France, effective on this day, reduced the workday for women and children from 12 hours to 11 hours.
Current American Republicans would likely find that abhorrent.
The law provided further that on April 1, 1902, the workday would go to 101⁄2 hours and to ten hours by April 1, 1904.
Father Leonardo Murialdo, 71, founder of the Congregation of Saint Joseph died.. He was canonized by Pope Paul VI on May 3, 1970.
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South Africa's best general, Piet Joubert, died of peritonitis at age 68.
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Delegates from the Social Democratic Party and the Socialist Labor Party founded a Socialist Party in the US.
The party would prove to be a significant one up until World War One, and then it would decline thereafter, although it still exists.
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Willis L. Moore, Chief of the U.S. Weather Bureau, issued Instruction No. 51 declaring that "The smoking of cigarettes in the offices of the Weather Bureau is hereby prohibited. Officials in charge of stations will rigidly enforce this order, and will also include in their semiannual confidential reports information as to those of their assistants who smoke cigarettes outside of office hours."
It's interesting that it seems to have been limited to cigarettes.
Press Clay Southworth, 14, shot the last wild passenger pigeon near his farm in Sargents, Ohio,
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The Rif War came to an end in Spain with Spain victorious.
The Sitka National Monument was established.
Japanese film maker Akira Kurosawa was born.
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Dr. Karl Landsteiner's published his report on his discovery of a process for classification of the four blood groups under the ABO blood group system (as A, B, AB and O), "Zur Kenntnis der antifermentativen, lytischen und agglutinierenden Wirkungen des Blutserums und der Lymphe".
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. probably will declare it a fib and order up a healthy bowl of beef tallow.
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The US abolished slavery on Guam.
US forces landed at Tagbilaran in the Philippines.
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The Second Philippine Commission was formed with McKinley appointed William H. Taft at its head. The commission was instructed by McKinley to work towards successful independence.
There's yet another lesson for claimed Chief Executive Trump, who has totally failed to grasp the thought behind President McKinley's tariff policies, which were to wipe out a government surplus by depressing trade. McKinley wasn't an imperialist and was attempting to bring a country to independence even while we were fighting its independence movement.
McKinley, it might be noted, was an intelligent man, not rich, who had served his country in wartime.
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The Soviet–Japanese Basic Convention between the Soviet Union and Japan was signed. It provided:
JAPAN and the UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS, desiring to promote relations of good neighbourhood and economic co-operation between them, have resolved to conclude a Convention embodying basic rules in regulation of such relations and, to that end, have appointed as their Plenipotentiaries, that is to say :
His MAJESTY THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN :
Kenkichi YOSHIZAWA, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Republic of China, Jushii, a member of the First Class of the Imperial Order of the Sacred Treasure ;
THE CENTRAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS :
Lev Mikhailovitch KARAKHAN, Ambassador to the Republic of China ;
Who, having communicated to each other their respective full powers, found to be in good and due form, have agreed as follows :
Article I.
The High Contracting Parties agree that, with the coming into force of the present Convention, diplomatic and consular relations shall be established between them.
Article II.
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics agrees that the Treaty of Portsmouth of September 5th, 1905, shall remain in full force.
It is agreed that the Treaties, Conventions and Agreements, other than the said Treaty of Portsmouth, which were concluded between Japan and Russia prior to November 7, 1917, shall be re-examined at a Conference to be subsequently held between the Governments of the High Contracting Parties and are liable to revision or annulment as altered circumstances may require.
Article III.
The Governments of the High Contracting Parties agree that, upon the coming into force of the present Convention, they shall proceed to the revision of the Fishery Convention of 1907, taking into consideration such changes as may have taken place in the general conditions since the conclusion of the said Fishery Convention.
Pending the conclusion of a convention so revised, the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics shall maintain the practices established in 1924 relating to the lease of fishery lots to Japanese subjects.
Article IV.
The Governments of the High Contracting Parties agree that, upon the coming into force of the present Convention, they shall proceed to the conclusion of a treaty of commerce and navigation in conformity with the principles hereunder mentioned, and that, pending the conclusion of such a treaty, the general intercourse between the two countries shall be regulated by those principles.
(1) The subjects or citizens of each of the High Contracting Parties shall, in accordance with the laws of the country : (a) have full liberty to enter, travel and reside in the territories of the other, and (b) enjoy constant and complete protection for the safety of their lives and property.
(2) Each of the High Contracting Parties shall, in accordance with the laws of the country, accord in its territories to the subjects or citizens of the other, to the widest possible extent and on condition of reciprocity, the right of private ownership and the liberty to engage in commerce, navigation, industries and other peaceful pursuits.
(3) Without prejudice to the right of each Contracting Party to regulate by its own laws the system of international trade in that country, it is understood that neither Contracting Party shall apply in discrimination against the other Party any measures of prohibition, restriction or impost which may serve to hamper the growth of the intercourse, economic or otherwise, between the two countries, it being the intention of both Parties to place the commerce, navigation and industry of each country, as far as possible, on the footing of the most-favoured nation.
The Governments of the High Contracting Parties further agree that they shall enter into negotiations, from time to tune as circumstances may require, for the conclusion of special arrangements relative to commerce and navigation to adjust and to promote economic relations between the two countries.
Article V.
The High Contracting Parties solemnly affirm their desire and intention to live in peace and amity with each other, scrupulously to respect the undoubted right of a State to order its own life within its own jurisdiction in its own way, to refrain and restrain all persons in any govern mental service for them, and all organisations in receipt of any financial assistance from them, from any act overt or covert liable in any way whatever to endanger the order and security in any part of the territories of Japan or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
It is further agreed that neither Contracting Party shall permit the presence in the territories under its jurisdiction :
(a) of organisations or groups pretending to be the Government for any part of the territories of the other Party, or
(b) of alien subjects or citizens who may be found to be actually carrying on political activities for such organisations or groups.
Article VI.
In the interest of promoting economic relations between the two countries, and taking into consideration the needs of Japan with regard to natural resources, the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is willing to grant to Japanese subjects, companies and associations concessions for the exploitation of minerals, forests and other natural resources in all the territories of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Article VII.
The present Convention shall be ratified.
Such ratification by each of the High Contracting Parties shall, with as little delay as possible, be communicated, through its diplomatic representative at Peking, to the Government of the other Party, and from the date of the later of such communications this Convention shall come into full force.
The formal exchange of the ratifications shall take place at Peking as soon as possible.
In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Convention, in duplicate in the English language, and have affixed thereto their seals.
Done at Peking, this twentieth day of January, One thousand nine-hundred and twenty-five.
(L. S.) K. YOSHIZAWA.
(L. S.) L. KARAKHAN.
Japan and Russia, and then Japan and the Soviet Union, never got along well. They had fought the Russo Japanese War some twenty years prior, and Japan had heavily intervened in Siberia during the Russian Civil War. There remains tension between them over the the Sakhalin.
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In a somewhat bizarre episode of the Spanish American War/Philippine Insurrection, on this day in 1899, the Spanish soldiers at Baler, who had held out for a year in a fortified church, were recognized as friend of the Filipino people and granted safe conduct.
A film about this event was earlier reviewed by us here:
1898: Our Last Men In the Philippines
Baler had been under siege from June 26, 1898, until June 2, 1899, which exceeded the period of time during which Spain was at war with the United States. The troops under siege had not realized that Spain had departed, and when informed, they refused to believe it and kept fighting. Ultimately, the besieging Filipinos became concerned for the garrison and began to supply it with food, beverages and cigarettes. An American expedition to relieve the garrison was launched and failed.
Finally, on June 2, 1899, the garrison surrendered.
The Spanish troops were lauded by Aguinaldo, but two Franciscan Priests who had been at the church, Fr. Félix Minaya and Fr. Juan López, plus a captured Yorktown seaman, George Arthur Venville, were kept as prisoners. The priests were freed when the US occupied the town on June 3, 1900 but Venville was executed by Filipino tribesmen.
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Today In Wyoming's History: June 2: 1899 The Wild Bunch robbed the Union Pacific Overland Flyer No. 1 near Wilcox, taking between $30,000 and $60,000. This robbery is famous in part for the large amount taken, but also for the destruction of a rail car by explosives which were used to open a safe. This is depicted in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Attribution: On This Day.
Longtime Wyoming residents may wonder where on earth Wilcox is. That's because, it isn't. It's a named spot on the railroad just north of Rock River. If this same crime occured today, people would report it as having occured north of Rock River. It occured very near the junction with the Fetterman Road.
I've driven past this spot thousands of time and never realized where it was. This was a bold action, as Rock Rover was more substantial than it now is (the explosion clearly could have been heard from there) and Medicine Bow not all that far to the north.
On this day…we call to mind the deaths of those who died that the nation might live, who wagered all that life holds dear for the great prize of death in battle.
President Roosevelt at Arlington National Cemetery, Memorial Day, 1902.
I have to say, I wouldn't have referred to death as a "prize" in this context.
He lived until 1951 and passed away at age 77, writing his attorney just before his death that "This is my last game, and I'm going to strike out this time." He and his wife Marie had no children.
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Today In Wyoming's History: July 23: 1923 1973 Old Faithful Inn was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Attribution: On This Day.President Nixon refused to turn over tape recordings to the Senate or special prosecutor.
Eugène Criqui knocked out Johnny Kilbane in the sixth round at the Polo Grounds in New York City to take the World Featherweight Title. Babe Ruth, who had hurried over from a Yankee's game, was in attendance.
