Ostensibly exploring the practice of law before the internet. Heck, before good highways for that matter.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Forces with History -- Official Blog of Robert W Mackay: Tools of the Trade (1)
Forces with History -- Official Blog of Robert W Mackay: Canadian Cavalry Takes On Secret Service
Monday, May 4, 1914. Gov. Ammon on the ropes.
The Boomerang was pondering Colorado Governor Ammon's fate. . . and war with Mexico.
In Mexico, Revolutionary and future president of the country Álvaro Obregón began a blockade around Mazatlán.
Ammons would survive the impeachment attempt, but he's seen the handwriting on the wall politically and made his current term, which expired in 1915, his last.
Suffragette Mary Ann Aldham slashed John Singer Sargent's portrait of Henry James as part of the ongoing suffragette campaign of terrorism that had been going on in recent weeks in the UK. The painting was on display at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.
Saturday, May 2, 1914. National Suffrage Day
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Friday, May 2, 2014
Saturday, May 2, 1914. National Suffrage Day
There were suffrage parades and marches across the United States. The day, in fact, had been declared National Suffrage Day by those advocating for a nationwide franchise for women.
In a lot of ways, this was a carryover of labor protests that had occured the day prior, on May Day.
In Wyoming, where Wyoming had the vote, the news was on the war in the state to the South, where Federal troops were deploying.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
May 1, 1914. Llano del Rio created.
A socialist communal community was established in Los Angeles County, California as Llano del Rio. It only existed until 1918 when political dissention tore it apart, and a new colony was formed, with less success, in Louisiana.
While having a very brief existence, its farming enterprises were remarkably successful.
The entire experiment was interesting, and in some ways it anticipated Mondragon, which would be founded on distributist principals in 1956. Mondragon has been quite successful, and that example may provide insight to the deficiencies of small "s" socialism in comparison to distributism.
That Llano del Rio would be founded on May Day, 1914, isn't too surprising. The entire first quarter of the 20th Century was full of all sorts of radical movements (and it's noteworthy that distributism really gained steam later). This day say the typical May Day protests in big US cities.
Last prior edition:
Wednesday, April 29, 1914. The Ten Days War ends and the Coalfield War with it.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
The Uniform Bar Exam, early tell of the tape.
When this passed, I maintained that the end result would be the exportation of legal jobs from Wyoming into the hands of out of state law firms, probably mostly in Denver. Well, the state reported admissions from the last test the other day, and therefore it might be interesting, in this context, to look at the results. Now, it must be considered of course that this was the mid winter test, which is always a bit abnormal anyhow, as recent law school graduates do not take it, and the results of one single test might not mean that much. And even if they do, we might not quite recognize what they actually mean. With that said, here's the results, with the names admitted..
Pretty interesting results.Wyoming State Bar Members,The Wyoming State Bar today announced that 23 people have been recommended for admission to practice law in Wyoming. An admission ceremony before the Wyoming Supreme Court and the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming will be held this fall. The ceremony will be a combined ceremony of both Courts at the Wyoming Supreme Court building.The Wyoming State Bar and the Wyoming Supreme Court would like to congratulate these future members of the Wyoming State Bar.The following people are being recommended for admission after receiving a passing score on the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) and meeting all other requirements for admission.The Uniform Bar Exam consists of three major parts:
- The Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) - This portion of the UBE test has been used in Wyoming for many years and is now used in every state except Louisiana.
- The Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) - Essay questions on major areas of the law.
- The Multistate Performance Test (MPT) - Requires prospective lawyers to complete practical application of the law on tasks associated with certain resource materials.
- – Cody, Wyoming
- – Ft. Collins, Colorado
- – Denver, Colorado
- – Cheyenne, Wyoming
- – Denver, Colorado
- – Enid, Oklahoma
- – Cheyenne, Wyoming
The following people are being recommended for admission after successfully transferring a passing score from another UBE jurisdiction and meeting all other requirements for admission. Scores are only transferrable between those states that have adopted the Uniform Bar Exam.
- – Ft. Collins, Colorado
- – Ft. Collins, Colorado
- – Torrington, Wyoming
- – Dayton, Wyoming
- – Belle Fourche, South Dakota
The following people are being recommended for admission on motion. This applies when attorneys are licensed in another jurisdiction and meet all requirements without examination in Wyoming.
- – Lakewood, Colorado
- – Salt Lake City, Utah
- – Denver, Colorado
- – Bethpage, Tennessee
- – Riverton, Utah
- – Williamsville, New York
- – Denver, Colorado
- – Ft. Morgan, Colorado
- – Castle Rock, Colorado
- – Lakewood, Ohio
- – Denver, Colorado
So we have twenty three people who are being admitted.
Of the twenty three, seven actually took the test here. So, less than 1/3d of those being admitted, took the test in Wyoming. Of those, three indicated that Wyoming was their home, but that may be deceptive. Recent grads of a law school might really be from Wyoming, or might have long ago determined to make Wyoming their home but still reflect their homes of origin. Still, interesting results.
Five transferred in scores from another state's UBE, almost the same number as which took it in Wyoming. Of those five, two list their homes as Wyoming. Again, the same caveats on home listings remain, and additionally its not really uncommon for new lawyers to take a bar exam in more than one location, so this may be a variant of that.
Finally, there are those being admitted by motion, which basically means being waived in. I don't know what the current rules on reciprocity are, but basically that reflects states with which we had reciprocity prior to the UBE. This is something that has been slightly controversial over the years as well, as at one time, within the past 20 years, the state Bar halted reciprocity, and then re authorized it. Like the UBE, in my view, reciprocity isn't the greatest idea in the world, but it does generally take into account some years of practice usually as an element. Eleven lawyers are coming in through reciprocity. At least we know they took a real state specific bar exam somewhere.
So, what if anything does this tell us? Well, maybe not much. But what's interesting about these mid winter results is that of the twenty three individuals being admitted to the bar, five claim Wyoming as their home. Eleven claim Colorado as their home. Our other neighboring states claim a combined.three.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Wednesday, April 29, 1914. The Ten Days War ends and the Coalfield War with it.
With Federal troops arriving, John R. Lawson of the United Mine Workers ordered miners to lay down their arms, which they did on this day, but not before an additional fifteen Colorado minders were killed.
In Denver, not too surprisingly, the first several pages were dominated by the private war, as well as a looming potential one with Mexico.
Tuesday, April 28, 1914. President Wilson orders Federal troops into the Colorado Coalfield War.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Tuesday, April 28, 1914. President Wilson orders Federal troops into the Colorado Coalfield War.
On this day in 1914, President Wilson ordered Federal troops to Colorado at the request of Gov. Eliam M. Ammons following days of fighting (the Ten Day War) between miners, Colorado National Guardsmen and mine owners that had broken out with the April 20 Ludlow Massacre, which we should have covered but managed to omit, occured.
Tensions had been high since the summer of 1913 between miners of the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) and the Rockefeller-owned Colorado Fuel and Iron (CF&I) due to low pay and dangerous working conditions. Colorado's mine accident rate was much higher than elsewhere in the US at the time. The UMW had started making demands to address the situation without success and adopted demands on September 16, 1913, calling for a seven-step plan of improvements and recognition of the UMW.
Rise up and strike! If you are too cowardly, there are enough women in this country to come in here and beat the hell out of you.
The companies brought in strike-breaking forces, and law enforcement was generally aligned with the companies. They also had influence in the Colorado National Guard, which would soon be deployed, which was extremely unfortunate as the Guard had been working since the early 20th Century to escape this role specifically, and had made progress in that regard with the passage of the Dick Act, which made them the official reserve of the Army. In classic Western form, gunmen were recruited from Texas and New Mexico, some of whom became National Guard "recruits". Colorado's National Guard CO, Gen. John Chase, had, additionally, played a role in suppressing strikes at Cripple Creek in 1903-04, making him literally a pre Dict Act figure, as the Dick Act, which officially established the Guard system, came into effect in 1903.
In October 1913 the Colorado National Guard was called out, but six months later the financial drain on the state caused all but two companies to be withdrawn. When more fully deployed miners had welcomed it, as it was a neutral party, but the change, with quite a few of the Guardsmen deployed in that period being imported strikebreakers with no military experience, changed things considerably. Strikebreakers were additionally brought in by the mines in the form of Baltwin-Felts detectives, who had experience in the same from West Virginia.
Clashes occured all winter long, with the Guard sometimes acting as strikebreakers and sometimes acting as intervening parties between strikers and private strikebreakers. Things had largely calmed down by early 2014, but the death of a strikebreaker near Ludlow caused increased tension once again. Mother Jones returned in late March and was detained in dank conditions.
On Orthodox Easter, April 20, 1914, many of the miners were Greek immigrants, fighting broke out after early morning negotiations between the parties, the miner's UMW representative Louis Tikas being among those participating in discussion. The negotiations were brought about by rising tensions and threads the prior day. Perhaps ironically, Tikas, who had initially refused to meet, was encouraged to do so by Colorado National Guard Major Patrick J. Hamrock, who had been with the Army at Wounded Knee.
The two parties nonetheless began to move for position and fighting broke out.
The remaining Guard companies attacked the camp and fighting went on all day long. At some point Lt. Karl "Monte" Linderfelt, a notable figure in the actions locally, butt stroked Tikas in the head, although later examinations showed Tikas, who was a Cretan immigrant, to have multiple gunshot wounds. Linderfelt's unit had been kept some distance from Ludlow as he was so inclined to violence. Thirty-two strikers or their families, including women and children, were killed, and thirty-seven Guardsmen lost their lives. Four Hundred miners were arrested, and the camp was destroyed.
The violence at Ludlow led to a union call to arms throughout Colorado and a switch to miner sympathy on the part of the press. The Southwestern Mine Co.'s Empire Mine was laid under siege on April 22, with the miners yielding after 21 hours, a ceasefire being negotiated by a Protestant minister. An attempt to take Delagua, Colorado, was made by strikers who were republished, but three mine guards were killed in the assaults. A mine guard was killed at Tabasco and the Las Animas County Sheriff's Department cabled that it had been defeated and requested Federal troops.
While this was going on, the UMW briefly organized a truce, but at the same time the Governor attempt to deploy the National Guard to what had become a 175-mile-long front. Of the 600 Guardsmen who were expected to answer the call, only 362 men reported showing that the insurrection and public sympathy had passed to the miners, who now had the press's full support nationwide. One of the cavalry troops of the Colorado Guard, which included two of the Colorado Guard's commander's sons, mutinied and had to be removed from deployment. Artillery was deployed from Denver, but the miners also secured firearms.
The Chandler Mine near Cañon City was fired upon on April 25, breaking the truce. On the 26th, 1,000 armed miners attacked and took the town. Residents of Walsenburg's fled. Greek miners grew unhappy with union officials and began guerilla attacks on the town and attacked the McNally Mine. Communiques from both sides took on the nature of those from regular combatants.
The Women's Peace Association staged a sit in Denver starting on April 25, which forced Governor Ammons to act, sending his request on the 25th. On the 26th, protesters in Denver demanded the impeachment of Governor Ammons. One of the speakers was former Denver Police Commissioner George Creel.
The National Guard deployed in force on April 27 near Trinidad, where Tikas' funeral was scheduled to, and did, take place without incident. There had been plans to retake the town, which was in miner control, but the assault did not occur.
On this day, the Battle of Heclar Mine in Louisville took place, with that mine owned by the Rocky Mountain Fuel Company. This was considerably further north than the other mine attacks and fairly near Denver. National Guardsmen that had been rotated off of the southern front were sent to quell that attack.
The Army was on its way.
Ironically, perhaps, on the same day a mine explosion in Eccles, West Virginia, killed over 180 miners.
British suffragettes Hilda Burkitt and Florence Tunks burned down the Felixstow Bath Hotel in Suffolk as part of an ongoing suffragette terror campaign.
Last prior edition:
Sunday, April 26, 1914. No longer in doubt.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Mustang ROTC program turns 100
Postscript.
NC's JrROTC program is in the news again this morning, although this time it's for the fine performance of their air rifle team, which won a significant competition for the tenth year in a role.
I note that here, however, as this also illustrates the changing times. The article notes that the rifle team itself dates back to 1914, at which time they used M1903 rifles. That means they were shooting service rifle competition at the time.