Today -100: January 29, 1911: Of guillotines, crimes passionelles, matches, badgers, and bigamists

A Paris jury sentences a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old to the guillotine for killing a bank collector. “Alluding to the different prison régime to which they would be henceforth subjected, one of them said: ‘Now, at last we can play cards,’ and the other added, ‘Yes, and drink wine.’”

France is moving to change the law – yes, an actual written law – allowing a husband to kill his wife’s lover. It may also equalize the law of adultery. At present a husband guilty of adultery can only be fined around $5, while a wife can be imprisoned.

A (unnamed by the NYT) London newspaper says that there are many more pretty British women now (-100) than there were a year ago. It attributes this to their getting more rest because there have been fewer parties and bridge has gotten less popular. I think the fewer parties thing is because the death of Edward VII put a crimp on the London season.

At the strong request of President Taft, The Diamond Match Company (aka, the Match Trust), has granted everybody free use of its patent for matches manufactured without white phosphorus. Match workers tended to get poisoned, which produced something called phossy jaw (do an image search in your favorite search engine if you want to be grossed out).

Disappointing Headline of the Day -100: “Banker Badger Victim.” A couple kidnapped a banker and forced him to write a check (but he was able to throw a help note out the window). No actual badgers involved.

King George V has instituted criminal libel proceedings against Edward Mylius (that is, a criminal trial, not a civil suit; Mylius has been in prison since December) for reports in the republican newspaper The Liberator (printed in Paris) that the king is a bigamist, having married the daughter of an admiral.

The people of Egypt have rights that are universal

Obama made a statement about Egypt, after having spoken by phone with Hosni Mubarak. He had the difficult task of trying to give the appearance of supporting democracy in Egypt without actually suggesting that its undemocratic government step down.

AND THE PEOPLE OF THE UNIVERSE HAVE RIGHTS THAT ARE EGYPTIAN: “The people of Egypt have rights that are universal.”

One of those rights is evidently access to the internet and social networking sites, which Obama called on the government to restore.

VERY CLEAR: “So I want to be very clear in calling upon the Egyptian authorities to refrain from any violence against peaceful protestors.”

RESPONSIBILITY: “[T]hose protesting in the streets have a responsibility to express themselves peacefully. Violence and destruction will not lead to the reforms that they seek.” You’ll notice that he’s okay with cops using violence against non-peaceful protesters, but not with the demonstrators resisting brutal repression. Just as in his Cairo speech in ‘09, Obama is insisting that violence and revolution are not legitimate means of opposing barbaric, illegitimate dictatorships. That’s what Twitter accounts are for, I guess.

IS THAT THE SAME AS A SPUTNIK MOMENT? “this moment of volatility has to be turned into a moment of promise.”

RESPONSIBILITY: “When President Mubarak addressed the Egyptian people tonight, he pledged a better democracy and greater economic opportunity. I just spoke to him after his speech and I told him he has a responsibility to give meaning to those words, to take concrete steps and actions that deliver on that promise.” Actually, as the unelected dictator, the only “responsibility” he has is to step the fuck down.

WHAT’S NEEDED RIGHT NOW: “What’s needed right now are concrete steps that advance the rights of the Egyptian people: a meaningful dialogue between the government and its citizens...” The citizens told the government to fuck off, is that not meaningful enough for you? You’ll notice he’s not calling for a free, open, transparent democratic election to replace the government so there’s a legitimate basis for that meaningful dialogue. “...and a path of political change that leads to a future of greater freedom and greater opportunity and justice for the Egyptian people.” Not actual freedom and opportunity and justice, just a “path of political change,” i.e., a slow gradual process whose purpose is to put off freedom and opportunity and justice for as long as possible.

MORE PYRAMIDS BUILT BY SLAVE LABOR? “Put simply, the Egyptian people want a future that befits the heirs to a great and ancient civilization.”

AND THAT’S WHY THEY STOCK UP ON TANKS AND AMERICAN-MADE TEAR GAS: “Around the world governments have an obligation to respond to their citizens.”

Well then he won’t refer to you as a toadying moron

Vice President Biden on Hosni Mubarak, 2011: “[He] has been an ally of ours in a number of things. And he’s been very responsible on, relative to geopolitical interest in the region, the Middle East peace efforts; the actions Egypt has taken relative to normalizing relationship with – with Israel. … I would not refer to him as a dictator.”

Vice President Bush to Ferdinand Marcos, 1981: “We love your adherence to democratic principles and to democratic processes.”

“In other words”.... Where have I heard that before?

George Bush will be interviewed by C-SPAN Sunday on the subject of why he doesn’t want to be interviewed by C-SPAN: “It’s tough enough to be president as it is without a former president undermining the current president. Plus, I don’t want to do that. In other words, in spite of the fact that I’m now on TV, I don’t want to be on TV.”

Today -100: January 28, 1911: Of revolutions, invasions, and expositions

A NYT editorial notes that the rebellions in Mexico and Honduras have received finances and arms from within the United States, and claims that neither country shows “any signs of genuine political revolution.”

Washington’s lower house votes to make women eligible for jury duty.

9 days ago I reported that Colombia had invaded Peru. Haven’t seen another word about that since, but now evidently Peru has invaded Ecuador (or, if you believe Peru, Ecuador attacked Peru).

Massive protest in Guayaquil, Ecuador, against the proposed lease of the Galapagos to the US.

Taft assures senators from the Pacific states that the re-negotiated treaty with Japan will “tacitly” allow existing restrictions on Japanese immigration to continue. Last November Taft met California Governor-Elect Hiram Johnson and asked him to get Californians not to stir up a racist fuss against the Japanese, in return for the forthcoming Panama Exposition being held in San Francisco.

Today -100: January 27, 1911: Of diriplanes, racial exclusion, women’s suffrage, and tariffs

A Lt. H.E. Honeywell is trying to make a combination airplane-dirigible, which he will call.... the diriplane. Good luck with that, lieutenant.

Another aviation first with military applications: Glenn Curtiss has taken off from the water (San Diego Bay) and landed on water. The military is still thinking of planes mostly in terms of aerial observation and scouting.

A US-Japanese treaty from 1894 is due to expire in 1912 and needs to be re-negotiated. Japan is demanding that the provision allowing racist US immigration laws be removed. Japan is basically happy to continue its agreement to restrict emigration to the US but doesn’t like the stigma of the racial exclusion laws.

President Taft has received a petition from prominent Jews demanding that the State Dept end its practice of not issuing passports to American Jews intending to visit Russia (which would not honor them).

The California state senate approves women’s suffrage 33-5.

I probably should mention the treaty with Canada for reciprocity of tariffs. There, I’ve mentioned it.

Well?

Is everyone winning the future yet? If not, get on with it. The future won’t win itself, you know.

Today -100: January 26, 1911: Of revolutions and dock workers

The NYT has finally stopped pooh-poohing the Mexican Revolution. After a slow start, the insurrectos have been defeating the military every time they’ve engaged recently, and have just captured the border town of San Ignacio, 40 miles from El Paso.

The Sherman Anti-Trust Act is again used against a union. Members of the New Orleans Dock and Cotton Council are convicted of conspiracy to interfere with foreign commerce for a strike against a steamer that had been loaded by non-union longshoremen.

State of the Union Address 2011: Poised for Progress

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