/r/Presidentialpoll
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A place free for all presidential polling. No polls get special privileges, and this community will enjoy laissez-faire moderation.
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You could be swingin' on a star | A House Divided Alternate Elections
Even though the American public voted for an interparty coalition of politicians who supported intervention in varying degrees (along with a noticeable minority of voters who opposed any and all intervention) and behind the scenes the federal government has been silently working for years to intervene in Europe and the Far East, the vast majority of the American public did not at all expect the outright declaration of war on Japan the 76th Congress managed to produce. As a result, there was opposition from the start to the war effort through strikes despite the partial success of President Hayes in preventing the miners' strike. Although the brutality and scale of the attack on San Diego succeeded in temporarily uniting the American people (indeed, along with most of the American continents joining to the Grand Alliance), the divisive elections of 1940 along with the stubborn opposition of the SWP to President Hughes in the constitutional crisis of 1941 led to fear among most Americans of defeat on the battlefield and civil war at home. Together with the speed of President Hughes' handling of the crisis (by ordering the return of all forces from North Africa to deal with the escalating domestic insurgency), Hollywood entered the picture.
The basis for the creation of the cinema was a variety of new technologies and inventions mainly through the ability to photograph and record images and sound. In the United States, in 1893, the inventor Thomas Edison together with his assistant William Kennedy Dixon introduced the kinetoscope; A device through which films could be watched by inserting a coin and the viewing was done using a "peek box" - a rectangular box that contained the projection mechanism, when the viewer saw the film through a glass lens at the top of the device. Edison's shady conduct in his business and legal issues will also be the motive for the migration of those involved in the fields of cinema from the New York state to the Los Angeles area, and for the establishment of Hollywood (along with a favorable weather for shooting outdoor scenes most of the year).
During humble beginnings of the Post-Grant's New America when the film industry was still in its infancy, many immigrants, mainly Jews, found employment field as a result of not being accepted in other more established industries in the competition for the job market and therefore even though the pioneers of American cinema such as D.W. Griffith were American directors who for the most part represented a sentimental southern and traditional Grantist world view there were already those who opposed Integralist concepts like Charlie Chaplin. After the Great War, various filmmakers and actors such as Marlene Dietrich immigrated from Europe. They joined a long line of film actors born in the United States, most of whom flocked to Southern California from Western New York after the first talking motion pictures were shown there as the new industry slowly but gradually took on an image of glamor and investments from various tycoons.
A typical motion projector during the \"classic Hollywood\" era
In the period called the "classic era of Hollywood" or the "golden age" from approximately right before the start of the 1930s all the way to the start of America's involvement in World War II, different high-budget studios already competed in films with complex and long plots and produced westerns, "film noir" films, musicals, animated cartoons and biographical films. At that time, thousands of people were employed by the film studios - actors, producers, directors, writers, stuntmen, and technicians. The movie studios owned hundreds of movie theaters in different cities across the United States where their realized products were shown to the public, who was eager to pay the entrance fee. Thus by the beginning of the fifth decade of the 20th century, Americans had long since become accustomed to the culture of viewing news broadcasts about the state of the world through screenings at the local cinema before the start of the motion picture for which they had come for their leisure.
As soon as the Japanese bombing of California began, it seemed that the industry would collapse or at the very least shut down for a long period of time until it could be rebuilt in New York. However, President Hughes understood its potential and insisted that filming continue despite the situation in the state. He ensured that funds and federal technical equipment poured in (both directly and indirectly) with direct instructions for directors to begin the production of propaganda films to mobilize public opinion in support of the war. Nevertheless, prestigious film premieres were indeed often canceled, even though these films that were shot in California got distributed with haste all across America.
Therefore, Hollywood underwent another transformation and a new variety of films were created which hinted (and some of them did not hint at all but were in fact a blatant propaganda product) the importance of the fight against the Pact.
The history of collaboration between the US military and Hollywood was long-standing at this point. The first collaboration between the Army and Hollywood took place in 1923 in the Mitchel era (that was also a certain indirect tribute to the former president who was fond of the world of aeronautics) with the production of the film "Wings" that aimed to encourage recruitment to the Army Air Corp. The film, which was shot on a huge budget for its time dealt with a triangle involving two pilots and the girl they are in love with - a combination of the romantic and heroic genres without any criticism of the military and its actions. However, it paled in comparison to World War II and the sense of "what is at stake" by both the federal government and Hollywood. This period brought the cooperation to a new level. The military recruited Hollywood stars such as William Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, and Henry Fonda, and used them in propaganda films for the US military and the war effort. For this purpose, some of the most important Hollywood directors were also recruited - John Ford, Howard Hawks and Frank Capra. Capra particularly excelled: Between the years 1942 to 1946 he directed a series of eight propaganda masterstrokes called "Why We Fight" in which each episode presented in length the audience a different enemy combatant nation of America while actors went on tours of different fronts around the world to boost morale and present their film works to the soldiers.
With the end of the war, Hollywood tried to adapt to a brave new world, but the cessation of the flow of funds and equipment was something it was not ready for. Combined with the beginning of the television era, Hollywood had to reduce the number of its film production, although quite soon in the strong post war economy, tycoons even allowed directors to increase their quality of film production. As a result of the changes, the studios began to focus mainly on the production of entertainment content that the television medium could not provide to viewers – an even bigger and more spectacular show for the eyes. Although television broke the hegemony that the American film industry had in the American entertainment industry, as a result of the direct competition there were many changes that benefited the film industry. That was due to public opinion beginning to see cinema as a more serious artistic medium worthy of respect compared to home Television.
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A degenerative passion | Peacock Shah’s Alternative Elections
As Father Coughlin faced the crowd, he had a initial appearance of general apathy as he began his speech. Though one usually remembers the great and towering rhetorical exercises he would stir during his heyday that would make the audience feel and move as one, it was here that a calm and seemingly candor tone he would play on during the opening minutes of his speech would be a critical part of his act on the stage. But it has been years since he had belted his words out to a wider audience for them to chew on and eventually devour. A few in the crowd noticed the aged appearance with the various lines sketched across the face along with the receding hairline that bordered the buzzcut hair. Regardless, it was time for Father Coughlin to begin the role of demagogic preacher that his many followers would wholeheartedly embrace. Where the great self-pull of the glass veil shall be seen heard and seen to not only the crowd, but to the tens of millions as the words of a white-hot heart reveals itself and scampered through the airwaves.
...our victories from where we stood our grounds against the moneyied interests. Our victories that have bloomed and blossomed as President Lindbergh had toiled with the help of the common man, laborers, and the farmers. Our victories that have been blessed by our glorious God that in which fostered great progress in our new Jerusalem. All of these victories are under threat.
Wherever these people may go. They are banished for the same problems that they sprout here. From Rome to Persia. From France to Russia. They are exiled as their selfish practices caused their fall, continuing the cyclical nature of perceived persecution to righteous banishment. We must not break this cycle in spite of the appearances of things. Just as they used the cross against our lord and savior. We must strike the cross into the cogs of the machine. So, to you, in the audience, to those who are listening. Strike a cross into cogs of congress. Into the cogs of business. Into the cogs of social life. Into the cogs of community. Into the cogs of your homes. We must not let the Goliaths of our times prevail against the Davids...
As Father Coughlin continues to speak, the audiences' hearts were stricken by his words. Their minds and thoughts now only focused on one thing and one thing only, fighting the enemy. The tactic didn't matter. The principle of didn't matter. For as long as the intent matches the weapon, the easing of their distressed and raging hearts shall be tempered. Or at least they think it will be eased.
Even though many and their descendants came from a distant land to come and call America their home. Their frantic hands must tear the Jews away from the fabric of the American dream regardless of how it must be done so. Where their minds must look away from how they came from similar origins. As. they're. just. not. like. us.
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Who remebers
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[Long-Schall] Jackson Administration (1965-1969) | Neoprogressivism
President Henry Martin “Scoop” Jackson
41st President of the United States
Vice President
Secretary of State: Claude Pepper
Secretary of the Treasury: Maurine Neuberger
Secretary of Defense: William Winter
Attorney General: John Tower
Secretary of the Navy: Arleigh Burke
Secretary of the Interior: Edmund Muskie
Secretary of Agriculture: Hubert Humphrey
Secretary of Commerce: Asa Randolph
Secretary of Labor: Leonard Woodcock
Secretary of Education: Jane Jacobs
Secretary of Health & Welfare: John Gardner (Since March 1965)
Speaker of the House: Charles Halleck (Republican, 1965-1967)/Adam Powell Jr (Labor, 1967-)
Pro Tempore: Lyndon Johnson (Labor)
1964 Election Results
Presidential
Liberal candidate John Kennedy receives 115 electoral votes
Margaret Smith received 38.57% of the vote
John Kennedy received 20% of the vote
Henry Jackson received 41.43% of the vote
Jackson defied poll numbers
While polling has consistently showed the election as a close race, almost all polls had the incumbent President, Margaret Smith, winning by 1 or 2 points up until the election. The last poll conducted on October 28th had Smith leading by 1 point, and Kennedy far behind both major candidates. Some have already begun to blame the Liberal Party and Kennedy for stealing moderate voters from another Republican victory. Regardless, The ever-ambitious Senator Scoop Jackson will enter the White House come January 20th.
House Results
House Results After Liberal Dissolution (1965)
- The one Independent is Speedy O. Long of Louisiana
Senate Results
Senate Results After Liberal Dissolution (1965)
- The one Independent is Russell B. Long of Louisiana
First 100 Days
Revenue Act of 1965
The Revenue Act of 1965 would take a more progressive approach to taxation, increasing income taxes up to 7% in the highest tax bracket; all while lowering income taxes down by 4% for lower income households. The Act would also increase the Social Security Tax to 8%.
House voted 228-207
Senate voted 52-48
Mass Transit Tax Act of 1965
The second Mass Transit Tax Act would lower short range rail and air transport by an average of 5%, while increasing long range rail and air transport by an average of 2%. International flight tickets would be increased as well, by an average of 6%.
House voted 236-199
Senate voted 62-38
Minimum Wage Act of 1965
The long-standing federal Minimum Wage of $0.80/hour has been around since 1949, with no increase on the federal side of things. President Jackson and other Laborites were able to pull their weight and increase the federally-mandated minimum wage to $1.30/hour. Although the Labor Party advocated for a higher hourly wage, others in Congress feared a wage any higher would result in another economic panic following the near-collapse of the National Debt Ceiling a few years prior.
House voted 227-208
Senate voted 52-48
Department of Health Foundation Act of 1965
Founded the Department of Health and Welfare to help administer and regulate various healthcare practices and the distribution of Social Security, medical tax breaks, and more. Though indirectly, Congress soon changes the Executive budget to cut the Department of the Interior's funding by 40%; most of that money going into the new Department of Health and Welfare.
House voted 249-186
Senate voted 64-36
National Environmental and Water Policy Act of 1965 (NEWPA)
Championed heavily by the President and young members of the Labor Party in Congress like Edmund Muskie, NEWPA places greater regulations and laws into place regarding water safety and treatment, water pollution, trash allocation, dump sites, and recycling; unseen since the progressive era of the early 1900s. These regulations are expected to greatly improve the environmental state of decay for decades to come.
House voted 221-214
Senate voted 54-46
Death of former President, Theodore F. Green: May 19, 1966
This morning, former President Theodore Francis Green passed away in his Rhode Island home at the age of 98, marking the oldest President at the time of his death. Green was a member of the Democratic Party and briefly the Anti-Fascist Alliance, taking charge from his previous position as Secretary of State after the sudden assassinations of sitting President Earl Browder and Vice President Upton Sinclair. President Green helped uncover the “Business Plot” orchestrated in part by J.P. Morgan Jr. and Prescott Sheldon Bush Sr, the latter being the father of sitting Texas Congressman George Bush.
President Theodore F. Green led us through the horrors of the second world war after the sudden attack on Pearl Harbor, resigning his post and organizing a special election the year following the conclusion of the war itself. He was instrumental in the foundation of the United Nations and eventual foundation of both NATO and EATO two Presidents later. He was, and still remains a national hero in our hearts. President Henry Jackson, among former Presidents and dignitaries are expected to show up for his public funeral in Providence, Rhode Island. The public has been allowed to pay their respects at his grave site before his proper burial et to take place from May 19 at 9:00 AM to May 20 at 9:00 AM.
Foreign Policy Ventures prior to the 1966 Midterms
Embargo Act of 1965
Supported already by the majority of the country, Scoop Jackson directed Congress to pass a full embargo of all raw and manufactured Cuban goods on entering the United States through any port or checkpoint.
House voted 313-122
Senate voted 76-24
With the law being signed by the President in August that year, he would make a speech in Miami celebrating the passage of the act, glorifying its protections of American, anti-communist goods. Scoop would face some backlash over his anti-communist posturing, as the Labor Party has a small (but noticeable) sect of Communists in their ranks.
The Saigon Summit
In July of 1965, after riots against the French government in Saigon, and the breakout of a guerrilla war in French Cambodia, a summit was called in Saigon to determine the future of the city. President Jackson, President Ho Chi Minh, and President Charles de Gaulle met within the French administrative building to discuss the recent riots in the city and future between Saigon and Vietnam. Although much of Vietnam was granted total independence from French rule in 1950, French Saigon remained a thorn in Vietnam's side. France wished to keep as much of its dying empire as possible, and no one would fight harder at that than Charles de Gaulle himself. President Jackson wished to keep the peace and eventually coerce Vietnam into rejoining EATO.
Talks were messy at times, as yelling could be heard from the chambers the talks were being held in, but the three would come to an agreement. Saigon would be administered by a joint Vietnamese-French government, and policing and law would gradually transition to local and Vietnamese systems. In return, Vietnam would promise to not get itself involved in the Cambodian guerilla war.
1966 Midterms
House Results
7 Third Party/Independents
- Speedy Long (Louisiana Independent)
- Edward "Ted" Kennedy (Massachusetts Independent)
- deLeppes "Chep" Morrison (Louisiana Independent)
- Spiro Agnew (Maryland Independent)
- Gus Hall (Minnesota Communist League)
- Jarvis Tyner (New York Communist League)
- Charlene Mitchell (California Communist League)
Senate Results
2 Independents
- Russell Long (Louisiana Independent)
- Edward Brooke (Massachusetts Independent)
Invasion of Saigon
In December 1966, a clash between Vietnamese and French police during a riot led the Vietnamese side of the Saigon Transitional Government to call on Vietnamese military aid. Within hours, the Republic of Vietnam marched into the jointly occupied city. Rumors immediately began amassing that the Saigon police force worked with the Vietnamese government in order to cease Saigon before the transitional period was up. Although these rumors were just that, President Jackson was surely worried when the news hit him the next morning; alongside the French Ambassador asking for an audience with the President.
French Ambassador Hervé Alphand would share with Scoop three things:
- France intends to treat the invasion of Saigon as an act of war.
- France is already mobilizing troops to southern Cambodia for a naval invasion of Vietnam.
- France intends to call on the force of NATO and EATO to defend “France in her hour of need.”
No matter how Jackson tried to argue, Alphand was keen on these points. Jackson would argue that the incident be investigated by the United Nations to determine whether it was an act of war; while Alphand threatened that American delay on the issue could lead to French withdrawal from both NATO and EATO. Jackson, reportedly furious, refused to be threatened by a “dying empire”. He denied meeting with any French foreign dignitary for the time being until they promised to allow the UN for an investigation.
The French response was quick, with France officially leaving both NATO and EATO on December 18, 1966. The French declaration of war and further campaign into Vietnam began on the 20th. With naval and air landings concentrated around Rach Gia, Can Tho, My Tho, Saigon, and Vung Tau, the Second Indochina War began. Although Australia would provide weapon assistance, the other nations within both NATO and EATO held their breath on what to do. France had left the two most powerful military and economic alliances in the world, and President Jackson could not be more angry.
Glasgow Conference of 1967
With the war having gone on for nearly three months, and French military forces having begun to get bogged down by the Vietnamese harsh tactics; Can Tho remained the only major French-held territory in the young Republic. And although Vietnamese war tactics were questionable at best; much of the world was united in believing the French declaration of war was not entirely justifiable; with President Scoop Jackson and General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev at the forefront of organizing peace efforts within and without the UN. Although the United Nations have begun investigations into both the Vietnamese invasion of Saigon and the French declaration of war, they both had gotten bogged down by the surrounding war effort.
It was agreed upon by several major powers to meet in Glasgow with French and Vietnamese delegates to discuss an armistice. The United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and the People’s Republic of China agreed to enforce the following terms:
- Saigon and surrounding territories that formerly made up the French Vietnam Territory following the 1950 Treaty of Manila shall be ceded to the Republic of Vietnam. Saigon and the surrounding territories shall become a United Nations sponsored demilitarized zone until an official peace treaty between the 5th Republic of France and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
- French military and bureaucratic personnel shall be allowed free and safe passage out of the cities of Can Tho and Saigon; sanctioned by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force. The French and Vietnamese governments must release all prisoners of war; sanctioned by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force.
- Saigon officials implicated in the initial invasion of the city on December 16, 1966 must release all official, personal, and private documents to the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs for investigation.
- Vietnam must retain its promise from the 1964 Saigon Summit to not aid or abet Cambodian guerilla forces or rebels.
- All combat between the 5th Republic of France and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam shall cease and abide by the above rules, the United Nations, and Geneva Conventions.
Although both nations had much to say and change in their favor, the above is the final version of the armistice agreed upon by all parties. The armistice paper was signed by:
- President Henry Martin Jackson of the United States
- General Secretary Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev of the Soviet Union
- Prime Minister James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx of the United Kingdom
- Chairman Mao Zedong of the People's Republic of China
- Foreign Minister Ernest Charles Lucet of the 5th French Republic
- Foreign Minister Nguyên Duy Trinh of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Military Aftermath of the Second Indochina War:
- 57,000 KIA (66% Vietnamese)
- 12,000 MIA (81% French)
- 72,000 WIA (52% French)
- 134,000 Civilians KIA/MIA (89% Vietnamese)
Although the Glasgow Conference was seen as a great triumph of diplomacy between the major powers, Taiwan (the Republic of China) was greatly hindered in its geopolitical influence for the time being. President Jackson had recognized the People’s Republic of China the week prior to the Conference; Communist China would replace Taiwan's spot as a permanent member of the UN Security Council within the month.
The Better Society Plan
Plans drawn up between Pro Tempore Lyndon Johnson, Representative Claude Pepper, and Speaker Adam Powell Jr. would be taken to the President's desk following the first relatively calm year in the administration's history. Although much of the work on marketing the plan would be placed on Scoop himself; Johnson, Pepper, and Powell would act as the main sponsors of each piece in Congress. What would become the beginnings of the “Better Society Plan” would officially pass both houses of Congress throughout mid 1968.
Cheap Food and Housing Act of 1968
A large bill authored primarily by Speaker Adam Powell Jr. and Secretary Hubert Humphrey; the Cheap Food and Housing Act would cover extensive social programs. Although, with weak support in Congress, many Republicans were able to push to soften these programs and add their own agendas on top of them. The final contents of this massive bill were as follows:
- A federal Food Stamps program would begin and be administered and funded by the Department of Health and Welfare. Certain imported foodstuffs would receive a 15% higher tariff. All American citizens that either fall below or are less than 6% above the poverty line would be eligible for the Food Stamps program.
- Store-bought meat products will receive price controls to fit the monthly income of the average family. The Federal Government will cut 60% funds toward GMO Agriculture, Meat, Fish, and Poultry research.
- Houses that take up less than a certain area size will be price capped based county-by-county income. This job is in the hands of State Governments. (Apartments are not covered in this)
- Housing discrimination shall be made illegal based on identity.
House voted 241-194
Senate voted 53-47
Medical Bill Reduction Act of 1968
This bill was authored by Representative Claude Pepper and Secretary John Gardner in order to fundamentally reduce medical expenses for the youth, elderly, and medically unable. The bill however was weakened significantly by the Republicans in Congress, only allowing for those receiving Social Security benefits to have reduced medical expenses paid for partially by the Department of Health and Welfare; no matter if the recipient is signed on with private insurance or the Public Option.
House voted 220-215
Senate voted 53-47
Apollo 8: Americans on the Moon in November 1968!
Thanks to streamlined efforts by Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Margaret Smith the past 11 years, NASA and furthermore America were able to place the first men on the moon on November 12, 1967. In a speech made on national television that night in the hour following the conclusion of the live coverage of the moon landing, Scoop Jackson would put much of his thanks on the “Greatest mind our nation has ever had,” referring to Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer, since 1961, has been placed in a secondary charge of the Apollo missions and a potential moon landing until his resignation in January 1967 and death the following month. Dr. Oppenheimer's expertise in theory and former President Smith's dedication for space exploration are likely candidates as to the victory America achieved that night.
State of Asia in 1968
The United Nations has concluded their investigation into the potential legality and coercion in the events leading up to the invasion of Saigon.
“While France has made compelling arguments for the contrary, regarding available documents and other pieces of evidence, the Vietnamese military occupation of Saigon was not a result of coercion, manipulation, embezzlement, bribery, or corruption within the Republic of Vietnam. The invitation of Vietnamese armed forces into the territory limits was done by the legal Vietnamese co-government of said territory, and therefore, is deemed a semi-legal occupation of the city. The United Nations upholds the results of the Glasgow Conference.”
Gearing up for Reelection: A look at Potential Challengers
Notable Republicans that have declared candidacy
Former Vice President, Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon is back at it with his 4th attempt at a Presidential run, and if he wins the nomination or is selected as a running mate, 3rd attempt on a Presidential ticket. He is generally a moderate, but is definitely the wildcard. Despite his past of losing elections, he is somehow the safest, and perhaps most dangerous, to the Jackson administration.
Governor Ronald Reagan
The Governor of California has perhaps one of the most charismatic voices in the nation, and is definitely a threat should he receive the Republican nomination. While he is charismatic, he is also the most Conservative of the major players for the Republican nomination. Reagan has instituted a mix of conservative and liberal policy as Governor of California, but has spouted rhetoric like all the former dixiecrats; just without blatant racism. Scoop believes Reagan is not only a credible threat to his Presidency, but also a threat to minority groups nationwide.
“Draft Jack Kennedy” and “Draft Bobby Kennedy”
Despite neither Kennedy having decided to throw their hat in the ring this year, 1960 and 1964 Presidential candidate John Kennedy has received some support among anti-nixon moderates for the head of the ticket later this year. He has an air of charisma around him, much like his fellow Republican Ronald Reagan, but Kennedy has only commented on the matter stating he is “far too tired” for 3 Presidential runs in a row. The Senator's health is seemingly beginning to fail, as well. Despite the unlikeliness of the matter, Jackson is prepared to deal with Jack Kennedy again if he wins a draft.
Opposed to his older brother, Governor Robert Kennedy has remained Non-Partisan since the fall of the Liberal Party 3 years prior. Bobby has had moderate support from both parties since the beginning of his governorship in 1963. Despite this, and probably with wishes to go against one of his brothers, Bobby Kennedy has denied to run or entertain a draft movement in his name. Scoop has declared Bobby to be of little threat.
Other potential challengers
Senator Russel Long
The long-serving Senator and son of former President Huey Long has walked the line of conservative, liberal, and progressive support throughout his career. In recent years, he has become more supportive of progressive social policies, and definitely leans economically toward Labor; but his reach across rural southerners matches a more populist approach. Long has already declared his independent candidacy for President. If Nixon isn't one, Long is certainly the most dangerous wildcard if he plays his hand right. Scoop will closely watch him.
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The Midterms of 1848 and 1849 | Pine & Liberty
In the final months of Daniel Webster's term, the economy, still reeling from the War of 1839 and the subsequent Panic of 1843, began a slow but steady recovery. William Lloyd Garrison, the incoming President who shattered the Federalists' grip on power, stepped into office with a bold agenda aimed at bolstering the economic upturn and lifting the nation's spirits. His initial flurry of legislative efforts included a proposed second bill of rights to prevent a repeat of the Sedition Acts, as well as measures to curb speech, the introduction of an equal rights and poll tax amendment, the reduction of the National Bank's influence, which Garrison branded as "corrupt" and "flawed," in favor of greater state control, and the full nationalization of the road industry. Congress has rejected every one of these, however, Garrison has managed to push through some reforms, such as removing Nathan Appleton as the bank's president in 1848, granting states more authority over monetary policies, the nonrenewal of the sedition acts, the District of Maine region's autonomy, imposing national limits on alcohol sales, and ban of the purchase of quantities over 16, and the ending of U.S. cooperation in the deportation of fugitives. However, widespread American fatigue over aggressive slavery policies, coupled with an indifferent Martin Van Buren administration, terms of the Treaty of Brussels, and interest in the settlement of new territories in the northwest, resulted in minimal diplomatic opposition to Garrison's fugitive policy.
Despite minor economic hiccups, trade has largely returned to its pre-war status as industries have stabilized. This was partly due to then-President Nathan Appleton raising interest rates in response to Garrison's funding cuts and minor currency instability resulting from the sudden influx of state control. Furthermore, despite Garrison's efforts to establish further independence from the increasingly close British empire by expanding trade with Haiti, Mexico, France, and the Netherlands, foreign investments, particularly by the British, in railroads and other industries continue, much to Garrison's chagrin.
Meanwhile, on the domestic front, with William Lloyd Garrison shepherding the more affluent Liberty party to adopt a more radical rhetoric against the establishment and secret societies as a whole, the Anti-Masonic party would see a sudden bleed of support, as several of its representatives switched their party affiliations in their 1846 and 1847 campaigns. This bleed would continue, as the party became Garrison's largest outsider ally on key legislative reforms, with Garrison championing the collapsing party's platform on issues such as poll tax and voting reforms, and fines for secret societies. By 1848, party officials would agree on a formal merge, as the remainder of party members switched over. As Temperance sentiment spreads far and wide across the nation, Natavist feelings soar to unprecedented heights; as Catholics and the Irish find themselves in the crosshairs of nativism, owing to stereotypes associating them with regular drinking and heavy alcohol consumption.
Federalist
Led by their esteemed leader, George Evans, federalists have undergone a significant transformation following a series of setbacks, including major electoral defeats to the oligarchy during the "Revolution of 1846" in both the Presidential and House races, and narrowly retaining control of the Senate. They distanced themselves from the still-sensitive Daniel Webster administration, and addressing concerns over his well-known alcoholism and allegations of sympathy to liquor, they adopted a more pronounced pro-temperance stance; with states such as Connecticut and New Hampshire, where they held sway over governorships and state legislatures, implementing stricter regulations. Moreover, although initially backing the Sedition Acts and playing key roles in its creation alongside Federalist President Noah Webster in 1827, most of the party shifted its stance by 1847, opposing its renewal. While Federalists have supported specific measures during the Garrison presidency, particularly those related to Temperance and opposition to the Sedition Acts, the party has emerged as Garrison's main opponent, leveraging their status as the second-largest party in the House and their majority in the Senate, to block much of his agenda. Notably, Massachusetts representative Nathaniel Briggs Borden, supported by the party establishment, spearheaded Federalist efforts to censure Garrison for his attempts to rein in the National Bank. Nonetheless, with the defense of the Law and Order party, Garrison managed to evade censure with a vote margin of 19-35. Nevertheless, leveraging their control in the Senate, Federalists effectively obstructed Garrison's legislative agenda, halting proposed cuts to national defense meant to prioritize funding for education and infrastructure, as outlined in Garrison's Bill of rights. Additionally, they stymied social reforms proposed by Garrison, including provisions in The Penitentiary Act of 1848 aimed at alleviating penalties for tax evasion, victims of the Sedition Acts, and Dorr sympathizers. Furthermore, they thwarted the full implementation of Garrison's Land Reform policy, which aimed to repurchase all lands acquired by foreign investors.
Despite defeats amid the "Revolution of 1846" and a party identity crisis, the glimmer of victory at the end of the tunnel, driven by opposition to Garrison and his efforts to dismantle the National Bank, has spurred party unity. Centering their campaign primarily on one issue: The National Bank, Federalists argue that Garrison's attempts to curtail it are unconstitutional, citing the 13th amendment which established a strong permanent bank, and criticizing his use of the spoils system, particularly Arthur Tappan's appointment as bank president in the wake of Appleton's removal. Opponents criticize Tappan as too inexperienced, highlighting his close friendship with Garrison and lack of a banking background, exacerbated by Appleton's own nearly decade-long experience as its president, to allege cronyism. On economics, Federalists campaign on reinstating Appleton; passing legislation to ensure the bank's stability; and the further federalizing of the bank to its pre-Garrison status. Cooperation with private industries in the construction of infrastructure, to limit government spending so that the nation may pay off the heavy debts sustained from a lengthy war on top of an economic depression. They also contest Garrison's efforts to distance New England's ties with British trade and investors, advocating instead for a stronger connection with other European Powers; They champion a return to a close-knit relationship, both diplomatically and economically, with Federalists emphasizing Britain, which contributed heavily to their independence and later the diplomatic resolution of the War of 1839, as their foremost ally.
Liberty
Unseating the long-standing single-party rule of the Federalists during the Revolution of 1846, the Liberty Party stepped into the fray amidst a transformative era following a return to stability. Conceived by now-President William Lloyd Garrison under the influences of transcendentalism and liberty, advocating opposition to the government and support for limited intervention, it proved easier said than done to translate ideals into reality. Garrison eventually faced the stark reality upon assuming office, facing a slim majority in the House and a minority in the Senate, which forced him to navigate within the system, leaving much of his agenda in vain. Furthermore, Garrison's failure to pass equal rights and his proposed bill of rights has led inner-party critics, led by George Ripley, a Unitarian minister, and Henry David Thoreau, an author and former campaigner of Garrison, who has returned to civilization from his isolation in the forests of Massachusetts, to label Garrison as "corrupted" by political institutions. Other intra-party critics criticize his national restrictions on alcohol, attempts to block foreign business and investment, and fines for secret societies as further increasing the authority and scope of the government when the party's whole platform stood against it. Nonetheless, allies argue that his restrictions and expansion of executive power are necessary evils to tackle the root causes of societal issues and special interests and to promote the nation's independence while also supporting local businesses and industries.
Despite the emergence of splintering anti-Garrison factions, the Liberty Party has sought to navigate controversy by upholding the core tenets of Garrison's presidency. These include his cessation of collaboration with the U.S. on the deportation of fugitives from the Hudson-Greenway line; dismantling what Liberators perceive as a corrupt National Bank, and his instrumental role in achieving Statehood for the District of Maine after a struggle spanning over a decade, resulting in the creation of two new states: Maine and Bangor. In addition to championing Garrison's established agendas, the party endeavors to garner support for unfinished initiatives. These include proposals to expand the House's seats from 65 to 86, with each state gaining two more representatives than its electoral vote in the Electoral College, thus aiming to bolster representation. Furthermore, they advocate for Garrison's Second Bill of Rights, seeking to amend the constitution to ensure rights for all citizens and to federalize the poll tax to a reduced fee of $1.80. Additionally, they push for legislation aimed at diminishing the influence of Jewish bankers and investments, echoing Garrison's public condemnation of them as "the enemy of the people and Christ" and their purported "stranglehold over our nation's wealth."
Law and Order
Despite suffering heavy defeats amidst the Revolution of 1846 and Thomas Dorr's rebellion, the cornerstone of the party's creation, now relegated to the back burner of voters' minds, the Law and Order alliance of Farmers, Liberals, Traditionalists, and former Federalists and Nationalists finds itself in an awkward position. Larger parties such as the Federalists have adopted the centerpiece coalition's platform, such as the Federalists now championing calls for cooperation with the U.S. and moderate views on black and women's rights, while the Liberty Party advocates for limited government and a smaller national bank; Nonetheless, the Law and Order coalition has attempted to carve out a platform wedged between the two current party giants. Led by the party's House leader Robert C. Winthrop, the party has strongly emphasized its economic agenda, in a bid to set it apart from the two leading parties. They advocate for a limited National Bank, arguing for its scope to be restricted to essential sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure, and trade. Additionally, they propose limits on the money supply to maintain a stable bimetal gold and silver standard, advocate for increased transparency regarding bank loans, and impose requirements for loan eligibility. Moreover, emphasizing a limited federal government approach in favor of state control, they argue for allowing states to charter their own banks to a certain extent. They have also advocated for giving full control to the states to set their whiskey and alcohol policies, supporting government rollbacks on Garrison's national restrictions. Critics from the Law and Order faction lambaste Garrison for what they perceive as insufficient efforts to rein in the National Bank. Instead, they accuse him of employing the spoils system by appointing his friend, Arthur Tappan, whom many consider inexperienced, to oversee it, despite most of the party voting to replace Appleton with him. The party has argued for lower tariffs, contending that high tariffs disproportionately affect the nation's farmers while benefiting wealthy foreign and domestic investors and businesses; Additionally, they argue that lower tariffs would benefit consumer interests.
Championed by Winthrop and fellow prominent Law and Orderites, including Senator Franklin Pierce, former Governor Edward Everett, Representative Charles G. Atherton, Rhode Island speaker John Hopkins Clarke, and a now one-legged John Fairfield, the party has attempted to adopt a "Proclamation of Neutrality" regarding foreign policy, believing their strength could be achieved through trade and cordial relations with any country, regardless of past relations or tensions with the nation's ally states. Most notably, their support for this policy extends to the nation's most infamous and longstanding enemy, the United States, with whom the nation has fought two wars. Any attempts to reconcile have been further complicated after the election of vocal anti-Fugitive ally, William Lloyd Garrison, who halted Yankee cooperation in the retrieval and return of fugitives. Nevertheless, this faction, derisively labeled the "Doughfaces" by critics due to their perceived willingness to bend to U.S. interests argues that cooperation was necessary. They point to the provisions of the Treaty of Brussels and the agreed-upon reward for captured fugitives, whom they claim weren't even citizens of New England, that the U.S. agreed to pay; Which they contend as a necessary evil to tackle and settle the burdensome debts the nation has accumulated in recent years. In stark contrast, the "Firebrands," nicknamed as such due to the fearmongering that their support for Garrison's policy will spark a third crisis between the two bordering nations, are led by Representative John P. Hale of New Hampshire and Associate Justice Marcus Morton, the 1841 National Party nominee. Famously during a party meeting, Hale would passionately argue, "After witnessing the sacrifice of countless lives, the toll of significant casualties, the devastation wrought upon our infrastructure, and the profound scars etched upon our nation, it would be nothing short of tragic to discover ourselves entangled once more in the very predicament we endeavored to escape..." This sentiment has been echoed similarly by the rest of the Firebrands as they emerge as the top faction opposed to inner-party calls for cooperation with the United States.
Minor Party
This section is dedicated to minor parties that lack ballot access or cannot field candidates beyond specific races, making their chances of winning impossible.
Drunkards
Amidst the backdrop of anti-immigrant and Catholic sentiments fueled by campaigns advocating Temperance and the implementation of anti-alcohol measures on the national agendas of leading political factions, a coalition of politically engaged Catholic and Irish immigrants has emerged. Spearheaded by the influential editor of The Boston Post, James Gordon Bennett Sr., a Scottish Roman Catholic, their collective efforts have given rise to a small yet significant political organization: the Workingman's Party. With minor political connections, the party has largely remained native to Massachusetts, where it has contested several seats across the state, on a platform consisting of only three issues: equal protections for immigrants and immigrant workers, labor rights, and most infamously of all, opposition to temperance and alcohol restrictions. As a consequence, despite its intended role as a champion for laborers and immigrants, the party has more famously become to be known the mocking moniker of the "Drunkards" party, a label crafted by detractors to smear its reputation and insinuate that the party is run by a bunch of alcoholics who only became politically active after attempts to take or limit their bottle consumption
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A hungry bear does not dance | A House Divided Alternate Elections
A hungry bear does not dance
The Bulgarian people are one of the oldest peoples in Europe, with a cultural continuity of 1300 years. Information about Jewish settlements in Macedonia dates back to the time of Gaius Caligula and in the Nicopolis district a Latin inscription was found that testifies to the existence of a Jewish community in the 2nd century. There are not many other peoples on the European continent that formed so early and preserved their language, their religion, and their national tradition. The English, for example, completed their consolidation into one nation only after the Norman conquest in the XI century, and the Germans and Italians in the XIX century. The formation of the Bulgarian people was the first swallow that heralded the golden age of the Slavic peoples and kingdoms; In Russia a century later the inner Principality of Kyivan Rus was created, and in the Balkans two centuries later the kingdoms of the Bosnian Serbs and Croats were formed. The word Bulgarian itself means "to do good". Bulgarians have three important characteristics according to their own myth - from the Thracians they believe they received the sympathy for mysticism, from local Turks they bred with their fighting ability, courage and determination, and from the Slavs - patience as a way of life and mutual guarantee to each other and to other Slavic nations.
However, this wonderful cultural continuity was disrupted with the Ottoman occupation in the 14th century - which succeeded in destroying the local aristocracy, destroying the cities and fortresses, and deeply damaged the original organic Bulgarian culture while preventing for a time the formation of the Christian urban culture that developed in the same period in Western Europe. Therefore, unlike in Italy, England and France, ancient cities from the Middle Ages were unfortunately not preserved to modern times. In addition, Bulgaria did not experience the Renaissance, the Baroque, the Enlightenment period, and only in 1878, upon gaining independence, did it begin to rediscover its powerful roots.
In the years following independence, Bulgaria became increasingly militaristic and was often referred to as the "Prussia of the Balkans", in regards to its desire to change the Berlin Treaty through warfare, when the division of territories in the Balkans by the Concert of Europe regardless of ethnic composition led to a wave of discontent not only in Bulgaria, but also in the nations who were her neighbors and Bulgaria strived with relative success to manage the power relations compared to the other Christian countries of the region.
The defeat of the Ottomans in the Turco-Italian War, and the feeling that this was the time when Christian territories could be conquered from the Ottomans, led some of the Balkan countries to create the Balkan League, in which Bulgaria served as a central player. The First Balkan War began when Montenegro declared war on the Ottoman Empire, and a few days later the other members of the League officially joined the war. During the war, the Allies managed to conquer large parts of the reminder of Ottoman Europe, with Bulgaria in particular suffering huge losses in combat operations.
These territories were taken from the Empire in the Treaty of London that ended the war. However, League members failed to reach an agreement regarding the division of the various territories, and against this background, the Second Balkan War broke out.
In the second war, Bulgaria fought against the other members of the league. The war against Bulgaria was even joined by Romania, which was afraid of a large-scale Bulgarian sphere of influence. At the end of the war, in the Bucharest Agreement, all of Bulgaria's gains from the previous war were completely erased, except for a coastal strip near the Aegean Sea that remained in its hands. Part of the Dobruja region passed from Bulgarian control to Romania, Greece received the territories of Thessaloniki and Serbia received Macedonia. As a result of these changes, the main power in the Balkans shifted from Bulgaria to Serbia.
Thus when the Great War began Bulgaria joined the German Alliance with the hope of receiving territorial gains, and indeed it was generously rewarded by the Germans following the end of the war – with most of Serbia being transferred to the Bulgarian Tsardom and the entire Black Sea coast taken from Romania back to Bulgaria at the International Peace Conference of the Hague. The new territories brought new hope to the Bulgarian people, who prospered in these post-war days due to an economic alliance with Mitteleuropa, and as result, the Bulgarians did not bother to hide their sympathy for the Germans, even after the 1929 German economic crash and when it seemed that the established world order was beginning to crumble as more and more powers became Integralist and avowed anti-German. At that time, the reported German pogroms did not affect the Bulgarian domestic policy - which continued to allow a rich cultural life for Bulgarian Jews.
As a token of gratitude to the Germans and out of fear of a non-German Europe that would be hostile to them, the Bulgarians quickly and almost automatically joined the German side in World War II. In retrospect, contrary to the results of the Great War, the Tsardom got the short end of the stick and suffered a colossal defeat.
Although the Bŭlgarska armiya was relatively well equipped for the Serbian and Albanian threats and even advanced directly to the Serbian city of Niš, difficult terrain conditions soon made the front static along with reports of abuse of Serbian prisoners of war. The Greek declaration of war on Bulgaria which concerned many was merely only the beginning of bad tidings, each one greater than the other.
Eventually Romania declared war as well almost a year into the start of World War II. The Bulgarian army simply could not deploy on so many fronts and received encirclements one after another, as the Romanian invasion was unrestrained and ruthless. In less than a month and a half afterwards, all of Bulgaria was conquered. With no other option, the Bulgarian government announced unconditional surrender to the Pact of Iron.
A new puppet government was established which received all administrative dictates from Paris and Bucharest while the Tsar was found dead by suicide, in a clear indication of the national situation.
Pact soldiers were allowed to loot whatever they needed, and Bulgarian national historical works were transferred to other countries. It was the darkest period of the Bulgarian people, who experienced quite a few tragedies in the past.
And an even darker period for the Bulgarian Jews, when in 1944 the government approved the request of Russia and Romania to transfer 11,343 Jews to "labor camps" after a preliminary "deportation" of 9,000 other Jews (the extermination of the Jews in the Holocaust often received such titles, although those who ''discussed'' the request knew what it was truly about – an extermination camp).
However, hope can be found even in the most difficult moments. As the Germans eventually got closer to Bulgaria, the Bulgarian people revived the guerrilla action against the local Pact forces. Bulgarian public figures protested after the expulsion of the Jews of 1944, among them the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, bishops and parliamentarians and managed to prevent the deportation to extermination camps of about 48,000 more Jews before the liberation of Bulgaria by the Kaiserliche deutsche Armee while the survival rate of the Jewish population in Bulgaria was among the highest of controlled Pact nations. On February 1, 1945, hundreds of Bulgarian Pact collaborators were executed by German forces in an event that received international condemnation and Bulgarian silence. Bulgaria emerged from the war with a terrible sense of loss.
The brief period of complete German military occupation ended sooner than expected, when both the Americans and the Germans reached agreements on the re-creation of the Tsardom with Macedonia once again returned to Bulgaria in the Treaty of Aachen. In those days, Bulgaria still needed German economic and military support to prevent anarchy and enable basic functioning and so it suffered after Operation Halfmoon despite not being classified as an enemy nation for the purposes of the operation. Therefore, it did not show any opposition to the American soldiers who came to manage and start the rehabilitation of the region, and cooperated with them as Secretary of State Grew was able to finally settle the territorial disputes that led to almost a century of tensions and wars in the region with virtually all (devastated) Balkan countries signed the Sofia Agreements in exchange for participation in the ''Grew plan'', as they formally committed to ceasing and ending any territorial claims and opened full diplomatic relations with each other.
“Efectul știrii este mai important decât adevărul ei.”
In 1901, the Italian Guglielmo Marconi reached his great achievement – a telegraph transmission from Europe across the Atlantic Ocean to America.
The German-Jewish Gustav Ludwig Hertz has already proved that electricity can pass through electromagnetic waves, those waves whose frequencies span across the spectrum from X-ray waves to UV waves, microwaves, and radio waves. Hertz conducted an experiment on the subject, got the frequency unit named after him, and has been able to transmit sounds not only through an electric cable (ie telegraph) but through the air (wireless telegraph). The last breakthrough was made by a Serbian genius named Nikola Tesla who demonstrated the system to the public in 1903.
A wireless telegraph does what a cable telegraph does – it transmits a message from point to point. What will make it a world changer is the human understanding that this technological ability can be used not only from a transmitting point to a receiving point, but from a transmitting point to dozens of receiving points at the same time and later tens of millions of receiving points. This is how the radio was born. The radio and the wireless telegraph are technically very similar and thus the radio was a natural continuation of the telegraph with the help of inventors and entrepreneurs (a famous story is of David Sarnoff, an American Jew who worked for Marconi's telegraph company that also sold radios and insisted despite his boss's refusal to broadcast the 1920 World Series, which became the largest and most successful mass broadcast of that time and helped for the public to get used to the radio. It is also worth noting that he already suggested in 1915 that the company change its branding to the ''Radio Corporation of America'' and sell music boxes to consumers, but the process took place only after General Electric bought the company).
Telegraph connected points; The radio connected audiences. Those who sat on an isolated farm, those who worked in a factory, those who relaxed in the living room of their homes, suddenly everyone had the ability to hear at the same time leaders’ speeches, classical music (and later rock and roll), they heard dictators, declarations of war and peace. Historical events were reported as quickly as possible on the evening news. The world with the radio will become more accessible to the masses.
In 1925, Scottish inventor John Logie Baird managed to produce a device that transmitted images of moving figures clearly and not just voices. In 1937 the RCA conducted its first television broadcast, while the first television receivers sold were physically large and took up space in the home living room like a piece of furniture and the viewing screen was small. During this period there were still no long broadcast hours and on certain days there were only special broadcasts. These broadcasts content was scarce and included mainly news and coverage of special events, such as various sports events.
World War II significantly slowed down the development of the television broadcasting industry. All technological effort was directed to the war effort. Only after the war did the industry begin to gather momentum again. Starting in 1947, a dramatic development can be seen in the amount and variety of commercial television broadcasts in the US and, along with it, in the rest of the developed world (together with a significant reduction in the price of the television compared to the pre-war world). A variety of comedy, drama and thriller programs aired alongside editions of news, entertainment, and other leisure programs. The American people began to buy televisions in droves, and this only encouraged the industry to invest in more reliable models and more continuous broadcasts.
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Presidential Term of Adna Chaffee (1901-1905) | American Interflow Timeline
(Writer's Note: Understanding this summary will require previous knowledge of the posts about Chaffee's foreign and domestic policies. Any reference that needs past context will be linked to their respective posts)
“Until the ends of the earth we shall fight for our values, our freedom, our sovereignty, and by the grace of Almighty God, America and its people shall triumph forevermore.” - Adna Chaffee in his inaugural address
Adna Chaffee’s Cabinet
Vice President - George B. McClellan Jr.
Secretary of State - Champ Clark
Secretary of the Treasury - Elihu Root
Secretary of War - Robert F. Broussard
Postmaster General - Robert Borden
Secretary of the Navy - George E. Chamberlain (resigned March 1903)
Frederick Eaton
Secretary of the Interior - Jim Hogg
Attorney General - Philander C. Knox
Secretary of Sustenance - Moses Kinkaid
Secretary of Public Safety - Edward Carmack
Secretary of Labor and Employment - George Westinghouse
Fearing The Chaffean Cabal
Hancock D.C., United States of America, February 4, 1901
“Mr. Moody, the gravity of this situation is straining to members of the opposition.”
“I agree to your sentiment, but forming an administration such as this is in total legal power of the president. We may oppose these appointments in Congress, but as long the Patriots have the majority of confidence in the chambers, our voices are irrelevant. All we can hope is for moderacy to prevail.
The Speaker of the House and Senator Wanamaker has already voiced the totality of his support for the president’s selection. Mr. Hanly, we cannot expect us to be victorious in blocking this new cabinet, especially as public pressure demands of us approval for a functioning government. May you read the list aloud again?”
“For State, James Beauchamp Clark of Missouri. Treasury, Elihu Root of New York. War, Robert Broussard of Louisiana. Postmaster General, Robert Borden of Nova Scotia. Navy, George Chamberlain of Mississippi. Attorney General, Philander Knox of Pennsylvania. Interior, Jim Hogg of Texas. Sustenance, Moses Kinkaid of Dakota. Public Safety, Edward Carmack of Tennessee. Labor and Employment, George Westinghouse of Pennsylvania.
Never since the Barnum administration has a presidential administration been so clearly partisan. These men hold very extreme, reformist, and hawkish views, the country will veer very far off from what President Custer created.”
“chuckles***, Alas, we can do nothing but do our work here in the House of Representatives. Perhaps, we should not fear this for now.***”
“sighs, If that that is what your mind is speaking to you, then I cannot oppose it. After all, we are now partners in opposition.”
The previous Custer administration had been marred by the Bryan-Russell rivalry which split the old presidential cabinet in pieces. It was custom that presidential cabinets be diverse in order to please either side of a political debate. As the old administration left, it was expected that a similar status-quo structure would be put in place to appease both hawkish hardliners and isolationist reformists, however the end result was far from that thought. The Chaffee administration was packed solely with so-called “ruffian” individuals, those who held interventionist, nationalist, social reformist, and near imperialistic philosophies. Cabinet members such as Champ Clark, Robert F. Broussard, Moses Kinkaid, and George Westinghouse were chosen due to their alignment with a ‘Chaffean’ belief. The more ‘reactionary’ members such as Vice President McClellan, Jim Hogg, George E. Chamberlain, and Edward Carmack still mostly held firm in their loyalty to the administration. The more ‘reformist’ column which included Elihu Root, Robert Borden, and Philander Knox, though more likely to be uncomfortable with the actions of the other cliques, still abided by the circle as a whole. Though terrifying for his political opponents, this powerful administration would be a blessing to the president himself, smoothing the path to get actions done.
President Chaffee during a visit to the Philippine Islands after the German negotiations
The Great Axe
Upon the axing of the ‘bloated’ bureaucratic Custerite system, the government experienced the first surplus in budget in decades. These policies were mainly devised by the machinations of Secretary Elihu Root and Attorney General Philander Knox. Many of the departments and sub departments created by the old administration were either merged, reassigned, or eliminated entirely. Funds for government-instituted programs were reallocated into the economic restructuring and control funds, killing off many public programs.
Attorney General Knox took a much harder stance on monopolies and repealed many of the protections handed to them by the Custer administration. Working with Secretary Carmack, the monetary ventures of these companies were now monitored by Bureau of Public Safety, and often threatened government intervention if practices were not up to standard. To the dismay of many radical anti-monopolists, the administration refrained from breaking up these monopolies and they continued to grow their empires that spanned the entire country, only now with increased government surveillance. On the other hand, new policies empowered small business and funds were reallocated to support non-monopoly affiliated business. Though these small business finally did detach themselves from the shadow of monopolies, in many areas competition remained harsh of them as the larger and more wealthy corporations dominated consumers.
In an attempted to stir back competition, Congress passed the Roosevelt-Garfield Bill in May 1902, penned by Representative Theodore Roosevelt of New York and Senator James R. Garfield of Ohio. The bill capped the wealth and support received by regional wings of corporations in “designated developing areas”. Harsh fines and possible shutdowns were imposed to any that tried disobey or cheat the law. Domestic American business saw a more competitive landscape throughout the coming years, though the wealth gap between big and small business still widened.
The Prince of the World
In a recent news report posted in the Hartford Courant, an interview with esteemed writer and author Mark Twain in February of 1903 caught the attention of many. The interviewer asked Twain a question regarding his past comments about President Chaffee, “In less than 10 words, how would you describe the foreign policy of the president.”. Twain paused for a moment and responded, “Ambition to a near toxic degree.”. Twain coined the term “Chaffean Policy”, and his sentiments were shared by most of the President Chaffee’s critics in foreign policy.
Chaffee famously declared in his tantalizing second round campaign speech that he would find America’s place under the sun. To most, Chaffee would deliver on that promise in a mere few years. America would achieve these feats quick and ambitiously. The American military occupation of Fujian Province and its establishment as part of the American sphere of influence was a victory to those who sought to expand American prowess in the Fat East. The American intervention to support the Filipino republics against the Germans who acquired the Spanish Philippines empowered the anti-German nationalists. The incidents at Manchuria and the souring of Russo-American relations bowed in favor of those who saw the Russians as autocratic tyrants. The establishment of American representation and interests in the Congo General Administration pleased the African opportunists. The quashing of the protests in Bahia Blanca strengthened those who wished to expand influence in South America. The US even demanded that the Argentine protestors be harshly punished by the Argentine government, which stirred the country's public even more. All in all, one group was certainly ecstatic of foreign policy the new administration was veering towards, the nationalist-imperialists.
American-administered railway construction in the Congo General Administration
These policy gave Chaffee’s administration immense bi-partisan support from the imperialists of the political spectrum. After the US was able to negotiate with the Germans not to continue their conquest of the Philippine Islands, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge would praise the president’s policies in a speech. “Never before has America shined so brightly to all societies of the world. Each step we take, we walk closer to the golden throne of a perfect civilization. There we shall take our rightful place as Prince of the World, under the service of the Lord, our God and Christ the Savior.”. The President himself was consistent in his constant declares of “American Sovereignty” against the grand foes that seek to dismantle it. Though notoriously less rambunctious and outgoing than his predecessor, Chaffee’s rare appearances gained much fanfare to his supporters, especially if he spoke out directly to them. The opposition continued to oppose these policies, the radicals and anti-imperialists joining forces to counteract the nationalist machine. Representative Hiram Johnson would try to push for an impeachment for Secretary Carmack, due to his actions in Bahia Blanca that led thousands deported, though his efforts fell flat. To the wider public, imperialism was either a non-concern or a broad support. A majority of American would not oppose these policies, most of them saying it was for the betterment of American prestige and international power.
Mass deportation of Argentine war immigrants back to Argentina
With fears that a possible conflict may stir up between the US and any other nation, Chaffee ordered Secretary of War Broussard and the War Department to hastily prepare a last resort war plans in case of war with every single major power in the world stage. Acknowledge the gargantuan task of defeating any major powers, the war plans describes very desperate and depraved tactics, such as using chemical warfare and bombarding international shipping. The plans would also describe the spoils of war that the US would seize if they were the win against their foes. Broussard's plans were kept top secret and never showed publicly, though many rumors got out and spread throughout the rooms of lawmakers, however those rumors was mostly either dismissed or sidelined by the general public and basically unknown to the rest of the world.
The Disobedient Son
While feelings of American expansionism were warm at home, abroad it utterly enraged many. In a golden room in a place in Berlin, Philipp, Prince of Eulenberg, after his meeting with George von Lengerke Meyer regarding the Philippines, told Vice Chancellor Arthur von Posadowsky-Wehner, “Americans are a brash and egomaniacal people. Always seeking glory, but never willing to sacrifice. Their great leaders of old, Hancock, Clay, Hale, would weep at the sight of this nation that stands before us.”.
The Kaiserreich was increasingly growing ambitious and hostile policy in the world stage. Along with her ally, the British Empire, they counterbalanced the Franco-Russian Entente for supremacy on the world stage. Woes for a conflict were already brewing in Europe. In the German-aligned Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (informally the Kingdom of Illryia), tension was growing with the Russophile Balkan-Slavic intelligentsia and the German ruling class, reigned by Bernhard von Saxe-Meiningen, or by his regal name King Konstantin I. A military arms race between the French and the Germans continues to flare up as both vie to be the premier continental power. The Germans would still hold claim the mostly ethnically and linguistically German Rhineland, which had been handed to the French after the Napoleonic Wars. The British and the French would compete for their massive colonial empires, seeking to establish dominance as the greatest empire in history. It didn’t help that Secretary of State Clark openly denounced the “colonial competition” of the French and the British, saying it put global peace in jeopardy. Clark sent multiple letters to UK Prime Ministers Robert Gascoyne-Cecil and Charles Spencer denouncing the UK’s policy of “encroachment”, stating that wherever the French sought to spread influence, the British would follow.
The Franco-British \"Great Game\" would distract both governments from fully decrying the US
The United States would be viewed as a bumbling yet dangerously ambitious nation, one that the Germans sought to keep passive and behaved. The US had aligned neither with the Franco-Russian nor the Anglo-German alliance, historically holding a famed neutral stance in global squabbles. However as President Chaffee’s more hawkish foreign policy began to soar the US above what the foreign empires expected, those nations began to antagonize the Americans. Even the French, who have a merely professionally lukewarm relationship with the US, began to get anxious. French Prime Minister Georges Picquart would describe the American foreign policy as “…inherently hostile to all non-Americans.”. Though no foreign nation would threaten military action against the US, the sentiments established would lead to many nations seeking American to stay put during foreign affairs. The Argentine public particularly had a rabid distain for the US. After their loss in the war, Argentina would suffer crippling economic conditions, further exacerbated by their political divisions and lack of national confidence. The new Argentine president sought to rebound relations with the US, which angered many of the populace who demanded to cut off relations from their former foe. The growing hostility of these nations was apparent to many in the government, though their reactions were muted and unenthusiastic. Most simply shrugged this concern off as unimportant. Senator Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., recently appointed to the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, would state “The hostility and discrediting from foreign governments against the United States is matters that that foreign government solely has dictation over. Our government has no command over that they may say or do.” Holmes' address was met with cheers from the chambers.
The things he allows...
The first Chaffee cabinet would be one of the most politically powerful and influential administrations in American history. Coordinating excessive actions such as the expulsion of all Argentine immigrants, the grand “War on Crime”, the exaltation of the Hancockian Corps, and the detachment from the gold standard to fiat currency. Secretary of Labor and Employment Westinghouse moved ambitious yet business-friendly employment policies. Westinghouse imposed many policies that benefited the technological sector of the market, and many technological feats were aided by and complete by Westinghouse’s investments. Westinghouse’s company went beyond electricity and aided in the creation of groundbreaking inventions. Such as the “Whirl-craft”, the first American flying helicopter in 1903. Westinghouse would be a common figure of criticism by opponents. As the Housing Crisis continued and the costs of housing continued to be high, Westinghouse’s department was criticized in their inaction. Many saw that it was Westinghouse’s job to combat the issue, yet he did little to address the problem.
Secretary Westinghouse was a patron of rapid technological advancement
Secretary of Sustenance Kinkaid helped to imposed the “Market-by-Market” system. The government would classify a business based on their productivity, general environment, and profits. With the data collected, they get classified as either THRIVING, COMFORTABLE, or IN JEOPARDY. Based on their classification, it would determine the amount of aid and support they would receive from their local governments. While this system did revive thousands of small businesses that were on the brink of collapse, certain opportunistic administrators would forcibly close down IN JEOPARDY business that cut costs that would go in supporting them. States like Illinois and California would be the most notorious for their business shutdowns, as dictated by their local governments. Many local officials would get canned by their involving in this practice, such as Milwaukee Mayor David Rose, who shutdown many business in the city. Local legislators across the country would always try to push or support the practice of the man on top. Elsewhere however, such as in Texas and Virginia, local business thrived under the system. Someone who didn't thrive was a particular John D. Rockefeller, who was enraged that the government seemed to discriminate against his businesses. Rockefeller wrote in an open letter that "...no fair ground and no consistent market means no capital and no benefits for all.".
Most notorious out of all Chaffee’s cabinet was Public Safety Secretary Edward Carmack. Feared by both politician and civilian alike. The Bureau of Public Safety, called by John D. Rockefeller as the “Carmack Machine”, struck hard on the criminal civilian population. Carmack’s 6-year “War on Crime” envisioned a United States free of the crime and instability ridden tenures of the past, going as strict as possible on any wrongdoers. With the Hancockian Corps in his pocket, it was common sight for BPS agents or the local Hancockian chapter to chase down people on the streets accused with simple crimes. One heavily publicized case involved a 27-year old man, who was brutally beaten after being apprehended for a property damage charge. Carmack’s “masterplan” faced its major opponents and supporters nationwide. Nativist figures that supported his expulsion of the Argentine immigrants such as Representatives James K. Vardaman and John Temple Graves supported Carmack. Those who sought to combat monopoly and corruption power, which Carmack worked heavily to oppose, supported him, such as Representatives Oscar Underwood and William Sulzer and Senators Henry Cabot Lodge and Joseph W. Bailey. Opposing the BPS were the likes of Senators Eugene Debs, Anselm McLaurin, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., Marion Butler Representatives Theodore Roosevelt and Francis Bellamy, and Governor Henry George Jr.. All would oppose Carmack for their own person reasons but united in their opposition. On October 1903, all mentioned would sign the “Declaration of National Renouncement”, documents declaration their oppose to the BPS’ handling of national crime, and demanded the resignation of Secretary Carmack and multiple others in the bureau. The declaration would fail in removing Carmack, though it succeeding in bringing the issue to the public spotlight.
Secretary Carmack was one of the polarizing people in the Chaffee government
The public became polarized in their opinions of the War on Crime. The Boston Custer Society, one of the largest public players of President Custer’s tenure, opposed the BPS and their operations. The BSC had already been frustrated at President Chaffee’s attempts at dismantling the Custerite Society and sought to keep the structure created by their patron. The Association for Social Co-operation also opposed the BPS, and especially the Hancockian Corps. Jacob Coxey and his followers would raise $12,000 to victims of “BPS brutality”, as well as holding their common rallies against government policies. Many also supported the BPS’ efforts, particularly war veterans who were granted added benefits directly by Carmack’s department, as well finding employment through the Hanockians. Carmack starkly told reporters outside the Capitol that "...all may curse me as they wish, but all men bow before the same divine judgement."
The Hero and the Villain
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
"PRESIDENT CHAFFEE CELEBRATES THIRD YEAR OF PRESIDENCY IN LOS ANGELES" by Vincent Uba, March 4, 1904.
"Almost 100,000 cheering supporters watched on today as the President rode around San Francisco celebrating his third year in office... Accompanied by Vice President George McClellan, Secretary of State Champ Clark, and Secretary to the President and his son Adna Chaffee Jr., signs were raised bearing the names of the members of his administration... Behind all the cheers and excitement, many in the city— and the wider country, wonder if the President would dare to march on into a second term as his enemies begin scheme their next political action."
President Adna Chaffee was dubbed the “Hero of the Rio de la Plata” during the War of Continental Alliance. Some continue to call him that. Though his enemies call him something very different. Coined by Representative Edward M. House, he dubbed Chaffee the “Ferro-Fiend”, saying he was an iron tyrant. Chaffee’s military background made him unfamiliar with many of the duties of the presidency. This would be used both for and against him. Supporters argued his handling of the country proved he went beyond his lack of knowledge of administration and that he thrived even though he knew little. Critics would claim that Chaffee’s ignorance of the web of governance led him to be weak and surrendered his duties to opportunistic individuals. From an interview, House Speaker John Nance Garner would say “I show my full confidence and supply for the competency of the President and his administration. Based on my own eyes, his capacity to work his duties has been more fruitful than any past administration in my lifetime.”
Chaffee remained mainly quiet from the public scene during his tenure, a stark difference from his rambunctious predecessor. His image in the public eye remained as an either benevolent or malicious head honcho, one who’s quiet but one who everyone knows has power. The society that grew during his tenure would be both similar and different from the Custerite Society he promised to reimagine. On one hand, casual public life would remain the same, the economic and social stability and patriotism and understanding between normal civilians would continue and flourish during his tenure. On the other hand, policies such as the axing of institutions, the open shift towards nationalism, and fear used by the likes of the BPS shows very obvious change in society. The cult of personality adhered by fanatics of the old president would not go away, neither didn’t the radicals who called for drastic change. As the issues of the past faded away, new and prevalent issues would rise to take their place. America enters the 20th century its own friend and enemy.
23rd President of the United States of America, Adna Chaffee
15:00 UTC
Hail to the Chief! | PSAE
Speech by Robert M. LaFollette Jr. entered into the Congressional Record
"Senators, as we mourn our fallen friends and former colleagues, I feel obliged to enter a message from the President of the United States into the Congressional Record about the awful events of September 15th.
Senators,
I would like to express my continued shock and horror with the attacks that killed Will Rogers Sr, Thomas D. Schall, and John G. Winant, and injured many of the best and brightest of America. There is no room for tolerance of violent intolerance in America. The immorality of this act is as clear to me as it is with people who can so easily tell right from wrong. This is an act comparable only to the crimes of communists as evil as Pettigrew and Kaganovich.
Let me be clear, we must avoid the tragic road Russia took after the Revolution. We must stand firmly against any steps which may wreck the peace. We must never compromise and surrender to terrorism and revolutionary-like acts. Actions that mirror Communist and fellow-traveler activities in America remain a serious menace to our democracy.
I hope Farmer-Labor will not be misinterpreted and distorted by the smear bund for the activities of some few that would bring down upon our head a storm of smearing vilification and misrepresentation by a tightly organized minority in the United States. This minority employs Kaganovich-like tactics of the big lie, the big smear, and the wholesale impugning of motives and character. In the past, some of the opposition has played footsy with Soviet Russia. I would encourage them to avoid associations with those who desire something similar in all forms.
I am no more prepared to commit my country to enforcing reactionary rule than to allow Communist domination. The determining factor is the placement of loyalty. Is it with America and democracy, or is it with the Soviet Union and totalitarianism?
God Bless,
Phillip Fox LaFollette, President of the United States
23:45 UTC
Minnesota, Vote Your Conscience! | PSAE
The dramatic scene unfolded over the nation like a Shakespearean play; The congregation & arrest of the opposition; Impeachment of the President of the United States; & the assassination attempts on multiple leaders of the Anti-La Follette movement.
In the scene of impeachment, the lights would shine over Farmer-Labor Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey, a supposed centrist of the Party. Yet, despite his more moderate views, his egghead was too thick to follow his conscience, or the conscience of the people of Minnesota. Humphrey would become the deciding vote, him alone allowing for the acquittal of Fascist Dictator-wannabe La Follette.
In the scene of the opposition would be Minnesota's bright & cherished Harold Stassen. Stassen, a member of the opposition to the fascists, would be horrified to watch his friends be attacked & slaughtered in the events of September 14, 1951. The danger of La Follette, and the complicity of Hubert Humphrey would call Stassen to action.
Minnesota, Vote Your Conscience!
Humphrey Dumpty Has Fallen Off the Wall & Cracked Open a Fascist Yoke!
Humphrey's La Folly with La Follette will Not Be Forgotten!
Stassen For U.S. Senate, 1954!
There will be selfishness and greed and corruption and narrowness and intolerance in the world tomorrow and tomorrow's tomorrow. But pray God we may have the courage and the wisdom and the vision to raise a definite standard that will appeal to the best that is in man, and then strive mightily toward that goal.
-Harold Stassen
Harold Stassen & Alice Roosevelt Longworth discussing the planned senate campaign
23:39 UTC
Red, Blue, and Yellow: How Would You Vote? (Texas, 1965)
President Lyndon B. Johnson (I, 1962-1971)
Texas is strong these days. Protests against Chester Nimitz's unchecked domination over Texas died down almost immediately after the election of 1962. The economy is doing well, and Texas hasn't been harassed by the New Afrika communists since their first attempt at attacking Texas in 1961, especially since the Texan army is parked on the border. Johnson's Great Society has, so far, gone down well, and it's election season.
The Integralist Party
Integralist nominee, President Lyndon B. Johnson
President Johnson claims that he is "just getting started" on his Great Society programs. He plans to further expand and improve on access to healthcare, revolutionize air travel, pursue Texan missions to space, and pass further civil rights legislation.
The Texicrat Party
The Texicrats have trended conservative with the nomination of Bruce Alger. An opponent of President Johnson on nearly all issues, Alger believes that many of the issues the President seeks to alleviate on the national level should instead be left to the local levels, such as civil rights and social programs. He believes that the national government should only concern itself with foreign affairs and defense, and as such has called for Texas to take an active role in taking down the New Afrika communists in the Confederacy.
The Builders Party
Builders nominee, Joseph Montoya
Perhaps the most respected Builder nationwide, Joseph Montoya is a supporter of President Johnson in many ways, such as support for aerospace projects and social programs. He also supports legislation to protect wilderness areas, legislation to support both higher and vocational education, and even research into nuclear energy.
How Would You Vote?
23:08 UTC
The Impeachment of Philip La Follette | Peacock-Shah Alternate Elections
COMMITTEE FOR PRESERVATION OF THE REPUBLIC DEMANDS IMPEACHMENT OVER ARRESTS, Howard K. Smith, The New Orleans Times-Picayune, November 17th, 1950
PHILADELPHIA–Former Senator Thomas D. Schall and U.S. Representative Henry S. Breckinridge, Chairmen of the Committee for the Preservation of the Republic, an organization striving to unite opposition to the administration for the 1952 election, issued a formal statement yesterday afternoon endorsing the proposed impeachment of President La Follette on the grounds of the “violation of citizens constitutional rights,” echoing Ben Gitlow’s prior accusation that the President has sought to build “a dictatorship of executive orders.” Centering their call on the arrests of prominent leaders of the opposition, the Committee cited:
- The April, 1949 arrest by federal agents of Congress of Industrial Organizations President John L. Lewis, who challenged the President in a narrow 1948 primary contest, and the subsequent arrest of Tony Boyle, Lewis’s erstwhile successor and formerly Fulgencio Batista’s nominee for the vice presidency of the nation. Apprehended on related charges of racketeering, both have been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Mr. Walter Reuther, having succeeded Lewis in leadership of the CIO, has sought to fundraise $500,000 to cover the organization’s legal fees.
- The arrest of Benjamin Gitlow, late Progressive nominee for the presidency, in September of that year prior to a speaking tour intended to vituperate President La Follette. Sentenced on charges of forgery for his time under an assumed name while presumed dead after the New American Revolution, Gitlow has a remaining eight years in prison with the possibility of parole.
- The arrests of Cuba Governor Fulgencio Batista, who found himself a distant second to La Follette in the presidential election, Santo Domingo Governor Rafael Trujillo, and his brother Hector on charges of racketeering and bribery. All have been sentenced to over 20 years in prison, with the arrest of Trujillo in particular notable for having sparked the alienation of William R. Hearst from the President.
- The arrest of Virginia Senator Harry F. Byrd, brother of presidential candidate Admiral Richard E. Byrd, in 1950 on charges of bribery and racketeering. Byrd has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
- The federal investigation into New York Governor Robert Moses over the appointment of Tom Shanahan, convicted of bribery, to the New York Board of Planning, fueling the resignation of Governor Moses despite no evidence of wrongdoing on his part.
- The arrest, on charges of embezzlement, of Senator William Lemke after his promise to campaign for the presidency against La Follette and his subsequent death, after thirty-three years in the United States Senate, on the floor of a jail cell.
FRENCH AMBASSADOR ADMITS ORDER TO ASSASSINATE BUTLER FROM LINDBERGH, Walter Winchell, The New York Daily Mirror, July 16th, 1951
WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA–Gaston Henry-Haye, French Ambassador to the United States from 1935, testified yesterday to the United States Select Committee to Investigate International Crime chaired by Senator Estes Kefauver (FL-TN) after several prior refusals to appear. The Ambassador testified under oath that he was instructed in 1937 to organize the killing of General Smedley Butler by Secretary of the Treasury Hugh S. Johnson as a means of preventing General Butler from mounting a primary challenge to President Lindbergh in 1940. The Ambassador stated that he is unaware of whether President Lindbergh himself had sanctioned the assassination, but to the sensation of the impeachers, further testified that it was President La Follette who had urged him, and others from within the Administration, to defy the subpoena.
The Ambassador’s testimony has buttressed that of Envoy Porfirio Rubirosa, his primary contact in the United States government, detailing an elaborate plot organized through General Raoul Salan involving the blackmail of Butler associate Yvonne Sadoul, whose husband Jacques, imprisoned for communist associations since the beginning of the Petain Regime, was threatened with execution unless Mrs. Sadoul would provide French agents with travel details of General Butler’s tour of Madrid. The Ambassador recounted a phone call from General Salan explaining how Jean Filiol, a member of the Petainist secret police working undercover as an agent of L’Oreal cosmetics, utilized his disguise to lure Butler in for assassination on the pretext of improved makeup for his television appearances.
President La Follette has responded by the investigation as a “witch hunt,” denouncing “McCarthyism” and citing the attacks upon economic advisor Leon Keyserling as evidence of the untrustworthiness of Speaker McCarthy. Addressing the possibility of impeachment, President La Follette stated at a press conference last Thursday that “when they go low, we will continue to aim high” as he affirmed his decision to appoint former President Lindbergh to lead the newly founded National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Senator Estes Kefauver interrogates Gaston Henry-Haye on the assassination of Smedley Butler.
United States House of Representatives Chamber, July 22nd, 1951
“Stand up, impeachers!”
The testimony of Ambassador Henry-Haye had left President La Follette in the crosshairs of Speaker McCarthy and, smelling blood in the water, McCarthy immediately struck for the kill. In typical fashion, the vitriolic Speaker would pillory moderates in a public statement claiming that "you cannot offer friendship to tyrants and murderers without advancing the cause of tyranny and murder” and label Father Charles Coughlin a “subversive” for a radio broadcast on the priest’s weekly program opposed to impeachment. Fearing the possibility of a parry from the executive branch, McCarthy would task Richard Nixon with leading the drafting of articles of impeachment immediately over the last weekend of June.
A conciliatory populist on his party’s left ever uncomfortable with Joseph McCarthy’s persona, Eduardo Chibas would ally with the Committee for the Preservation of the Republic to gather support for the impeachment, viewing La Follette as a tyrant. Speaking to the House in a broadcast covered live in Spanish in his native Caribbean, as Nixon and counsel Roy Cohn poured over treatises on constitutional law, Chibas would cite the arrest of Gitlow to declare that “the American people have been disgraced because power has won out over shame.” Three articles would be drafted within days for presentation to the House of Representatives, millions of Americans listening over the radio as the “voice of impeachment,” the voice of Nixon, presented them to Congress and the nation.
Article I: Using the powers of the office of President of the United States, Philip F. La Follette, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in disregard of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has repeatedly engaged in conduct violating the constitutional rights of citizens, impairing the due and proper administration of justice and the conduct of lawful inquiries, or contravening the laws governing agencies of the executive branch and the purposes of these agencies.
Article II: Without lawful cause or excuse, President La Follette directed Executive Branch agencies, offices, and officials not to comply with those subpoenas. President La Follette thus interposed the powers of the Presidency against the lawful subpoenas of the House of Representatives, and assumed to himself functions and judgments necessary to the exercise of the “sole Power of Impeachment” vested by the Constitution in the House of Representatives.
Article III: That said President La Follette, unmindful of the high duties of his office, and of his oath of office, in the year of our Lord, 1951, at Washington in the District of Columbia, unlawfully conspired with Charles A. Lindbergh, Secretary of the Air Force, to obstruct a lawful investigation by the United States Select Committee to Investigate International Crime.
Finally, echoing from the radios of the presidentially loyal Blackshirts mulling around the capitol building to millions of kitchen tables, Nixon’s voice thundered with the impeachment’s most famous line:
“Stand up, impeachers!”
A few enthusiastic young representatives like Mississippi’s Rubel Phillips, New Jersey’s Millicent Fenwick, and Massachusetts’s Henry Cabot Lodge would be the first to their feet, jumping to attention within seconds as their hands clutched railings or rose in salutes to the American flag. Within seconds, dozens more would begin to stand, socialist Norman Thomas alongside libertarian Suzanne La Follette as disabled Nebraskan Bob Dole used his good arm to carry paraplegic Michigander Harry Kelly and heed Nixon’s call. Surveying the chamber, one thing was clear: impeachment had a majority. The impeachers standing in victory, the tension of the vote would dissipate for the moment against the certainty of the result, with the most popular of the articles, the first, peaking at 291 votes for and a mere 178 against.
In an attempt to conciliate the disparate factions of the opposition, the tapestry of impeachment managers would run the gamut. Leading them, naturally, would be the “voice of impeachment,” Richard Nixon, with Progressive-Federalists also contributing aging former Judge John J. Parker of North Carolina, fiery Mississipian Rubel Phillips, irascible former prosecutor Harold Stassen of Minnesota, and Linwood Holton of Virginia, while veteran old lawyers Henry S. Breckinridge and Jouette Shouse would comprise the Liberty League contingent and McCarthyite conservative Thomas H. Werdel of California and socialist New Yorker Jacob Panken would represent the divisions within the Farmer-Labor opposition itself.
For the first time in American history, the President had been impeached.
MCCARTHY RESIGNS AS SPEAKER AFTER NEW WAVE OF OPPOSITION ARRESTS, Joseph Alsop, The Saturday Evening Post, August 14th, 1951
GRAND CHUTE, WISCONSIN–Speaker of the House Joseph McCarthy has formally resigned his office after being apprehended by state police this week at his Wisconsin home, where the nation’s most impressive demagogue was charged with sodomy in connection to his frequent attendance at the White Horse Inn, a known place of rendezvous for Milwaukee homosexuals. While initially vowing to hold onto his office and resist what he has dubbed “libel,” the loss of support from California’s young Richard Nixon signaled failure in an upcoming motion to vacate and is credited with triggering his resignation. McCarthy has accused the police investigation of having been under the influence of the La Follette family, all powerful in Wisconsin, while others cite as precedent the harassment of David I. Walsh for his homosexuality by President Luce that famously destroyed the Massachusetts’ Senator’s political career. However, like Walsh, many speculate that McCarthy may seek the presidency following his expected six month prison sentence.
In addition to McCarthy, the past two weeks has seen the arrest of several other notables who favored the President’s impeachment including, on charges of accepting kickbacks, J. Parnell Thomas (F-NJ), the irascible Chairman of the House Committee on Un-American Activities who famously called for an end to theater funding on the grounds that such constituted presidential propaganda; on charges of payroll fraud, Ernest K. Bramblett (P-CA); and Walter E. Brehm (P-OH) on charges of fraud. The arrests, however, seem to have galvanized the opposition, and this columnist’s opinion is that an outcome of removal is nearly certain.
The Trial of the Century?
With Joseph McCarthy behind bars, President La Follette’s allies would fundraise for their leader’s defense, shocking the public by recruiting for the defense team the former counsel to the impeachers themselves: Roy Cohn. Brought in with a paycheck rumored to be over a million dollars, Cohn’s vicious persistence would be tampered by his insistence that La Follette supporters not engage in threats, arguing that doing so would alienate moderates. Cohn would be joined by another young lawyer, the son of a major Liberty League donor who had recently turned for La Follette and a friend of Vice President Musmanno’s: Robert F. Kennedy. In another attempt to appeal across the aisle, elite lawyer Clark Clifford would lead the defense, utilizing decades worth of Washington connections. Meanwhile, the President would use intermediaries such as General Trades Union President George Meany to appeal to liberal Senators such as Hubert Humphrey, arguing that, regarding the first article, the executive orders represented the nation’s best path to universal healthcare.
As Nixon and his cadre perorated eloquently on the values of democracy, Cohn, Clifford, and Kennedy would attempt to constrain the case to the bare intricacies of legal detail, avoiding grand speeches and matters of philosophy to argue narrowly for a decision to acquit. They would find sympathy in Chief Justice Hugo Black, as the former Commandant of the Blackshirts presided over the trial with a consistent willingness to defer to the requests of the defense on matters such as the rules of evidence. Their narrow arguments would target those fundamentally uncomfortable with the nation of a presidential removal as they sought to boil the decision to one of legal nuances rather than the nature of the republic.
With the President attempting to behave above the fray and portray himself as the statesman of the national revival to win the peace, his brother Bob Jr. would reluctantly join Clarence Dill in taking the lead in attempting to secure his acquittal. As journalist Herb Klein would report, the siblings’ relationship had been plagued by a growing chasm between the siblings, with Bob feeling his brother had gone too far. Yet, Bob, through private conversations as he insisted that the listener forget he was Majority Leader of the United States Senate, that a return to normalcy would be impossible if the drastic step of presidential removal was taken. Bob would seek to obtain promises from his brother that the presidency would step back if acquitted, removing Lindbergh from power and pausing the implementation of executive orders.
Central to the Wisconsin Senator’s mission of convincing would be Vice President Michael A. Musmanno. Slated for the presidency if La Follette were to be removed, Musmanno would portray himself as twice as radical. Speaking to a crowd of supporters in New York City, the Vice President would argue that Phil had “awoken in America a renaissance, a spirit to dare and accomplish that it has not known in decades,” Musmanno would claim that he heard the voice of god while praying at Mount St. Peter Church in his native Pennsylvania, instructing him to lead “the heroic work of the Blackshirts in their purification of American soil.” Musmanno would argue that “patriotic young men” required no warrants to raid the disloyal opposition, leading Bob Jr. to privately declare the Vice President “a dangerous man” who must not be let into the presidency, even momentarily, by a verdict of removal.
As Richard Nixon’s closing arguments to implored the men of the body once labeled “the most exclusive club in the world” to “follow the bloody tracks of treason,” Bob Jr. and Dill would arrange for printed copies of Musmanno’s remarks to be spread, continuing to build the argument that a continuing La Follette presidency was the safer option for democracy even as Jacob Panken dismissively reminded the legislators-turned-jurors that the Senate could remove a vice president as well. The President would appeal to Alabama’s Jim Folsom, reminding him of the federal government’s long disassociation with Alabama affairs and promising the reconciliation of Folsom on patronage affairs.
Meanwhile, letters from Progressive National Committee Chairman Osro Cobb would promise Henry Bone and Sid McMath bipartisan support in a re-election bid to counter the opposition of the President. Thus, as the day of the decision approached, the final decision would come down to wily Massachusetts’ independent J. Michael Curley, New Mexico Liberty Leaguer Henry F. Ashurst, Alabama reformer Jim Folsom, Georgia liberal Ellis Arnall, Arkansas’s Sid McMath, Nevada Landonite Walter Baring, and the Midwestern progressive Farmer-Laborite of Hubert Humphrey. Former Postmaster General Thomas Duncan would appeal on behalf of La Follette, reminding men such as Curley and Folsom of the looming ability of the administration to pursue the ever present corruption allegations surrounding both.
With 66 votes, the unthinkable would be put to action, and the President of the United States removed. 29 votes had been promised against removal, 63 for, as the nation’s eyes turned to the 7 in waiting. As each awaited the call of the Senate clerk to announce their votes, their thoughts on deciding the future undoubtedly raced to the past.
29 votes for acquittal. 63 votes for removal.
Walter Baring had been implored time and time again by Alf Landon to vote for impeachment, arguing that La Follette had the destruction of the Farmer-Labor right in mind. Baring had seen his ally Lister Hill driven from power as Speaker of the House for crossing the President, and he saw his chance to strike vengeance.
29 votes for acquittal. 63 votes for removal.
Henry F. Ashurst had been a friend of the La Follettes since the 1890s. He had visited Fighting Bob and spoken on his behalf as a Liberal when Aaron Burr Houston sought to destroy his support. He had watched Phil grow up, held the toddler in his arms that now sat in the White House. Michael Musmanno, to Senator Ashurst, was an ever unknown quantity. Bob had warned him of the danger of unknown quantities, and Phil, for all that Ashurst abhorred, was known. He would defeat the President at the ballot box, but he would not defy him now.
30 votes for acquittal. 63 votes for removal.
His commanding officer in the Third Pacific War, General David Shoup, visited Sid McMath the night before the vote. Shoup had pointed with abhorrence to the to the two million Japanese civilians left dead after the atomic bombings. Shoup’s words, utterances that had once been orders in their days in the Marines, echoed in McMath’s head; “All I can say is, any man that murders two million Japanese, when it might not even be their war, is not a good man. That is not the American way.”
30 votes for acquittal. 64 votes for removal.
Ellis Arnall had gotten a very different visit, a delegation of prominent state businessmen, the very men that had funded his campaign, promising desertion of not merely himself, but the state of Georgia, with a vote for acquittal. He thought of Vice President Musmanno’s words and reassured himself that democracy could be saved.
31 votes for acquittal. 64 votes for removal.
“His name is Musmanno, but we call him Curly after you.” The family’s words as they held his young namesake stuck with J. Michael Curley. The working Irish and Italians of Boston and Worcester had two heroes: Michael A. Musmanno and him. He had defied the brahmins of Boston and Harvard, worn powdered wigs to their events to mock them gaily as he rose to absolute power in the city on the back of Revolutionary era redbaiting. Curley had been in the circles of power for a half century, but even in the twilight of his life, he hated men like Phil, born with a silver spoon. His place was among the ward bosses and the machines of politics, and he distrusted the tacit offerings of favors from Thomas Duncan, the implication that the prosecutors already hot on his tail for kickbacks, fraud, and graft might reconsider with a vote for acquittal. Already in 1946 when La Follette first was elected had he served his last prison term, a matter of months then, but he knew the road was coming to an end for him. Michael Curley had never denied being corrupt, but he would take the President down with him.
31 votes for acquittal. 65 votes for removal.
Jim Folsom had never lived in a democracy. Born under the reign of Milford W. Howard, he had seen his state grow beyond his wildest dreams, never realizing that he would one day govern it. He had, after all, been rejected by the voters as the reform governor, yet his machine persisted, even as the President sought to crush it. Big Jim had never seen himself in the Governor’s chair until it happened, but Senator Jim looked across the Capitol to that glimmering White House and knew that, within the Farmer-Labor Party, he would never have a way in if he turned against their standard bearer.
32 votes for acquittal. 65 votes for removal.
Hubert Humphrey was a pharmacist, not a lawyer. He had swept into office in 1942 on the back of the Luce Administration’s antagonism towards the very Thomas Schall who now led the Committee for the Preservation of the Republic, fully holding that “the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in shadows of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped.” Humphrey had followed John L. Lewis in 1948, he had stood against Phil and nearly lost his career for it in 1950. Yet, the piercing arguments of Kennedy and Cohn remained alongside the nature of the impeachment. The reforms he had spent his life fighting for were finding their baptism in fire through the President’s executive orders. Bob, who had guided him when he entered the Senate and, in that friendly manner that made Bob the consummate politician his brother never was, continually checked in on him, had begged him to vote for stability, had used the forbidden word “civil war,” had pointed to the Blackshirts mulling beyond the armed security, and told him that Musmanno would be the Augustus to his brother’s Caesar.
33 votes for acquittal, 65 votes for removal.
Shouts from the gallery, journalists rushing out to announce the story as telephone and telegraph lines competed to relay the news first.
The presidency of Philip F. La Follette would live to fight another day.
The last photo of Eduardo Chibas.
The Final Radio Broadcast of Eduardo Chibas, October 27, 1951
“My words last Sunday did not have the resonance the very serious situation demanded. America needs to wake up. But my wakeup call perhaps was not strong enough.
America has a great destiny reserved in history. The happy coincidence of natural factors so favorable for a great destiny, together with the high quality of our people, awaits only the honest and capable endeavor of a team of government ready to perform its historical task. Such a team is not the present administration, corrupted to the core and disguised with new ways to cover up its shamelessness. Neither the false opposition of Batista who encourages the return of the militias with the cunning assistance of international communism; nor the scornful group of followers of Admiral Byrd. The only group of government capable of saving America is the Committee for the Preservation of the Republic with their anti-pact platform of political independence that accepts no transactions or settlements.
Come on compañeros! For economic independence, political freedom and social justice! Let's get rid of the thieves in the government!
People of America, stand up and march! People of America, wake up!
This is the final wakeup call!”
Other voices cut into the broadcast as chaos traveled over the airwaves.
"Tiene una pistola!”
“Párenlo! Estas loco?”
Millions of Americans widened their eyes as a crash ensued over the radio.
Eduardo Chibas had breathed his last.
Has American democracy?
22:28 UTC
The Wizard of Arkansas | Peacock-Shah Alternate Elections
To Chairman Arthur B. Langley,
As you well know, we find ourselves in a most precarious situation. Our party can not let the President get away with his excessive use of executive authority to prosecute his political opponents. Such ruthless despotism has no place in a democracy. With his impeachment looming, I have carefully devised a strategy with fellow Progressive and Federalist leaders to sway some currently undecided Farmer-Labor Senators.
Considering that their party’s structure is more reminiscent of Petain’s regime than of a democratic political party, those who may be critical of La Follette in private are understandably scared of publicly going against their President lest they be expelled from the party or be put in a filthy prison cell. Thus my plan is for local Progressive-Federalist chapters to reach out to those who are still on the fence and promise them their full support in their reelection bids. If these dissidents know that we will welcome them with open arms in the case that their party turns against them, they will be more likely to vote their conscience.
Furthermore, I have already put my influence in Arkansas to good use, for I sent a few intermediaries some days ago to meet with Senator McMath. He has my full assurance that were he to support La Follette’s removal, the Arkansas Progressive Party will nominate him under a coalition ticket and send plentiful resources his way.
With regard to your role, I ask you to contact Senator Bone, he has shown signs of being uncomfortable with the President’s attitude in office. You have my permission as the party’s national Chairman to offer him a coalition ticket.
This strategy might be our best bet to stop the Tyrant-in-Chief, especially since the Liberty League is also on board and has enthusiastically assisted me these past few months. And well, you know, at the end of the day these Senators know that if the President’s lackeys have to intimidate them personally, they’re doing something right.
With gratitude,
Progressive National Committee Chairman Osro Cobb
21:50 UTC
21:37 UTC
1908 Presidential Election: Deweymania Part 2
"You may fire when ready, Gridley" - President George Dewey, 1898.
The 1904 Presidential Election.
The Presidential Election of 1904
The Presidential Election of 1904 was a crucial election that would define American foreign policy in Asia for the next century, as well as domestic policy regarding labor rights. President Dewey embarked on a crusade for his own reelection while his challengers sprung into action, ready to criticize his record and lay out an alternative path.
Senator Henry Cabot Lodge was a fierce critic of the Dewey Administration, leading the Republican Senate in acting as a stonewall to a majority of President Dewey's economic agenda. He was also quick to condemn the President when he circumvented the legislative branch and unilaterally recognized the First Philippine Republic. Senator Lodge is also a fierce critic regarding American involvement in the American-Japanese War.
Representative William Jennings Bryan continues to hold his personal vendetta against President Dewey, who defeated him for the Democratic nomination for President in 1900. Representative Bryan easily won the People's nomination for President, much similar to how he won the nomination in 1900 after leaving the Democratic Party following his aforementioned primary defeat.
Eugene V. Debs was the first presidential candidate to run his campaign from a federal prison. Debs absolutely loathes President Dewey after he forcibly ended two large labor walk-out's by activating the National Guard. The Left and Labor was left weakened from the ordeal as the public largely supported President Dewey's actions.
However, when the campaigns came to a close and voters began casting their votes, it became clear that this election was going to be a nailbiter. It quickly became apparent that Representative Bryan and Debs were having historical nights, Bryan sweeping more western states than expected and Debs surpassing 400,000 votes. However, after the dust settled, President Dewey emerged triumphant. President Dewey finished with 241 electoral votes in comparison to Senator Lodge's 208 electoral votes and Representative Bryan's 27 electoral votes.
Fmr. Governor Theodore Roosevelt pictured with the 'Rough Riders' in Luzon, 1905.
The American-Japanese War (1903-1905) and the Treaty of Shanghai
As the fighting raged on the Philippine island of Luzon, American Naval Command were about to attempt a gambit that might secure American supremacy over the Babuyan Channel. The American Pacific Fleet split its forces: A diversionary force consisting of destroyers (TBD's) and a handful of smaller vessels and the flanking force consisting of battleships and some smaller vessels. The idea was that the Japanese fleet would move to engage the smaller diversionary force while the main American force would move to flank the Japanese fleet and destroy it with one swift battle. After careful planning, the plan was activated and the Japanese fleet fell perfectly into the trap. The end result of the Battle of the Babuyan Channel was the complete destruction of the Japanese fleet and total American supremacy over the Babuyan Channel. The Japanese Army was now trapped on the island of Luzon and being slowly pushed back with each passing day. The Japanese Empire, seeing the destruction of their fleet and having no hope of evacuating their ground forces from Luzon, contacted the United States of America for peace.
President Dewey sent an American delegation to the Chinese city of Shanghai to negotiate terms peace with the Japanese Empire. After some tedious negotiating, the Americans agreed to return all Japanese POW's to the Japanese in exchange for the Japanese returning their American POW's. The American delegation also obtained the island of Taiwan after demanding retribution for the Japanese sinking of the American cruise liner, the Splendor. Congress nearly-unanimously passed the Treaty of Shanghai, which President Dewey was quick to sign. President Dewey also called for the formation of an independent government on Taiwan, which was met with criticism from the Republicans and even some hesitance from Democrats. However, President Dewey made a statement that he will not make a definitive move on the Taiwan Question and continue the occupation of Taiwan.
Socialist Political Cartoon, 1906
The Second Wilcox Report
After repeated calls by laborers across the country, President Dewey ordered the Head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Walter Wilcox to conduct another investigation into the status of working conditions. Once the report was released, public sentiment rapidly flipped into supporting labor reforms, however the public was still steadfast in opposition to labor strikes. The infamous First Wilcox Report also made its way into public eye once again, fueling the flames that were putting President Dewey in a precarious spot politically.
President Dewey has historically been hesitant on labor reforms since his inauguration in 1900, partly due to the fact that Big Business was an avid supporter of President Dewey in his campaign. However, President Dewey bended the knee slightly and ushered in moderate safety regulations that would improve working conditions. While the Democrats were pleased, Republicans criticized President Dewey for not going further.
Assassination Attempt on President Dewey! Racial Tensions in California!
President Dewey narrowly escaped an assassination attempt while visiting the city of San Francisco. The would-be assassin, Lin Chu, is a Chinese nationalist who immigrated to the United States in 1897 in search of work. Lin Chu was employed by a Californian railway company as a laborer and worked there until some point in 1903. At some point after 1903, Lin Chu was radicalized by the KMT movement in China. After the conclusion of the American-Japanese War, Lin Chu was angered that the United States refused to return the island of Taiwan to the Great Qing or form an independent government based in Taiwan.
Lin Chu saw his opportunity to take revenge when President Dewey was expected in San Francisco to meet with Governor George Pardee regarding a potential irrigation project in the state. Chu crafted a makeshift explosive and was among the crowd gathering at the train station when President Dewey arrived. When President Dewey entered Chu's line of sight, he heaved the explosive directly at the President. However, the fuse was slightly delayed which allowed one of the President's bodyguards to kick the bomb away from the President. Unfortunately, this led to the death of 2 victims and injuring 5 other victims. Lin Chu was then promptly shot dead in the street by local police and was later identified.
President Dewey did not have much comment on the ordeal, other than reaffirming his support for an independent government in Taiwan. However, after the assassination attempt, racial tension was evident throughout the state as White Americans grew suspicious of Asian immigrant which revived sentiments from a few decades prior which led to the Chinese Exclusion Act. Japanese Americans and Japanese immigrants began seeking protection for organized criminal organizations such as the Yakuza, which have grown immensely powerful in the state following the incident.
The Presidential Election of 1908
With the coming of the new year, election season is set to begin once again. President Dewey has declined to seek nomination, which means the Democratic Party must select a successor. President Dewey has personally endorsed Nelson A. Miles, the last Commanding General of the United States Army and the first Military Governor of Puerto Rico. Nelson A. Miles is largely known for his condemnation of President McKinley for the Philippine-American War and the atrocities committed during it. General Miles was to compete with Governor John A. Johnson and Rear Admiral John C. Watson for the Democratic nomination. However, Miles secured a majority of votes by the 5th ballot, mostly due to President Dewey's endorsement and the health concerns surrounding Governor John A. Johnson. Following the Presidential nomination, Senator John W. Kern was selected to be the Vice President nominee.
The Republican National Convention proved to be a crowded field, however it quickly became apparent that it was a two-way race between Fmr. Governor Theodore Roosevelt and Senator Philander Knox. However, Theodore Roosevelt clearly cemented himself as the nominee by the 2nd ballot as his personnel progressive record and popularity propelled him forward. Following the Presidential nomination, Fmr. Governor Franklin Murphy was selected to be the Vice Presidential nominee.
The issues of the day are the Taiwan Question, Labor Reforms and American foreign policy. General Nelson A. Miles has shown support for Dewey's policy regarding the Taiwan Question, while Fmr. Governor Theodore Roosevelt has expressed interest in keeping the island under occupation or perhaps setting up a territorial government. General Miles has ran on a platform of moderation regarding labor reforms, while he is personally disgusted with child labor and vows to ban the practice, he has been hesitant on supporting some of the more progressive labor initiatives (examples: 8-hour work day). Fmr. Governor Roosevelt has endorsed an array of progressive labor reforms such as the controversial income tax, income redistribution, minimum wage policies and antitrust policies. On the issue of American foreign policy, General Miles and Fmr. Governor Roosevelt are practically identical, which can serve as a relief to the American voter who could not possible bear another upheaval on the scale of President Dewey's.
20:52 UTC
The Day It Happened | Peacock-Shah Alternate Elections
September 14, 1951, 10:15 AM
You have courage. Pick up that FN Model 1910 you bought during your internship in Europe. Kill America's traitors. Weiss said to herself. Go ahead, Carl Austin Weiss. You know your mission. Yes, Walter F. George, the traitor's life will end today. You're already close to him, he made a mistake coming to Louisiana... Soon he'll realize this, take courage, Carl, there's still four feet left, his bodyguard won't be able to react... Weiss found himself raising the gun, then he heard gunshots and the Georgia senator falling to the ground.
September 14, 1951, 10:55 AM
Giuseppe Zangara knows the tricks of those charlatan capitalists. When he heard that John...Winant was coming to New Jersey to speak, he knew it was going to be another scam. Some people...who are they? -Some people told him that he should stand up, yes, stand up to the crook capitalists... He bought a gun in a pawn shop... or someone gave him a gun? Zangara stopped continuing the meeting, looked at the chattering Winant, and raised his revolver. There was a gunshot... He was pulled, the accomplice... He didn't care, he kept shooting... He saw the liar from New Hampshire lying in a pool of blood...
September 14, 1951, 11:31 AM
That clown, Will Rogers Jr., well, Horsley had no grudge against him, but...some really wealthy employers gave him enough profits that they promised him a lot of money and helped him get off the hook... He has been following Rogers for a month, and today is the time to take action. When Rogers walks out of the house, he will find that a bomb will explode next to him...
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September 14, 1951, 9:12 PM
Ezra Pound, the Italian-American poet and one of the organizers of the Blackshirts, admired the beautiful song he created: Those brave young men are destroying the Jews and their puppets with their magnificent courage and enduring enthusiasm. When this night is over, the enemies of the new state will be in eternal terror.
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September 14, 1951, 10:01 PM
"Did you hear? Someone attacked Former President Landon."
"What? I heard Senator Schall was run over by a car!"
"No! No way! Representative Breckinridge was shot through the window of his home!"
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Attempted murder of William Randolph Hearst Jr.!
Sen. Margaret Chase Smith was injured by an unknown assassin!
The assassin who attempted to attack Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. was shot dead by his bodyguard!
The New York Times September 15th with it's infamous Headlines
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Summary of the victims in “The Day It Happened”:
Death: John Winant, Thomas D. Schall, Will Rogers Sr. (He was killed by the bomb that was supposed to kill his son)
Seriously injured: Walter F. George
Minor injuries: Breckinridge, Hearst, Alf Landon, Margaret Chase Smith,
Unscathed: Lodge, Will Rogers Jr.
17:35 UTC
A Meeting in Beirut | A House Divided
Yosef Nachmani ducked beneath the bannister of the innocuous home, adorned with photos of weddings and immaculate Arabic calligraphy. He had been an agent of the State of Israel before its conception, yet there was not a document of identification to be found on him now. If the Saudi authorities in Beirut found him, or, worse yet, his body, they would take him for yet another Jewish victim of the pogroms that had spread across the Fertile Crescent since time immemorial. Yet, his mission today was of paramount importance, one that, to his mind, held the potential to define the future of not merely the State of Israel but the Middle East as a whole, but to make an omelet, eggs must be cracked, and Nachmani was Mossad’s best.
It had been he who had brought Sheikh Amin Tarif to the side of Israel, brought Tarif’s Druze people, never content under the Saudi yolk, to fight for Israel in rates as high as the Jews themselves. It had been he who, months ago, had shook Tarif’s hand once more, for as the Druze of Palestine once rose with Israeli support, so now would the million spread across Lebanon and the Levant. Already cartons of surplus American firearms and ammunition were appearing in not merely the Druze villages, but those of the Alawites, three million strong, concentrated upon Syria’s west coast, where Saleh al-Ali was already planning the foundations of a republic for his people to replace the boot of Wahhabi oppression.
A million Assyrians and Yazidis lived spread across the Northern fringes of Saudi Arabia and autonomous Kurdistan, their communities deeply secretive. Saudi authorities had been lost in the land of two rivers where these people had lived for millennia when Shimun XXIII Eshai secretly returned to the Nineveh Plains from years in exile pleading the Assyrian cause to the nations of the West. Their leader among them, and soft alliances formed with Mir Tahseen Said of the neighboring Yazidis who shared a revulsion for the twin yolks of the House of Saud and descendants of Saladeen, violence had already begun to break out in the Nineveh Plain among Assyrians after Easter, indeed, Saudi forces had already moved north to Ezidistan, planning, doubtless, to crucify those they labeled “devil worshippers” until the minority group learned its way; they would be in for a dark surprise.
Of course, what none of the non-Islamic minorities Israel had been working with knew was that, just as tacitly, Mossad had pushed Khashif al-Ghita to lead an uprising among the millions of Shi’a that formed the majority in vast swaths of the Saudi realm. The Shias had no goodwill for the other minorities, least of all perhaps the Jews, but they would be indispensable to breaking the back of Saudi Wahhabism. As for what was to follow, well, Mossad would approach that bridge when they reached it.
The future on his mind, Yosef snapped back into reality, looking into the eyes of the three men he was here to meet: Faoud Chehab, Pierre Gemayel, and William Hawi, leaders of the Ketaeb Party, commonly known as the Phalange, the pre-eminent group among the nationalist Lebanese Christians known as Maronites. Nachmani was always somewhat uncomfortable with them, their sympathies to Integralism, their books on Americans such as Frederick Dent Grant and myriads of Middle Eastern and European leaders who, he was acutely aware, would have had nothing to do with the portly Mossad agent’s people. Yet, the Maronites, located just north of the newfound Jewish state, were perhaps the most important piece of this puzzle for Israeli interests. For one, the Phalange had more political organization and trained militias than any of the village squads Nachmani had found among the Assyrians, Druze, Alawites, Yazidis, and even Shi’a; and who could forget the world’s love for Lebanon? The Catholicism of the Maronites gave them a global audience in any struggle, and a Maronite state alongside one for the Alawites would give Israel an unbroken chain of allies upon the Levantine Coast. Knowing that there was little time to spare, with uprisings beginning elsewhere and the Phalange armed and ready, Nachmani sat down to guarantee the next nail in the Saudi coffin.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had promised to destroy Israel, but Yosef Nachmani, said to himself, the first seeds had now bloomed of their own demise.
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I come from a land down under (Where beer does flow and men chunder) | A House Divided Alternate Elections
I come from a land down under (Where beer does flow and men chunder)
''Condemned at Sydney'', 1793, Juan Ravenet
In 1770 Captain James Cook landed at the southeastern tip of the continent, raised the British flag and declared its name to be New South Wales. Years before, at the beginning of the 17th century, the northern and western part of Australia were mapped by Dutch and Portuguese sailors. James Cook discovered that the continent has been inhabited for tens of thousands of years, by black natives called aborigines.
The British found the new colony to be suitable for incarcerating prisoners, given the overcrowding in the prisons after the War of Independence in the United States. The conditions were difficult and the prison guards were cruel, so Australia was a terrible place for the criminals who were exiled there.
Until the abolition of the deportation penalty in 1852, nearly 170,000 prisoners were sent to the continent.
From the middle of the 19th century, voluntary settlers began to arrive- a phenomenon that increased following the discovery of gold in Victoria. Immigrants from Europe, America and Asia arrived en masse and changed the social structure of the young country. At that time, many of the aborigines were expelled from their lands and some were murdered or suffered oppression.
In 1901, Australia became a single entity when the separate colonies were united. The new constitution left the joint government with limited powers, while most of the power remained in the hands of the states that made up the federal government. At the same time, the immigration restriction law was also passed, mainly because of fear of Asian immigrants.
Australia continued to remain loyal to Britain in its core identity and joined most of its wars, as part of being an integral part of the British Empire. The Great War only strengthened the process of belonging to the empire even more in the Australian psyche, alongside extensive imperial investments in Australia as a token of gratitude for participating in the war despite a relatively small number of casualties for the Australian and New Zealand forces of the total forces of the British Empire. Important victories such as the Battle of Gallipoli created a sense of pride and a battle legacy among all the forces of the Empire.
In World War II, a small but important number of northern cities were bombed by the Rikugun Kōkūbutai (which largely concentrated on the American West Coast and later on in the brutal war in China). At Prime Minister Duff Cooper's request, the Australian Prime Minister Albert Lane approved the Imperial War Council's request to send Australian troops to Burma. The Empire eventually (along with US Marines) managed to push Japan far enough away from Australia to prevent further damage and destruction to the homeland. Overall, World War II continued the process of the first World War and even intensified the Australian sense of identification with the extended British "family". Investments by the United Kingdom in Australia as part of a desire to create a strong base and foundations in the Far East after the war also contributed to the process.
After the war many immigrants arrived from Italy and Greece and later also refugees from Asia out of a desire to increase the population by the local government as a result of the feeling that the small population allowed Australia to be prey against Japan and local threats. The immigrants participated in various projects for the development of Australia including the construction of power plants in the Australian frontier. In addition, the attitude towards the aborigines underwent a fundamental change and they began to receive full rights.
Make merit and fill stomach at the same time
Ledo Road, a continuation of the Burma Road
During the 9th century, a mass migration of ancient Burmese took place from the Sino-Tibet border to the Irrawaddy Valley. They became the ruling majority and established a Buddhist kingdom in the region. In 1287, the kingdom fell into the hands of the Chinese Yuan Dynasty empire which was under the control of the Mongol Empire.
After the fall of the Pagan kingdom at the hands of the Mongol Empire, it disintegrated into a series of small kingdoms. At the beginning of the 15th century, Burma was divided into four power centers: Upper Burma, Lower Burma, the Shan States and Arakan. Many of these themselves composed of unique small states or principalities rather than the former kingdom. During this period there were internal wars and these small states made and broke alliances among themselves and sometimes made alliances with several larger surrounding nations against one another.
During the 16th century Burma was reunited under one ruler. In 1752 King Alongphaya made the Mandalay region the center of control where five different capital cities were built.
Burma was gradually conquered by the British Empire in the Anglo-Burmese Wars between 1824–1886. Finally, the kingdom fell into the hands of the British following a dispute between Burma and a British company regarding the payment of taxes on the export of teak wood. The British annexed the kingdom to British India, and the king and his family were exiled to India. On April 1, 1937, Burma became a separate, self-governing colony, formally separated from British India.
In World War II, in the battles known as the Burma Campaign, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Burma. The Japanese hoped to find many collaborators who would support them logistically and combatively, but considering the Japanese violence and a clever propaganda process by the local government, not many could have been found and the Japanese army failed time and time again in attempts to invade deeper into Burma along with the stubborn resistance of the Imperial War Council.
Just before World War II started and the great powers of the world begin to ravage the world, the British Empire feared for their possessions in India and the East, while the increasingly interventionists Americans under President Hayes also came to the same conclusion as the British- that only the Chinese could engage Japanese military forces in the region for a prolonged time and keep them away from Western strongholds in the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, it was agreed between the Empire, the United States and China to strengthen the Chinese as much as possible military wise, and thus the Western aid program for the forces of Nationalist China was born in 1937.
The plan was that the Chinese would throw into the operation a quarter of a million laborers who would pave the ancient merchant route through a reinforced stone road, which would withstand the rains, from Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, to Ruili, the last Chinese merchant market on the border of the British Empire in Burma. The British undertook to contribute masses of laborers - Indians hungry for work - so that they would do as the Chinese did and lay an infrastructure of stones and concrete in the Shan Mountains, between Lashio and Muse, Ruili's neighbor from the Burmese past of the border.
The road, according to the plan, was supposed to be used to transport food, supplies, medicine, combat equipment, etc. These would be loaded at the port of Rangoon on a train that would travel safely to Ashio, and there, at the end of the track which is also the end of the paved road, dozens of trucks would be waiting. The trucks will travel down the lower road to Kunming loaded with all possible war resources for the benefit of the Chinese war against the Japanese.
Immediately with the commencement of fighting between the British Empire and the Japanese Empire, both sides understood the depth of the strategic importance of the Burma Road. The British could and did transfer huge quantities of weapons and medicine supplies around the clock in a relatively fast capacity and the only limitation was the speed of being able to produce and deliver the enormous amount of supplies to those who transferred it without stopping in the thick of the jungle.
In response, and out of a desire to conquer Burma itself and its resources (and to continue the process of disbanding the British Empire which was their enemy), the Japanese planned and invested a fortune in military terms in an invasion plan on an incredible scale to conquer Burma quickly and enable the continuation of the invasion into India. They believed that the Burmese people would see them as a part of them - as a "liberator of Asia" and would willingly join the Japanese planned post-war sphere of influence: ''The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere''. Among the most optimistic planners in Tokyo, there those who even envisioned the conquest of the Middle East that included the most critical ally of the British at this time - the huge Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (and among them even a specific plan for the management of a Japanese occupation of the Hebrew Yishuv) with its seemingly without end vast fields of petroleum.
But the phrase men plan and the Kami laugh has never been truer. Even the massive amount of military resources the Japanese marshalled themselves to the plan were simply not enough as a massive local resistance movement to the Japanese advancement after horror stories from Korea and China reached the local Burmese who actively worked to support the forces of the British Empire. In fact, in the end it was simply the addition of France and Russia to the alliance with Japan that proved too much and caused the British to divert military resources to additional fronts that were considered to be more urgent, and as a result the Japanese were able to penetrate the defenses and wash into Burma after a series of terrible defeats were inflicted upon the Rikugun.
Although the Japanese were surprised by the strength of both local and imperial resistance and were therefore delayed in their ambitious invasion speed plan, eventually they managed to bypass and close the Burma Road temporarily for a time and even get close to India. On the way they captured many cities and localities including Rangoon. During this short period in the historical view, the Japanese Empire benefited from the many resources of Burma that until now served the West - gas, coal and iron ore at the cost of the blood of many Burmese. In response, the British Empire moved from land transport to an extensive and complex network of air transportation over the Himalayas mountains filled by the various Imperial Air Forces of all the enormous industrialized resources on the worldwide scale of the British Empire together with the American Air Force which began to form skin and sinews under President Hughes.
After years of preventing invasions of India, an Imperial workforce that was entirely dedicated to the cause under (in descending order of strength) Australian forces, Burmese (some of whom were evacuated and some who fled of their own volition and all formed on the basis of the Burmese National Army), British, Canadian, and South Africans, began the long and difficult road of liberating Burma from Japanese occupation.
Together with defeats along all the fronts from the Chinese to the Thai and retreats from the hedgerows, this work force succeeded in its mission after a Sisyphean task of years and Burma was declared secured in the end, and the Burma Road resumed operations almost immediately afterwards like a well-oiled machine day and night for the remaining duration of the war until the official Japanese surrender to the Grand Alliance.
After the war and considering the British recognition of the importance of the "Burmese National Army" organization in the war against Japan, the two sides reached a historic agreement in Rangoon in 1948. Burma received official recognition of independence and investments in the country, and in return signed several agreements such as granting permission to establish permanent bases for the British Empire and most importantly for the Royal Navy.
05:43 UTC
New South | Peacock-Shah Alternate Elections
To Senator Ellis Arnall,
Senator Arnall, we would like to, representing various and diverse industries, thank you for your commitment to endorsing the economic development of your state and helping bring it capitalism, which it has lagged in since the terrible Revolution. We also feel that it is our duty, due to our significant interest in Georgia’s development, to advise you against impeaching the President. We do not intend to bribe nor threaten, nor convince you of the righteousness of the President’s ideology, but we merely seek to present you the economic facts of the matter. If President LaFollette is removed and the way is paved for the Progressives to take over, the President’s economic efforts will be reversed and Georgians will no longer be able to rely on a steady flow of federal dollars to boost its economy.
Furthermore, our ability to trust Georgia’s economic potential without President LaFollette will be severely impaired. For one, his impeachment will thrust back the demagogues who oppose the President like Lester Maddox or even someone who will emulate Watson. Also, without federal protection of our investment, it does not make sense to invest in Georgia as opposed to continued investment in California or New York. Simply put, President LaFollette’s removal would be catastrophic for Georgia and Georgia’s economy. We hope you will see it as we do.
Warm Regards,
Thomas J. Watson, President of International Business Machines Corporation
Robert W. Woodruff, President of The Coca-Cola Company
J. Willard Marriott, Chairman of the Marriott Corporation
Conrad Hilton, President of Hilton Hotels
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The Committee for the Preservation of the Republic | Peacock-Shah Alternate Elections
By 1951, America’s slip into fascism was over a decade in the making. Where once the Congress was the great law-making institution of the country, now the President had the authority to rule by decree and arbitrarily imprison his political opponents. But even if American democracy had been bloodied, it remained unbowed. Two great parties — the Progressive-Federalists and the Liberty League — could now challenge the might of Farmer-Labor, and indeed had even reduced Philip La Follette and his party to a bare majority in the House and a plurality in the Senate, with enough anti-fascist Farmer-Laborites to re-elect firebrand Joe McCarthy as Speaker of the House. Even in the bastion of the La Follette brood, Wisconsin, the opposition, in the visage of Orson Welles, nearly managed to unseat the President’s man. Yet with the democratic opposition now rallying to the cause of the President’s impeachment, there remained one great obstacle to overcome: forming a united front to safeguard democracy.
Thus, a select group of men and women gathered in the relative safety of Wentworth-by-the-Sea, praying that they might be free of the wiretaps of the President and his cronies, to forge such an agreement. Calling themselves the Committee for the Preservation of the Republic, the party that gathered on the island featured luminaries of all political stripes such as Liberty League presidential candidate Will Rogers, Progressive Senator Margaret Chase Smith, and former Farmer-Labor President Alf Landon. Representing the wide range of ideologies coming under the banner of this Committee, former Senator Thomas Schall and Representative Henry S. Breckinridge would become the first Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee. Envisioning a political alliance that would preserve the independence and diversity of thought of all parties, the members of the Committee nonetheless agreed upon a common platform of curbing the abuse of executive power, moderate economics balancing the needs of the worker and the employer, and a cooperative foreign policy abroad with those states that still represent the democratic ideal including a vast plan of aid for the reconstruction of China. Yet the core of the Alliance’s program would come in its Six Freedoms:
- Freedom of speech and expression, including the freedom of an American to criticize their government.
- Freedom of thought and belief, that no American shall be persecuted solely for their political point of view.
- Freedom of the press to publish without interference from the government.
- Freedom of every person to worship God in their own way.
- Freedom from want, by securing a healthy peacetime life for the American people.
- Freedom to organize independently from the government.
In addition to the Six Freedoms platform, the Committee would be organized as a mix of the typical political party national committee and, taking inspiration from the Westminster System, a shadow cabinet, with the Chair & Vice Chair serving as shadows to the President and Vice President respectively, while the rest of the Committee would be made up of shadows for all the Cabinet positions. The only exception would be separate shadow secretaries for State and the Military, reflecting the opposition to mixing the diplomatic and military branches together in the new Department of Peace. Appointed to the Committee over the following days would be Will Rogers (LL) as Shadow Secretary of State, Lewis Strauss (LL) as Shadow Secretary of the Treasury, Sen. Margaret Chase Smith (PF) as Shadow Secretary of the Military, Rep. Richard Nixon (PF) as Shadow Attorney General, Gov. Robert Yellowtail (PF) as Shadow Secretary of the Interior, Sen. Franklin S. Harris (PF) as Shadow Secretary of Agriculture, Sen. George Aiken as Shadow Secretary of Labor, Sen. Charles Edison as Shadow Secretary of Science and Technology, Oveta Culp Hobby (PF) as Shadow Secretary of Health, William Randolph Hearst Jr. (PF)as Shadow Postmaster General, and finally S.I. Hayakawa (PF) as Shadow Secretary of Education. Together, they would not only run the workings of the coalition committee and joint party operations, but also issue rebuttals and alternatives to policies and statements from the people they are meant to shadow.
When the platform orbiting these Six Freedoms was finalized, Senator Margaret Chase Smith opted to take it to the Senate floor so that it would be entered into the Congressional Record and thus be beyond the reach of the Censors of President La Follette. Once she had delivered her “Declaration of Conscience”, the Committee came into the public light announcing the formation of the “National Alliance for Free Conscience” bringing together Progressive-Federalists, Liberty Leaguers, and oppositionist Farmer-Laborites under one banner against the President and preparing to host a joint nominating convention to select a single candidate to dismantle the fascist machine. As the Alliance engaged the power of former President William Randolph Hearst’s vast media empire to spread its message far and wide, a fight for the soul of America had begun.
“We are Progressives. We are Federalists. We are Liberty Leaguers. We are Farmer-Laborites. But we are Americans first. It is high time that we stopped thinking politically as one party or another about elections and started thinking patriotically as Americans about national security based on individual freedom. It is high time that we all stopped being tools and victims of totalitarian technique — techniques that, if continued here unchecked, will surely end what we have come to cherish as the American way of life.”
Thomas D. Schall, Minnesota
Henry S. Breckinridge, New York
Will Rogers Jr., California
Clare Boothe Luce, Connecticut
Walter F. George, Georgia
Will Rogers, Georgia
Happy Chandler, Kentucky
John Sherman Cooper, Kentucky
Margaret Chase Smith, Maine
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., Massachusetts
Alf Landon, Nebraska
Zora Neale Hurston, Nevada
John G. Winant, New Hampshire
Henry F. Ashurst, New Mexico
William J. Donovan, New York
Patrick J. Hurley, Texas
S.I. Hayakawa, Vancouver
George Aiken, Vermont
Lewis Strauss, Virginia
Orson Welles, Wisconsin
23:19 UTC
Money | Peacock-Shah Alternate Elections
In the Blair House in Washington, DC.
Despite having resigned from the LaFollette Administration amidst allegations of negligent driving and even involuntary manslaughter, Thomas Duncan had remained a presence in Phil LaFollette's party machinery, credited with having legions of loyal delegates in 1948 and unleashing a purge on the President's enemies. In the President's most critical hour of need, Duncan would attempt to save the man he admired once more.
Plotting with Nancy Astor, the America-born British-residing wife of wealth, on how to save LaFollette from conviction, he would turn his sights on two senators: Senator James Michael Curley and Senator Jim Folsom. Inviting fellow Fascist donor, Curley backer and Astor's friend, Joseph P. Kennedy along with Congressman George Corley Wallace to discuss, Duncan would chart a path that would either save or explode the President by himself.
Before swearing the President's ignorance of his affairs, Duncan would propose measures designed to...alleviate issues that Curley and Folsom had. Duncan would propose to Joe Kennedy that Astor would be willing to provide...humanitarian assistance to Curley, through Kennedy, with Curley's issues from campaign debt and his legal defense battles (despite Curley's notorious graft while Mayor of Boston.) All Curley would need to do would be to "uphold the general will" in his Senatorial duties.
With regard to Folsom, Duncan would focus on patronage. Duncan would offer Wallace, that if Folsom were to commit to at least "tolerating" the Administration, Duncan would "encourage" the President to avoid antagonizing Folsom in the patronage battles and even more evenly divided patronage jobs in Alabama (all of which currently belonged to the Elliott faction.) As a gesture of good will, Duncan would also hand Wallace the keys to a Cadillac, paid for by Nancy Astor, for Folsom's possession.
But, Duncan would also add that if Folsom backed impeachment, the leadership of FL would be persistent opponents of any future Presidential run.
And the fight for LaFollette's Presidency would ratchet up...
20:19 UTC
Avenge the Martyrs under LaFollette - Draft Batista for '52!
17:34 UTC
Medicare for All | Peacock-Shah Alternate Elections
Dear Senators Humphrey, Bone, Allen, and Monahagan, I am writing to you on the matter of the impeachment of President LaFollette. You four gentlemen have been longstanding Farmer-Laborites, as have I and the President. I do not intend to convince you that the President was totally right in the heat of battle in 1948 nor do I intend to persuade any of you on the rightousness of the total abandonment of Farmer-Labor as a party of class interests. I instead would like to beseech you to remember the political good that this President has accomplished, and to remember that he was twice given a mandate for a radical transformation of this nation's economy - beyond even what President Lindbergh did. President LaFollette has led the fight for the interstate highway, farmers cooperatives, municipal control of public utilities, a national hydroelectric power system, mass public works programs, and, most of all, universal healthcare. I ask you gentlemen to consider this not as a vote to save one man or to put the noose around him - I ask you to consider the millions of laborers who voted for the President. I ask you to consider the working families that will have free universal healthcare due to what the political reactionaries consider tyranny. If we support this President's impeachment we are defiling the pinnacle of Laborism: defiling the equality of men and attacking the idea that the Government has a duty to actively respond to the people, which has been the credo of the party for one hundred years.
With the warmest regards,
George Meany
President of the General Trades Union and Secretary of Labor
16:24 UTC
PUT THIS MAN IN THE SPEAKER’S CHAIR || [Long-Schall] 1966 House Midterm Elections
15:39 UTC