In His Own Right, Part IV
- Thread starter LacheyS
- Start date
Fissures of State
In May, 1919, two governments on other sides of the world began to fall apart. One symbolised the decline of a government; the other threatened the unity of a state. Both were despite the best efforts of their leadership to hold them together.
Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden of Canada watched as his party members, led by Thomas Crerar, crossed the floor to form the Progressive Labour Party. Crerar had risen to prominence as head of the Manitoba Grain Growers Association and was elected to Parliament as a Conservative Party member in 1917, immediately being appointed Minister of Agriculture. However, he had been impressed by the work of the US Socialist Labor Party in attacking tariffs and adapted a similar stand on behalf of western farmers within the government. When it became clear that the Canadian Government was dragging its feet on signing up to the International Trade Federation, the Minister and his supporters "jumped ship", leaving the Prime Minister with a majority, but only just. It spelt the beginning of the fall of the Conservative government.
Many miles away, in the lands of the Ottoman Empire, the discussion between secularist Turks and the clerical Arabs, sparked by the late Caliph's papers, had turned into an angry debate. Armenia, as a Christian state, had questioned whether it should seek Russian protection, the Jews began to wonder if Isra'il could survive conflict between the Turks and the Arabs. There had been rumblings within the Army. For Sultan Mehmed VI, there was a realisation that the debate could not continue much longer without posing a long term threat to the unity of his Empire. His attempts to delay the debate had been wholly unsuccessful.
On 19 May, with the recent excavation of the city of Ur providing a temporary distraction, he confronted his legislature and announced his intention to surrender the title of Caliph. He provided the argumentative politicians with twelve months to find a replacement and argued that the new Caliph should also take on the titles of Sharif of Mecca and Guardian of the Two Shrines, equally reducing the power of the Hashemite clan, but making clear that there was no question of them choosing not to endorse his plan. After all, it was the will of the Prophet that his people be united and the King of Hejaz would surely not stand against it. His chief criteria was that the Caliph must be supported by both Sunni and Shi'a as the leader of all the faithful. His second criteria was that the person must not be a member of a house that held temporal responsibilities. Rather than reforming the Caliphate, he was separating it entirely from the political apparatus of the state.
His initial support was directed toward the 59-year-old Sheikh As'ad Shuqeiri, the Mufti of Syria and Isra'il. However, the Shi'a felt that the Sheikh was too close to the imperial royal family, being both a judge appointed by the Sultan and the custodian of the Imperial Library. And so the search was on to find a suitable candidate to become the head of the world's second largest religion. Concurrently, to symbolise the potential unity of the faith, the Caliph ordered the construction of an enormous palace complex opposite the Al-Misfalah Gardens, just a short walk from the Al-Masjed Al-Haram, the holiest site in all of Islam. It would be the new home of the Caliph.
In May, 1919, two governments on other sides of the world began to fall apart. One symbolised the decline of a government; the other threatened the unity of a state. Both were despite the best efforts of their leadership to hold them together.
Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden of Canada watched as his party members, led by Thomas Crerar, crossed the floor to form the Progressive Labour Party. Crerar had risen to prominence as head of the Manitoba Grain Growers Association and was elected to Parliament as a Conservative Party member in 1917, immediately being appointed Minister of Agriculture. However, he had been impressed by the work of the US Socialist Labor Party in attacking tariffs and adapted a similar stand on behalf of western farmers within the government. When it became clear that the Canadian Government was dragging its feet on signing up to the International Trade Federation, the Minister and his supporters "jumped ship", leaving the Prime Minister with a majority, but only just. It spelt the beginning of the fall of the Conservative government.
Many miles away, in the lands of the Ottoman Empire, the discussion between secularist Turks and the clerical Arabs, sparked by the late Caliph's papers, had turned into an angry debate. Armenia, as a Christian state, had questioned whether it should seek Russian protection, the Jews began to wonder if Isra'il could survive conflict between the Turks and the Arabs. There had been rumblings within the Army. For Sultan Mehmed VI, there was a realisation that the debate could not continue much longer without posing a long term threat to the unity of his Empire. His attempts to delay the debate had been wholly unsuccessful.
On 19 May, with the recent excavation of the city of Ur providing a temporary distraction, he confronted his legislature and announced his intention to surrender the title of Caliph. He provided the argumentative politicians with twelve months to find a replacement and argued that the new Caliph should also take on the titles of Sharif of Mecca and Guardian of the Two Shrines, equally reducing the power of the Hashemite clan, but making clear that there was no question of them choosing not to endorse his plan. After all, it was the will of the Prophet that his people be united and the King of Hejaz would surely not stand against it. His chief criteria was that the Caliph must be supported by both Sunni and Shi'a as the leader of all the faithful. His second criteria was that the person must not be a member of a house that held temporal responsibilities. Rather than reforming the Caliphate, he was separating it entirely from the political apparatus of the state.
His initial support was directed toward the 59-year-old Sheikh As'ad Shuqeiri, the Mufti of Syria and Isra'il. However, the Shi'a felt that the Sheikh was too close to the imperial royal family, being both a judge appointed by the Sultan and the custodian of the Imperial Library. And so the search was on to find a suitable candidate to become the head of the world's second largest religion. Concurrently, to symbolise the potential unity of the faith, the Caliph ordered the construction of an enormous palace complex opposite the Al-Misfalah Gardens, just a short walk from the Al-Masjed Al-Haram, the holiest site in all of Islam. It would be the new home of the Caliph.
Not Borden! One of the best PMs my country ever had. If not the best. Not many people would sacrifice his parties electoral future at a federal level for 60 years (Diefenbaker and R.B. Bennett don't count because those are get on the train and anti-Liberal votes respectively, similarly neither Stanfield (the best PM Canada never had) or Clark broke through in Quebec) because he believed the Great War was important. And if you could read through those parenthetical detours then you're a better man then I.
Sigh.
I continue to enjoy the timeline regardless. I will point out given party discipline in Canada any majority is enough to govern just fine.
Sigh.
I continue to enjoy the timeline regardless. I will point out given party discipline in Canada any majority is enough to govern just fine.
Sir Robert, at this stage, is guaranteed to be remembered by TTL history as the founder of the Canadian Armed Forces, the man who stood against US economic imperialism and, after McDonald and Laurier, a long-serving PM. I can make him survive until 1925 at the expense of King (he would need to be in coalition with Crerar against King) but I was inclined to allow him to retire. Would you prefer I allow him to survive until 1925?
I supposed that, as you have a Westminster system like Australia, the discipline of the whips would be strong.
Update on Status
I am going to have to ask readers for a little patience while I put together the ideas I got from "Fantasy US Constitution" thread, with a few of my own, and work out exactly what the Constitutional Convention will decide. The majority of the remainder of the year will focus heavily on the United States and I just want to ensure I have a clear idea where it is headed.
Thanks.
I am going to have to ask readers for a little patience while I put together the ideas I got from "Fantasy US Constitution" thread, with a few of my own, and work out exactly what the Constitutional Convention will decide. The majority of the remainder of the year will focus heavily on the United States and I just want to ensure I have a clear idea where it is headed.
Thanks.
Well... Do what you want really. I just have a soft spot for the guy. He's underrated in the popular conscious. If you feel like replacing King with somebody else though...
Him I dislike. Manipulating the public over the perfectly reasonable parliamentary politics of the King-Byng affair bugs me, for all that he was a good PM overall.Lacking a Great War that isolates Quebec on the conscription thing, the Conservatives will retain a base in Quebec. And actually now that I think about it King got in mostly for standing by Laurier despite the cost. So the Quebec wing of the Liberals supported him when he made his leadership bid. Lacking Laurier going down over the Union government I don't think King will be the guy for the Liberals.
Heck Canadian party discipline is the highest of the FPTP parliaments (The Canadian PM is god, basically, with a majority. The UK has weak PMs most of the time with a strong cabinet - see the Thatcher overthrow. New Zealand's stronger PMs have also been batshit crazy - Muldoon - and New Zealand backbenchers are historically far stronger then elsewhere. Plus they use MMP now so no more absolute majorities. Australia I'm not sure about actually. I haven't studied them as much). You have to have pretty firm discipline under PR, but we have that level despite often getting majority governments for all kinds of reasons way off topic from this thread. One of the best proposals I've heard to fix it is simply double its size. Anyway. Although I personally am fascinated by elections and how one goes about it (btw, optional preference voting is exceedingly cool despite the flaws) I've swerved way off topic.
I will note that for some reason Australians (out of the Dominions which, along with the US and the UK, are my main area of focus ) are the most fascinated with elections. I envy you.
Well... Do what you want really. I just have a soft spot for the guy. He's underrated in the popular conscious. If you feel like replacing King with somebody else though...
Lacking a Great War that isolates Quebec on the conscription thing, the Conservatives will retain a base in Quebec. And actually now that I think about it King got in mostly for standing by Laurier despite the cost. So the Quebec wing of the Liberals supported him when he made his leadership bid. Lacking Laurier going down over the Union government I don't think King will be the guy for the Liberals.
Heck Canadian party discipline is the highest of the FPTP parliaments (The Canadian PM is god, basically, with a majority. The UK has weak PMs most of the time with a strong cabinet - see the Thatcher overthrow. New Zealand's stronger PMs have also been batshit crazy - Muldoon - and New Zealand backbenchers are historically far stronger then elsewhere. Plus they use MMP now so no more absolute majorities. Australia I'm not sure about actually. I haven't studied them as much). You have to have pretty firm discipline under PR, but we have that level despite often getting majority governments for all kinds of reasons way off topic from this thread. One of the best proposals I've heard to fix it is simply double its size. Anyway. Although I personally am fascinated by elections and how one goes about it (btw, optional preference voting is exceedingly cool despite the flaws) I've swerved way off topic.
I will note that for some reason Australians (out of the Dominions which, along with the US and the UK, are my main area of focus ) are the most fascinated with elections. I envy you.
Well, thanks for the information about the dynamics of the Canadian Liberal Party. I think that William Fielding might be up to the job, as, from what I have read about it, I have little love for Mr Mackenzie King either. Our PM in Australia is very much a god, particularly as we become an increasingly unitarian state. Anyway, thanks for the input and I will be back posting again probably tomorrow - the new US Constitution is taking a while, as it has some quite radical changes. Can anyone say Triumvirate?
The Constitutional Convention
On 4 June, 1919, the Governor of New York, Alfred Smith, was elected as Chairman of the Constitutional Convention at Independence Hall, Philadelphia. They had gathered here for fear of a Presidency that had become increasingly powerful and threatening to them all, as well as to the outside world. There was no doubt in the mind of the vast majority of the delegates: this would be more than a series of cosmetic reforms. What they needed was a fundamental redistribution of power.
No political faction had a majority in the decision-making process. Yet they all agreed on a number of points. Firstly, the power of the Presidency was too great and it needed to be divided. Some argued that there needed to be a division of powers between the President and a Prime Minister. However, others felt that transferring executive power to members of the Congress was generally a bad move. Others stated that the office of the Attorney General should not be a presidential appointment, to ensure the law enforcement of the nation could not be abused by the President. However, that began a debate regarding how one would empower an Attorney General to stand up against a President.
The Electoral College, it was commonly agreed, was a failed institution and should be abolished. To ensure some balance, there were suggestions of adopting a preferential voting system. Others (usually current or former members of Congress) complained about the terms of Congress, stating that two years was insufficient to achieve anything and that the terms should be extended to four years for Representatives.
Members of the Socialist delegation were determined to achieve some kind of resolution that eradicated the growing influence of money over elected officials, as well as wishing to dramatically increase the powers of the Congress (the only body of government in which they had any say). More conservative members wanted a "clearer definition" of the rights available to citizens, arguing that, as they currently stood, they opened up the way for anarchist and irresponsible behaviour.
Three days after they first convened, the situation was complicated by the announcement from the White House that President Beveridge had resumed duties. While the dead from the Great Plague had been substantial, he would not be one of them. (The list of fatalies globally now included many of the high and mighty, including former Prime Minister of Canada Wilfred Laurier, business magnate Henry John Heinz, philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, former Australian Prime Minister Alfred Deakin and President of South Africa Louis Botha.) The President stated that he would oppose the campaign to install a new constitution and that he would stand as a candidate in the elections of 1920. However, in his own party, he was confronted by opposition from Senator Hiram Johnson, Governor Frank Lowden of Illinois and General Leonard Wood, all of whom were delegates to the Convention.
The Constitutional Convention would remain in session until 3 September, when President Beveridge announced that the National Security Council had uncovered a plot by "socialists" to attack Independence Hall. Among those who would be rounded up for interrogation would be the Mayor of Cleveland, Charles Ruthenberg. While no charges would be laid, it would be enough to delay the resumption of the convention until early in 1920 and ensure that any constitution would not be able to take effect until after the 1920 Presidential election.
On 4 June, 1919, the Governor of New York, Alfred Smith, was elected as Chairman of the Constitutional Convention at Independence Hall, Philadelphia. They had gathered here for fear of a Presidency that had become increasingly powerful and threatening to them all, as well as to the outside world. There was no doubt in the mind of the vast majority of the delegates: this would be more than a series of cosmetic reforms. What they needed was a fundamental redistribution of power.
No political faction had a majority in the decision-making process. Yet they all agreed on a number of points. Firstly, the power of the Presidency was too great and it needed to be divided. Some argued that there needed to be a division of powers between the President and a Prime Minister. However, others felt that transferring executive power to members of the Congress was generally a bad move. Others stated that the office of the Attorney General should not be a presidential appointment, to ensure the law enforcement of the nation could not be abused by the President. However, that began a debate regarding how one would empower an Attorney General to stand up against a President.
The Electoral College, it was commonly agreed, was a failed institution and should be abolished. To ensure some balance, there were suggestions of adopting a preferential voting system. Others (usually current or former members of Congress) complained about the terms of Congress, stating that two years was insufficient to achieve anything and that the terms should be extended to four years for Representatives.
Members of the Socialist delegation were determined to achieve some kind of resolution that eradicated the growing influence of money over elected officials, as well as wishing to dramatically increase the powers of the Congress (the only body of government in which they had any say). More conservative members wanted a "clearer definition" of the rights available to citizens, arguing that, as they currently stood, they opened up the way for anarchist and irresponsible behaviour.
Three days after they first convened, the situation was complicated by the announcement from the White House that President Beveridge had resumed duties. While the dead from the Great Plague had been substantial, he would not be one of them. (The list of fatalies globally now included many of the high and mighty, including former Prime Minister of Canada Wilfred Laurier, business magnate Henry John Heinz, philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, former Australian Prime Minister Alfred Deakin and President of South Africa Louis Botha.) The President stated that he would oppose the campaign to install a new constitution and that he would stand as a candidate in the elections of 1920. However, in his own party, he was confronted by opposition from Senator Hiram Johnson, Governor Frank Lowden of Illinois and General Leonard Wood, all of whom were delegates to the Convention.
The Constitutional Convention would remain in session until 3 September, when President Beveridge announced that the National Security Council had uncovered a plot by "socialists" to attack Independence Hall. Among those who would be rounded up for interrogation would be the Mayor of Cleveland, Charles Ruthenberg. While no charges would be laid, it would be enough to delay the resumption of the convention until early in 1920 and ensure that any constitution would not be able to take effect until after the 1920 Presidential election.
Great Deeds
In 1919, three major technological wonders were undertaken by humanity. One would fundamentally change a nation, the second would radically improve an empire, and the last meant a world that would never be the same again.
The people of the Netherlands had been plagued for centuries by floods. Much of the nation lay below sea level or just feet above and an extensive range of dykes and dunes had been constructed over the centuries to defend the land from the ever encroaching ocean, but the 1916 floods had destroyed or incapacitated many of them. The decision had been made to build a series of large dam connected the northern tip of Holland with the west coast of Friesland. Construction of the first stage, the Weiringen, had already been underway when the floods had struck - it was completed on 22 August, 1919. In 1922, construction would commence on the second and final stage of the project, the building of the Afsluitdijk, a marvel of engineering, 32 kilometres in length and 90 metres in width. Overall, the project would require over 35 million cubic metres of construction materials and would reclaim 1650 square kilometres from the North Sea.
The second project of note was to be found in the United States of Austria-Hungary. The Tisza River basin periodically overflowed its banks, with the floods endangering farming communities. It had been decided in 1907 that a dam would make possible an expansion of agriculture, create a dependable water supply for much of the empire and allow for flood control. At that time, the Minister President had established a commission to investigate the option, but it was not until 1913 that the matter had made its way before the Reichsrat and it had taken the effort of the-then Archduke Franz Ferdinand to ensure that his uncle had granted the necessary funds in 1915. Franz Joseph Dam was completed in mid-1919, creating a 13.2 cubic kilometre reservoir (127 square kilometres) that has since been named Lake Tisza. While it was only 37% the size of the later and more famous Boulder Dam, it was, for its time, one of the largest dams on earth and provided the necessary hydroelectric power, thousands of megawatts, to drive the Austrians into a new economic era, and provided the people of the Empire with unprecedented tourist facilities.
The last wonder occurred on 27 June, 1919 when the Americans won a race with the British. Inventor Charles Francis Jenkins, working in conjunction with the US Navy, transmitted a silhouette image, using a lensed disk scanner with 38 lines per picture, 16 lines per second. By comparison, Britain's John Logie Baird could manage only 30 lines per picture when he demonstrated his first working television the following January. By 1921, Jenkins, working in conjunction with AT&T, had raised his production to 50 lines per picture. However, he was eventually overtaken by Baird, who would achieve the first television service (Cinema Television Company) in 1923. Television had been born.
In 1919, three major technological wonders were undertaken by humanity. One would fundamentally change a nation, the second would radically improve an empire, and the last meant a world that would never be the same again.
The people of the Netherlands had been plagued for centuries by floods. Much of the nation lay below sea level or just feet above and an extensive range of dykes and dunes had been constructed over the centuries to defend the land from the ever encroaching ocean, but the 1916 floods had destroyed or incapacitated many of them. The decision had been made to build a series of large dam connected the northern tip of Holland with the west coast of Friesland. Construction of the first stage, the Weiringen, had already been underway when the floods had struck - it was completed on 22 August, 1919. In 1922, construction would commence on the second and final stage of the project, the building of the Afsluitdijk, a marvel of engineering, 32 kilometres in length and 90 metres in width. Overall, the project would require over 35 million cubic metres of construction materials and would reclaim 1650 square kilometres from the North Sea.
The second project of note was to be found in the United States of Austria-Hungary. The Tisza River basin periodically overflowed its banks, with the floods endangering farming communities. It had been decided in 1907 that a dam would make possible an expansion of agriculture, create a dependable water supply for much of the empire and allow for flood control. At that time, the Minister President had established a commission to investigate the option, but it was not until 1913 that the matter had made its way before the Reichsrat and it had taken the effort of the-then Archduke Franz Ferdinand to ensure that his uncle had granted the necessary funds in 1915. Franz Joseph Dam was completed in mid-1919, creating a 13.2 cubic kilometre reservoir (127 square kilometres) that has since been named Lake Tisza. While it was only 37% the size of the later and more famous Boulder Dam, it was, for its time, one of the largest dams on earth and provided the necessary hydroelectric power, thousands of megawatts, to drive the Austrians into a new economic era, and provided the people of the Empire with unprecedented tourist facilities.
The last wonder occurred on 27 June, 1919 when the Americans won a race with the British. Inventor Charles Francis Jenkins, working in conjunction with the US Navy, transmitted a silhouette image, using a lensed disk scanner with 38 lines per picture, 16 lines per second. By comparison, Britain's John Logie Baird could manage only 30 lines per picture when he demonstrated his first working television the following January. By 1921, Jenkins, working in conjunction with AT&T, had raised his production to 50 lines per picture. However, he was eventually overtaken by Baird, who would achieve the first television service (Cinema Television Company) in 1923. Television had been born.
The Texas Hit
Governor Edward Meitzen (SLP) of Texas was leaving a meeting with Harris County officials when he was struck down by an attempted assassination on 12 September, 1919. Police were quickly on the scene and captured the gunman only two blocks away from the attack. Fortunately for the Texas police, the attempted assassin was quite vocal.
Alexander Kulchov was a Russian migrant, who had been a member of the Socialist Labor Party, but had been denied his opportunity to stand for a seat in the Texas legislature. He stated that he and his co-conspirators had decided to assassinate the Governor as a "revolutionary martyr", hoping that his death would be enough to trigger an uprising against the President and the installation of what he called "a true socialist state". While he thought he was being particularly clever in his anti-government rants, he occasionally let slip just one more clue, which was duly noted and filed away for action.
For a period of three weeks, the press were advised by the police on their "lone gunman" theory, stating that they did not believe that any other person had been involved, but that investigations were continuing. Then, on 1 October, police crashed a home in Houston's outer suburbs, attempting to take into custody three men and one woman in connection with the attempted assassination. One of the men, who according to his co-conspirators was the mastermind behind the assassination plot, was reported to have been killed in the shoot-out that followed. His name was Lawrence Graham, a recent addition to the local SLP branch. Police stated that a search of the body, however, revealed some interesting details, including a badge that identified him as an agent of the National Security Council.
On 3 October, Attorney General Harry Daughtery expressed his grave concern that socialism had infected even the premiere law enforcement team in the country and warned that there would be a full investigation into the employment of Graham by the NSC, particuarly focusing on those who had authorised his entry. A few days later, President Albert Beveridge would announce the formation of a paramilitary organisation, the American Legion, which would work in conjunction with his office to "weed out the socialist threat".
Governor Edward Meitzen (SLP) of Texas was leaving a meeting with Harris County officials when he was struck down by an attempted assassination on 12 September, 1919. Police were quickly on the scene and captured the gunman only two blocks away from the attack. Fortunately for the Texas police, the attempted assassin was quite vocal.
Alexander Kulchov was a Russian migrant, who had been a member of the Socialist Labor Party, but had been denied his opportunity to stand for a seat in the Texas legislature. He stated that he and his co-conspirators had decided to assassinate the Governor as a "revolutionary martyr", hoping that his death would be enough to trigger an uprising against the President and the installation of what he called "a true socialist state". While he thought he was being particularly clever in his anti-government rants, he occasionally let slip just one more clue, which was duly noted and filed away for action.
For a period of three weeks, the press were advised by the police on their "lone gunman" theory, stating that they did not believe that any other person had been involved, but that investigations were continuing. Then, on 1 October, police crashed a home in Houston's outer suburbs, attempting to take into custody three men and one woman in connection with the attempted assassination. One of the men, who according to his co-conspirators was the mastermind behind the assassination plot, was reported to have been killed in the shoot-out that followed. His name was Lawrence Graham, a recent addition to the local SLP branch. Police stated that a search of the body, however, revealed some interesting details, including a badge that identified him as an agent of the National Security Council.
On 3 October, Attorney General Harry Daughtery expressed his grave concern that socialism had infected even the premiere law enforcement team in the country and warned that there would be a full investigation into the employment of Graham by the NSC, particuarly focusing on those who had authorised his entry. A few days later, President Albert Beveridge would announce the formation of a paramilitary organisation, the American Legion, which would work in conjunction with his office to "weed out the socialist threat".
I'm surprised A. Mitchell Palmer hasn't made an appearence yet....true, he was a Democrat, but still, I'd expect to see him lead an angry mob or two in TTL......
Oh blast, the American Legion made it onto the scene.
Yes, but they are substantially different from OTL. They are not veterans; rather, they are a subsidiary branch of the Justice Department, under the direct control of the President, designed to keep order and officially endorsed. Think a high grade FBI with untrammelled powers.
The Socialist Party is under particular stress. Although stronger than in OTL, they mostly wish to stick with parliamentary democracy and hope for the new Constitution (I have posted an initial draft in the "Your Fantasy Constitution" thread). There are an increasing number, however, who are beginning to think that Marx was right and that revolution may be the only way to protect themselves from the reactionary state. They constitute about 10-15% of the party membership.
There are similar problems within the Democrats as to what there are in the SLP. There are those who strongly endorse the President's stand against socialism, in the hope of retaking that electoral base, but there are also those who feel things have gone too far.
Yes, there are elements within the Republican Party who have decided that the whole re-absorb the Constitution Party was a bad idea. So all three of the major parties have some level of division. The President is very much surrounded by a cadre of yes-men.
Hmmm, look like the socialist are going to do something about the president's scheme, and soon.
How the socialist around the world react to the crackdown of their fellow by the U.S. administration so far? More importantly, aside from U.S.S.R., Germany, France, how the socialist doing so far in this world?
How the socialist around the world react to the crackdown of their fellow by the U.S. administration so far? More importantly, aside from U.S.S.R., Germany, France, how the socialist doing so far in this world?
Meitzen Takes a Stand
On 11 November, 1919, a day that is still remembered in the annals of American history, Texas Governor Edward Meitzen shocked the nation when he made an address to the nation by the National Broadcasting Service, the first national US radio service.
He announced that Lawrence Graham, the late NSC agent, was, in fact, alive and in custody. Not only was he alive, but he had provided a great deal of information to police about the internal operations of the President's National Security Council, that he had turned over bank statements that demonstrated the NSC had funded the attempted assassination and that he was prepared, under oath, to state that the Attorney General had personally authorised the mission. Attorney General Harry Daughtery immediately issued a strenous denial, claiming that any evidence against him had been fraudulently produced by the Socialist administration in Texas. "The Texans have lied from the start," he said, "and they will go on lying."
The following day, the Governor of Washington, another SLP member, announced that he was commencing an investigation into the death of an IWW official, who had allegedly committed suicide while in the custody of the National Security Council. Anger swept through the union movement and the IWW declared a general strike. Large numbers of workers took to the streets. Miners, storemen, dock workers, transport drivers, iron and steel workers, teachers, postal workers, printers, nurses and a whole host of other trades joined in the strike. By the end of December, over half of the United States workforce was on strike, the economy was in freefall and the demands for accountability by the Federal Government were growing louder by the day.
The situation reached crisis point when on 9 January, 1920, the Attorney General authorised warrantless raids across the country, arresting thousands of people in thirty-three states. He claimed evidence of a planned revolution against the state. Just ten days later, President Beveridge gave an address to the nation, stating that the National Investigations Bureau would conduct a "high level, thorough and vigorous investigation". He was followed by Senator Hiram Johnson, who stated that the Senate would likewise investigate the dealings of the Administration with a view to clearing out corruption and "ending the seemingly terminal decline of the Republic" and asked citizens to return to work.
On 11 November, 1919, a day that is still remembered in the annals of American history, Texas Governor Edward Meitzen shocked the nation when he made an address to the nation by the National Broadcasting Service, the first national US radio service.
He announced that Lawrence Graham, the late NSC agent, was, in fact, alive and in custody. Not only was he alive, but he had provided a great deal of information to police about the internal operations of the President's National Security Council, that he had turned over bank statements that demonstrated the NSC had funded the attempted assassination and that he was prepared, under oath, to state that the Attorney General had personally authorised the mission. Attorney General Harry Daughtery immediately issued a strenous denial, claiming that any evidence against him had been fraudulently produced by the Socialist administration in Texas. "The Texans have lied from the start," he said, "and they will go on lying."
The following day, the Governor of Washington, another SLP member, announced that he was commencing an investigation into the death of an IWW official, who had allegedly committed suicide while in the custody of the National Security Council. Anger swept through the union movement and the IWW declared a general strike. Large numbers of workers took to the streets. Miners, storemen, dock workers, transport drivers, iron and steel workers, teachers, postal workers, printers, nurses and a whole host of other trades joined in the strike. By the end of December, over half of the United States workforce was on strike, the economy was in freefall and the demands for accountability by the Federal Government were growing louder by the day.
The situation reached crisis point when on 9 January, 1920, the Attorney General authorised warrantless raids across the country, arresting thousands of people in thirty-three states. He claimed evidence of a planned revolution against the state. Just ten days later, President Beveridge gave an address to the nation, stating that the National Investigations Bureau would conduct a "high level, thorough and vigorous investigation". He was followed by Senator Hiram Johnson, who stated that the Senate would likewise investigate the dealings of the Administration with a view to clearing out corruption and "ending the seemingly terminal decline of the Republic" and asked citizens to return to work.
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