Santa.

Today -100: December 23, 1911: Of retaliation, Roosevelt booms, piracy, cats and chickens

Members of the Russian Duma are threatening to double tariffs on American goods in retaliation for Taft’s abrogation of the US-Russian Treaty of 1832 (which is not entirely unfair, since American tariffs on Russian goods would also increase).

Persia finally accedes to Russia’s ultimatum and fires its American treasurer-general William Morgan-Shuster.

The last week or two, there have been lots of little stories about various mid-level Republican officials and groups of party members calling for the replacement of Taft by Theodore Roosevelt as the party’s 1912 candidate. It’s not quite a movement, and at this stage TR is standing on the sidelines and repeating if asked that he doesn’t intend to run. But the aim of his supporters is clearly to generate a public demand that will make the party realize that no one really likes Taft while many still adulate Roosevelt and that with the country’s trend towards the Democrats, only Roosevelt has a shot in ‘12. The problem is that only a handful of states selected their delegates to the Republican convention through primaries, and the rest will be chosen by a party machine that doesn’t really care what the public thinks and never liked TR, to the point of preferring to see a Democrat in the White House than him.

An Italian cruiser seizes a British steamer near the Suez Canal carrying $150,000 in gold coin being sent to pay Turkish troops in Yemen.

The Corona Cat Skin Company plans to open a cat farm on Long Island. Fuckers.

Headlines of the Day -100: “Chicken Wins Boy’s Pardon” (NYT) and “PLEADS FOR SON’S PARDON: Old Colored Mammy Calls on Georgia Governor with a Christmas Offering” (LAT). A black woman bribes Gov. Slaton of Georgia with a chicken to get a pardon for her son in time for Xmas. (Actually, he doesn’t accept the chicken.)

Headline of the Day

AP: “Secret US Memo Now Key Evidence in Baby Thefts.” Although the headline should have read “US Kept Evidence of Baby-Theft by Argentinian Junta Secret for 30 Years.”

Today -100: December 22, 1911: Let the capitalists count their own dead

“Big Bill” Haywood, in a speech at a Socialist Party meeting at Cooper Union, comes out in favor of direct action and, you know, dynamite as a weapon in the class struggle. Talking about the many deaths because of improperly ventilated mines, he said, “Let the capitalists count their own dead.”

Speaking of counting the dead, the Triangle fire trial continues. Some of the witnesses for the defense have been claiming that the exit was never locked. Today the DA brought out that those witnesses, many of whom previously said the opposite to the authorities, all received substantial wage increases just before the trial started. Funny that.

Russian and Persian troops are fighting.

Mr. and Mrs. John T. Boone get divorced. He complained that she constantly held over his head that she is the great-great-grandniece of Thomas Jefferson, and that her ancestors are, in her opinion, superior to his (he’s a descendant of Daniel Boone).

Headline of the Day -100: “Caruso Hurts His Nose.”

Teaser

Evidently there’s a trailer for the upcoming film version of The Hobbit available on the internet. At least I hope that’s what all the references I’ve seen today to “Hobbit teaser” mean, and that I can soon forget the image that popped into my head when I read that phrase.

Today -100: December 21, 1911: Of roads, Smiths, and excessive bathing

Speaking to the Automobile Club, President Taft insists that it’s not the job of the federal government to build roads, even interstate roads.

The NYT -100 just did not know how to write a proper amusing human interest story. This story about a woman in Middletown, NY who just got married for the third time to a man named Smith – that is, all three of her husbands have been named Smith – fails to tell us what her original last name was.

A Mr. Tilden Pierce of Plymouth, Massachusetts is about to celebrate his 100th birthday. He says people these days are shortening their lives by eating too much pie and taking too many baths. Baths, he says, are “a dangerous practice and bound to sap a fellow’s strength. And if a man allows himself to become so unclean that he has to have a bath twice a week – well, he’d better look out or he’ll soon be dead.” Mr. Pierce has been chewing tobacco since he was 14.

Today -100: December 20, 1911: The mere form of republicanism

There’s a peace conference currently going on in China. Foreign nations are pushing for a continuation of the Manchu monarchy, but with limited powers. NYT editorial: “Certainly the Americans cannot be so enamored of the mere form of republicanism as to wish to see it imposed where the conditions are so unfavorable as they appear to be in China.”

Visiting NYC, President Taft is given a police detail consisting of three bicycle cops. Police Commissioner Waldo said that the president didn’t need any greater guard than the mayor gets (that would be the mayor with the bullet still lodged in his throat).

More field guidance fun

Some pics from the North Korean Central News Agency website for your captioning pleasure.

This one is entitled “Kim Jong Il Gives Field Guidance to Various Domains of South Hamgyong Province.”


And this is “Kim Jong Il inspects Kaeson youth park funfair.”


You have to be this tall to ride...

And check out the footage of “Korean people overcome with grief,” or in the case of that woman hopping up and down, grief plus a strong need to pee.

Today -100: December 19, 1911: Of bread & water, imperialist cooperation, and treaties

An Illinois jury attempts to add a stipulation onto the life sentence it gave a murderer: that on each anniversary of the murder, he be put on bread and water. The judge says no.

Lord Kitchener seals the border between colonial Egypt and Libya, using the pretense of neutrality to aid the Italian imperialists by cutting off the Turkish-Libyan forces’ supply of ammunition, which is almost entirely depleted. Italy, of course, can resupply its troops by sea.

Taft abrogates the treaty with Russia and asks for Senate approval. He moved quickly – and moving quickly is very much not Taft’s thing – to preempt the Sulzer resolution, which passed the House last week and is pending in the Senate but contains language Russia finds offensive, accusing Russia of violating the 1832 treaty by refusing to honor the passports of American Jews. Taft hopes Russia will stop being assholes and negotiate a new treaty before the abrogation takes effect.

The uninterrupted field guidance tour of death

Kim Jong Il dies, according to the North Korean Central News Agency (which uses JavaScript in a way that makes it impossible to give specific story URLs), of “a great mental and physical strain caused by his uninterrupted field guidance tour for the building of a thriving nation.”

If we look back a bit on the site, we see that on Thursday, “Kim Jong Il Gives Field Guidance to Hana Music Information Center.” “He noted with high appreciation that the center has been wonderfully built to show the modern sense of beauty by decorating its exterior with stone through dry construction method and ensuring effective internal building in a versatile way. ... The center should have all materials and data on art such as records of new songs, sheets of music and books on music and dance published in the country, he urged.”

Also on Thursday, “Kim Jong Il Provides Field Guidance to Kwangbok Area Supermarket.” “Saying that the supermarket is fitted with display cases, stands and tools and other facilities and furnishings needed for the storage and sales of goods to cater for the tastes of consumers, he expressed great satisfaction over the successful renovation of the commercial service center to be conducive to improving the standard of people’s living. He went on to say: ‘It is the firm will and determination of the Party to provide the people with things best.’”

His uninterrupted field guidance will be missed.

Today -100: December 18, 1911: Of roast beast

It was evidently traditional in Paris to eat unusual things for Christmas. Last year, it was bear cotolets; the year before, elephant foot. This year, roast camel.

After a “fatiguing ceremony” in which he consecrated a couple of new cardinals, the pope has breakfast with them. This is evidently a major break with tradition, as for several centuries the pope always ate alone. Must have been lonely.

The cost of doing business

In the Haditha Massacre papers the NYT pulled off a garbage dump in Iraq, Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Steve Johnson referred to 15 dead civilians (actually 24) as “just a cost of doing business.” So that’s okay then.

I’m not sure which part of that is the most insultingly dismissive, “a cost of doing business” or “just.”

Today -100: December 17, 1911: Of mutinous caps, block-busting, serial killers, and brief and colorless speeches

A French soldier is sentenced to death for throwing a cap at a superior officer.

A couple of days after yet another story about property-owners in Harlem getting themselves in a tizzy because a black person bought a house on a “white block,” a letter to the editor by the president of something called the Cosmopolitan Society of America suggests that those property-owners should stop their “brutal exhibition of race prejudice” and “exert themselves in unison against the undemocratic, unmanly, irrational superstition which fixes the status of a human being by the trivial accident of the color of his skin”. This is the first time I’ve seen such an opinion expressed in the NYT, which also has an editorial today supporting the use of covenants to ban blacks from certain neighborhoods (while adding that, “From their point of view the negroes are hardly to be blamed. They are taking a smart business revenge, and gaining residences removed from the neighborhoods of the shiftless, diseased, and criminal of their kind, because of the white folks’ prejudice against them.”)

It’s been nearly 6 months since I’ve seen a reference to the Atlanta Jack the Ripper. I’d actually forgotten about him, and so has the NYT, because he’s only murdering black women, but the LAT, in a brief story, reports that he’s just made his 15th attack, and 14th murder.

The Chinese revolutionaries are planning to give the vote to women.

The King’s speech was read to the Houses of Parliament before they were prorogued until February. It was “brief and colorless.” Or possibly colourless.

Republican debate: Concerned about not appearing to be zany

Again, no transcript, and I only saw bits of it, so this won’t be in chronological order.

WE WILL GET IT ON: Everyone wants to debate Obama. Gingrich says Obama will lose in the “seven three-hour debates” that will take place in Gingrich’s mind. Perry says “I hope Obama and I debate a lot. I’ll get there early.” Get there early, why that’s so crazy, it might just work! “We will get it on”. Cue porn music.

HOW ABOUT APPEARING TO BE A LARGE, MISSHAPEN POTATO? Gingrich: “I’m very concerned about not appearing to be zany.”


UTTERLY IRRATIONAL: Gingrich called Obama “utterly irrational to say I’m now going to veto a middle class tax cut [i.e., the payroll tax cut congressional Republicans tied to the Keystone XL pipeline] to protect left-wing environmental extremists in San Francisco...” San Francisco, always with the San Francisco. “...so that we’re going to kill American jobs, weaken American energy, make us more vulnerable to the Iranians and do so in a way that makes no sense to any normal, rational American.” As Adlai Stevenson said, that’s not enough, we need a majority.


Bachmann accused Gingrich of making Baby Jesus cry by saying that life begins at the implantation of the embryo, not at conception: “The Republican party can’t get the issue of life wrong”. As speaker, she says, Gingrich failed to defund Planned Parenthood. And then she accused him of supporting infanticide (as Speaker he argued against pulling party support from Republican candidates who didn’t support banning “partial-birth abortion”).


Santorum accused The Ten Thousand Dollar Man of having, as governor of Massachusetts, “personally... issued gay marriage licenses,” just because gay marriage was legal.

BUT ARE THEY FACTS? Bachmann: “It’s outrageous to say over and over again during the debates to say that I don’t have my facts right. I am a serious candidate for president of the United States and my facts are accurate,” adding, probably, “They’re coming to steal your light bulbs!”


HE WAS PLAYING ANGRY BIRDS ON HIS PHONE UNDER THE PODIUM: “Good Hair” Perry says he’s “ready for the next level.”

THEN HE TACKLED RON PAUL: Perry: “I hope I am the Tim Tebow of the Iowa caucuses.”

GOOD MANNERS COST NOTHING, YOUNG MAN: Romney accused Obama of having “a foreign policy based on pretty please”.


Huntsman: “We have been kicked around as a people. We are getting screwed as Americans.”


MAYBE GOOGLE BOY SHOULDN’T BE USING THE PHRASE “BOTTOM UP”: Santorum: “Medical savings accounts are a bottom up, not top down solution.”

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF TATOOINE: The Ten Thousand Dollar Man: “In the real world that the president has not lived in... not every business succeeds. In the real world, some things don’t make it.” You may be reminded of that later, Mittens.


SO THEY ASPIRE TO EMULATE IRAN? Santorum says Iran is run by a “radical theocracy,” and Bachmann says Iran is led by an “avowed [sic] madman” and wants to “set up a worldwide caliphate” (and Romney keeps calling for an “American Century” – what’s your point?).

THAT’S A TRICK QUESTION, RIGHT? Ron Paul, though, asks, “Why do we have to bomb so many countries?” He says “We don’t need another war.” Hey, we don’t need a flat-screen tv, we don’t need another donut, but we’re Americans, dammit.


BUT THOSE ARE THE FUNNEST PARTS OF THE JOB: Ron Paul: “I don't want to police individual activities or lifestyle, and I don't want to run the economy.”

LET’S ALL GO TO THE LOBBY: Gingrich says he did “no lobbying of any kind” for Freddie Mac. Hell, he didn’t need to, because he was rich from giving speeches and writing all these “best-selling books”. Readers: have any of you actually bought one of these “best-selling” books? Has anyone you know ever bought one? Bachmann says “You don’t need to be within the technical definition of being a lobbyist to still be influence-peddling”. Wait, did Crazy Eyes just say something that made sense? Gingrich says that “There are a lot of government-sponsored enterprises that are awfully important and do an awfully good job.” I’m assuming his candidacy is now over.


Everyone hates the courts. Gingrich calls the 9th Circuit “anti-American” because of that 2002 Pledge of Allegiance decision and says courts have become “grotesquely dictatorial.” Envy much? He wants to fire judges that disagree with him, and order them to come to Congress to explain any decisions he dislikes. Bachmann denies that the courts are the final arbiters of law (fuck Marbury v. Madison!), praises Iowans for voting down the justices who supported gay marriage.