Showing posts with label California (Los Angeles). Show all posts
Showing posts with label California (Los Angeles). Show all posts

Thursday, April 2, 2026

Friday, April 2, 1926. "Fianna Fáil"

Eamon de Valera proposed the name "Fianna Fáil" for his new political party which was scheduled to organize on May 16. "Fianna" (soldiers) and the Lia Fáil, the coronation stone for the ancient kings of Ireland, formed the basis of the name.

The hard to characterize republican party is still around.  It's political positions have shifted a great degree over the past century and indeed the ability to do so is a self acknowledged feature of the party.

Watts residents voted to become part of Los Angeles.

Calvin Coolidge declined an invitation to send American delegates to a League of Nations conference in Geneva to discuss America's reservations about joining the World Court.

Coolidge gave a press conference.

I think it would he very desirable to have some coal legislation at this session and my message perhaps goes into my opinions in detail. I judge that a good way to approach it would be to bring forward the Coal Commission report and have some hearings on it and bring out such a bill as the hearings and a consideration of the situation develop to be sound. There are two things that I should want to accomplish. One would be to enable the President to appoint a mediation board or something of that nature in case of a threatened strike or strike, and the other would be to set up some machinery for coal administration in ease it happened that there might be a scarcity of coal. I think those two things are quite fundamental. I don’t know just what other details might be necessary. But the way to find out about those things is to call in the parties that are interested and who are familiar with the situation on the side of those who are employed and on the side of the coal operators, and take their opinions; see what their arguments are. Congress itself very well represents the public, though I have no doubt that additional information in relation to public needs and requirements could be obtained from the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Commerce, its military aspects from the Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy, and its labor aspects of course from the Secretary of Labor.

I don’t know whether the regulations governing the enforcement of Mexican Land laws have been received at the State Department or not. I doubt very much if they have. I think they were promulgated only three or four days ago, and it takes some three or four days, as I recall it, to get here.

I think it has already been announced that Colonel Carmi Thompson will undertake to go to the Philippines for me. It is possible he may stop at Hawaii, and perhaps at Guam, though that hasn’t been finally determined on. It seems to me that there was a somewhat sentimental propriety in sending him. He is, as you know, the National Commander of the Spanish War Veterans. It was through their activities that we came in possession of the Philippine Islands. He also is a very warm friend of General Wood. He has known him and been associated with him, and of course it goes without saying that it is entirely a friendly mission. General Wood has been stationed there for nearly five years. He has had little opportunity to come to the States and I thought it would be a somewhat graceful thing on our part if we could send someone down there to confer with him and give him such reassurance as he may need, and indicate to him personally the desire of the Government up here to support him in every way. Then I would like to have a survey – it couldn’t be quite called an investigation – of what we are doing, what progress we are making in the Islands, what progress the Filipino people are making – because that is synonomous. I want to know how education is progressing, what is being done in the way of sanitation, policing; also the financial condition of the islands as relates to their Government and the economic condition as it relates to private enterprise there, and in general to make a survey and inspection to see what we can do to better conditions there.

Press: Do you care to tell us anything about the visit to the Philippines of the Secretary of War this year?

President: Well, that has been mentioned in the press. I think it said the Secretary of War was contemplating a trip around the world in which, incidentally, he might stop at the Philippines. I don’t think I care to comment on that. I leave that for you to get first hand information from the Secretary of War. I took it to be one of those articles that some times appear, that has no real foundation. I would like to have the Secretary of War go down there some time, but of course it is difficult for the Secretary of War to get away for that length of time to go to the Philippines, and on account of the very great uncertainty of his being able to go I want to have Colonel Thompson go. His mission isn’t political in any way – merely the objects that I have mentioned.

I have been willing to consider the needs of the Spanish War veterans. Perhaps it is appropriate in this case to speak of that I think in comparison with what is being done for those who took part in other wars. I think they are entitled to some consideration. The bill carrying $18,000,000 a year, nearly $19,000,000 is a more ambitious bill than I like to see Congress taking up. The bill presented some years ago carried some $8,000,000 or $10,000,000. I should look on that with much more favor than taking on an expenditure at this time of $18,000,000 a year. I think it provides for a service pension at the age of 60 or 62. I feel that that is quite young for a person to become a service pensioner of the United States. Merely because a person went to the Spanish War and reached the age of 60 or 62 years doesn’t seem to me quite enough to put him on a pension roll. So I think that some change ought to be made in this bill to make it more acceptable. That leads me to the reports that have been coming out from the Treasury in relation to the amount of income that we are deriving under the present law. It was anticipated I suppose by the Treasury – it certainly was by me – that this first payment would be quite large. Everyone knew that a new tax law was going into effect and that it would be a material reduction over the old tax law, and there had been an accumulation of profit s in the hands of a great many people which, had they been cashed in under the law that was in force before I became President, would have been almost confiscated by the Government. Some 50% of them would have been taken in some instances under the law as it was last year. Under the law of this year 28% I think would be the maximum, and I don’t know but what it would be a little less than that. Quite naturally, those people that have been waiting to take their profits took them. That was one thing that accounted for a considerable sale of securities. Now, of course, the sale of securities during the present year don’t go into last year’s taxes, but because it was perfectly apparent before the first of January that there was to be a reduction, a great many people took their profits. That wont occur next year because those profits have been taken. Then there was the reduction of certain things that were fairly certain, like admission taxes and the tax on capital stock, which was fairly certain, almost amounting to repeal in some instances, and the shifting from capital stocks to earnings. Earnings are always uncertain. Than another item is the fact that because their taxes were not so large this year, many people that heretofore have taken the option of making their payments quarterly, I understand are paying the entire amount in this first installment. So, before we can tell what money would actually accrue under the present law, we shall have to wait and see what the year’s experience may be. It is altogether probable that the next three quarters will not be anywhere near as large as this quarter has been. I have known all the time that where was every prospect that we would come out at the end of this year, June 30, 1926, with a small surplus. The chance of coming out with a surplus June 30, 1927 is not anywhere near so favorable, and it is for that reason that I have cautioned the Congress, through newspaper conferences, to beware of putting on permanent expenditures. We can pass some kinds of legislation and if the money wasn’t available to meet the expenditure we could delay it for a year or reduce it somewhat. We could do that with aviation legislation. We can do it with any kind of a building program. When we pass laws providing for pensions, of course that becomes fixed and has to be paid whether the income is large or small. That is why I think in my message I cautioned the Congress against additional gratuities on the part of the Government.

I think it will be necessary to have some legislation relative to the World War veterans act. If this question here refers to the amendment of the bonus bill, I have a good deal of hesitation about speaking of that, because I haven’t any accurate idea of just what it does — my general idea about it is that it calls for quite a large expenditure of money which I should think would be doubtful – of doubtful necessity.

The suggestion of the delegation from Minneapolis and St. Paul about enlarging the upper Mississippi River is under consideration at the War Dept. 1 haven’t any information about the details of it.

I have a person under consideration to be Captain of the Mayflower when Captain Andrews’ term expires. I can’t speak his name at the present time. It is some one that has been stationed in the Pacific, either on the Pacific Coast or out with the Pacific Fleet. I am not quite certain which.

I think that the invitation has been received from the League about a conference with nations to consider the reservations that we have proposed to our proposal to adhere to the statute of the Court. Of course it was a most courteous thing for the League to do, to extend that invitation to us, as it was a discussion of some matter in which we have some interest ,and quite properly they would inquire whether it was a matter that we wanted to discuss. As far as I have been able to determine, I don’t see any necessity for any discussion on our part. The reservations speak for themselves. So that I don’t expect or anticipate – unless some reason appears that I don’t expect to appear on further study – that we should consider it necessary to send any representative. We are dealing, as I have indicated before, directly with the nations concerned. We are adhering to the Protocol, which is the technical name of the Statute that created the Court and which is the action of forty-eight different nations. The League has nothing to do with it and can’t do anything with it if it wanted to. The only persons that oan make any change In it are the forty-eight nations, so that it would be out attitude that we would deal wit h them, rather than to undertake to deal through any other channel.

I haven’t made any careful study of the report of the actuaries on the cost of the various retirement proposals, except to note that it is evident that the cost to the Treasury would be very high. It has seemed to me that the proposals for retirement might be modified. I indicated a moment ago that I doubted if retirement at 60 or 62, or a pension at that age, was altogether justified, and I doubt very much if it ought to be asserted that a person who has reached the age of 60 years, because he has been in the employ of the United States Government, should thereafter draw a retirement pay. And I think the amount of $1200 proposed is rather high. Now, if they would increase the age to 70, of course that would cut down by 10 years the average length of time on which annuities would be paid, and if they would decrease the amount that would be paid, that would also make a reduction. I should think that something might be worked out in that direction that would be within the reasonable means of the Government to meet.

I am glad that some one is reading the Price of Freedom. There is a reference there to the landing of the Pilgrims which says that “As they landed a sentinel of Providence, humbler, nearer to nature than themselves, welcomed them in their own tongue.” I wouldn’t want to be held to the necessity of proving that a sentinentel stood on the shore and extended a welcome as they landed from the boat at Plymouth Rock, but it was a very curious and interesting circumstance that an Indian had been taken from this country over to England and there had learned the English language, and he became associated with the Pilgrims when they landed at Plymouth and was of very great assistance to them in interpreting between them and the Indians. Now, I am not certain what that Indian’s name was. So I wont undertake to give it. But those are the circumstances and that was the situation to which I referred. I can’t quote any particular authority for it. I think any book that deals with the landing of the Pilgrims and that general situation would mention that interesting fact.

Last edition:

Saturday, March 27, 1926.

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Thursday, February 5, 2026

Friday, February 5, 1926. Attacking the couriers.


Terrorists attacked a train traveling from Moscow to Riga in Latvia, killing Soviet couriers L. F. Pecherskiy, Theodor Nette and his partner, with the apparent goal of stealing a diplomatic pouch.

A crowd of 10,000 people gathered in Los Angeles to watch the funeral procession of actress Barbara La Marr.


La Marr was regarded as a great beauty and was famous for that, as well as a torrid life.  Only 29 at the time of her death, she'd been married four times.

Last edition:

Tuesday, February 2, 1926.

Monday, November 10, 2025

Court Watch, Part III.



This is the U.S. Federal Building & Courthouse in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  This building, built in 1960s, is s survivor of the brutal domestic terrorist attack that wrecked the Murrah building that was across from it.  A memorial to the victims of that attack is now located there, across from the courthouse.




Oklahoma City U.S. Federal Building & Courthouse, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  Bombed by a guy whose views were regarded as extreme at the time, but which would be regarded as solidly MAGA today.

August 27, 2025

The Trump Administration's moronic lawsuit against Maryland's Federal Bench was tossed out.

There's no surprise to this at all.

On a locally controversial matter:

University of Wyoming sorority free to admit who it wants, including transgender students, judge rules: The 2023 federal complaint against Kappa Kappa Gamma for welcoming a transgender woman was dismissed Friday for the second time.

This puts the Wyoming Federal Court basically at odds with the direction of the Trump Administration as well. 

August 30, 2025

Well, there's absolutely no surprise.  Trump's illegal tariffs were affirmed to be illegal.

D'uh.

The Court's decision starts:

The Government appeals a decision of the Court of International Trade setting aside five Executive Orders that imposed tariffs of unlimited duration on nearly all goods from nearly every country in the world, holding that the tariffs were not authorized by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), 50 U.S.C. § 1701 et seq. Because we agree that IEEPA’s grant of presidential authority to “regulate” imports does not authorize the tariffs imposed by the Executive Orders, we affirm.

Even here, however, the Court granted a stay of thirty days on the implementation of its order, which a private litigant would be unlikely to have received, and the government shouldn't have received here.  The order should have gone into effect immediately absent the government posting a bond to cover the damages, which would be all the tariffs collected while the matter was on appeal, and all that it has already collected, which should need to be fully refunded.

But a refund won't happen and the implementation of the ruling is delayed by 30 days, so the government can appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which doesn't actually have to take the appeal.

Whether the S.Ct upholds it, or proves to be a pure political arm of the government, is another matter.

There were three dissents in the en banc decision.

September 3, 2025

A Federal Court has ruled Trump's deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles to be illegal.

September 17, 2025

Wyoming Sorority Members Not Giving Up Legal Case Over Transgender Member

September 26, 2025

In an act that's outrageous, former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted by a grand jury on two out of the three charges the government brought before it.

The Trump administration, and hence the Republican Party, has gone over to outright fascism with acts of this type.   The test now is whether the Courts can withstand the onslaught.  

October 1, 2025

Judge Says Ousted UW Dean Can Keep Suing For ‘Retaliation’ Demotion

October 13, 2025

In addition to Comey, now Letitia James has been indicted.  More such indictments are apparently coming.

Trump's efforts to deploy the National Guard into cities is universally failing in the Courts.

Comey is being prosecuted for lying to Congress, which Pam Bondi just did herself.


October 16, 2025

And now John Bolton has been charged with eight counts of unlawful transmission of national defense information and 10 counts of unlawful retention of national defense information by a grand jury.

The Department of Justice has become a department of persecution for Trump.  It'll take years to undo the damage that has been done.  Moreover, because of the extent of this, it's my prediction that many who are now involved in these Trump efforts will face bar sanctions, and likely some prosecutions, in the future.

October 17, 2025

An Illinois court ordered ICE agents to wear body cameras.

October 25, 2025

Way milder than it could have been, but at least somebody tried to do something:

If the TRO is granted, construction will stop, but I would have asked for the structure to have been returned to the status quo ante.

October 29, 2025
November 10, 2025

The Supreme Court rejected a petition for a writ of certiorari by a court clerk which would have presented an opportunity to overrule Obergefell.

Last edition

Court Watch, Part II.

Sunday, January 12, 2025

Blaze (in Los Angeles) threatens to leap highway near densely populated regions

A headline in the Tribune this morning.

The tragedy we're seeing here is indescribable.  Truly, this is one of the worst disaster in American history.

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Friday, November 7, 1924. A balanced budget.

The Weimar Republic announced the first balanced German budget since the end of World War One.

The Soviet Union produced its first domestically manufactured motor vehicle, the AMO-15 truck.

The Alvarado Hot Springs was created when a natural gas exploratory well taped into a geothermal pool in Los Angeles County.  It was operated commercially as a hot springs facility until at least 1961, following which it seem to have disappeared from history.

2BE began operating commercially, broadcasting twice a week, in Sydney. Australia's first commercial radio station would close in 1929.

Last edition:

Thursday, November 6, 1924. The 100th Anniversary of Christopher Robin and Winey the Pooh.

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Thursday, August 28, 1924. The August Uprising.

Georgians rebelled against the Soviet Union in the August Uprising.


The certificate of identity for actress Anna May Wong, born Wong Liu Tsong (黃柳霜), (from Reddit's "100 Years Ago Today, and also on Wikipedia).


Famous as a Chinese American actress, she was a native of Los Angeles.  She died in 1961 at age 56 of a heart attack after a period of ill health.

Last edition:

Wednesday, August 27, 1924. Color photos over the wire.

Monday, May 27, 2024

Friday, May 27, 1774. Heading towards revolution.

The Royal Governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, dismissed Virginia's House of Burgesses due to a resolution, prepared by Thomas Jefferson, calling for a Day of Fasting and Prayer being passed.  The cause for Virginia's concern over British reaction to the Boston Tea Party, and it came on the same day that the British Navy planned to blockade Boston's harbor in punishment for the same.

The heavy-handed British reaction was propelling things in the very direction that the British did not want it to go.

The members of the House did not go right home, but instead convened as an Association, at the Raleigh Tavern, where they called for a Continental Congress.


Juan Bautista de Anza completed his overland expedition from Tubac, Mexico to San Gabriel Mission, in modern Los Angeles, California.

The Reverend Robert Newburgh was accused by a private British soldier of the 18th Regiment of Foot, stationed in the Colonies, of beggary.  He would be acquitted in a trial in June. The story was bizarre as he had invited the charge in the first instance, and coached the private on how to make it, seemingly in an effort to overall clear his name as he became increasingly unpopular.  He'd seen three soldiers tried for gossiping.

The plan would fail, and he'd ultimately be arrested after his acquittal for being disruptive, although his being accused of an "unnatural crime", the one he'd been just acquitted of, was mentioned at the time.

To the extent that this story is illustrative of anything, it's partially illustrative of the harsh discipline in the British Army of the period, as well as the somewhat junior high atmosphere that existed in 18th and 19th Century armies.  Additionally, however, it's interesting as neither the terms "heterosexual" or "homosexual" existed at the time, those being modern constructs, the latter of which did not originally apply to those who might commit beggary.

Last prior edition:

Saturday, April 5, 1774. A growing rift.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Saturday, October 1, 1910. The Los Angeles Times bombed.

A large bomb exploded outside the offices of the Los Angeles Times, killing 21 employees.


The bombing was part of a campaign by union members and in this instance was directed at the Times due to its position on unions.  The perpetrators, brothers John J. ("J.J.") and James Barnabas ("J.B.") McNamara were arrested in April 1911 J. B. was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. J.J. was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for bombing a local iron manufacturing plant, and returned eventually to union organization.

It was, of course, a Saturday.