Tag: 1919
Laundry Laborers Lured by False Promises
In the sweltering summer of 1919, a sinister plot unfolded in the nation’s capital. Unbeknownst to unsuspecting girls, a laundry in Washington D.C. was using deceitful advertisements to entice them into grueling labor. The Gazette exposed the scheme, revealing that the laundry at 1210 Queen Street had placed an ad seeking ‘Girls to work in…
Highway Hijinks: Oregon’s Sleepy Response to Roosevelt Road Bond
July 16, 1919, was a day of reckoning for Oregon’s Roosevelt highway program. According to L.J. Simpson, a state booster from North Bend and one of the few millionaires in Oregon, the people of the state were not following up on the program with the fervor expected. Simpson, who had been in Washington working on…
Palmer’s Prohibition Push: A Glimpse into the Dark Horse Presidential Candidate’s Rise
It was in the sweltering summer of 1919 that the Democratic National Committee convened in Chicago, a city teeming with corruption and scandal. Behind closed doors, the committee deliberated on the fate of its next presidential candidate. And it was here that Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer emerged as a dark horse contender, his name…
Busted in the Badlands: Youngblood’s Web of Deceit Unravels
In a stunning turn of events, Conductor A.N. Boxrud and Fred C. Youngblood, a Golden Valley rancher, have been convicted of conspiracy and receiving stolen goods in a high-profile case involving the Northern Pacific Railway. The convictions came after a lengthy trial in the federal district court in North Dakota on June 26, 1919. Youngblood’s…
Death by Heart Attack: Insurance Magnate John Bodine Lunger’s Sudden Demise
June 13, 1919 – In a shocking turn of events, John Bodine Lunger, a 55-year-old insurance official, met his untimely end at the esteemed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. Lunger, the vice president of the Quitable Assurance Society, was stricken with heart disease after attending a dinner at the luxurious hotel on Wednesday night, ultimately…
War Weary Congress Faces Unprecedented Challenges
As the 64th Congress convenes in Washington, the weight of history hangs heavy in the air. No gathering of lawmakers has ever been tasked with solving problems as vast and complex as those that now demand attention. The end of the Civil War brought its own set of grave issues, but they pale in comparison…
Strike on the 4th: Labor Unrest Ignites in Milwaukee
In the sweltering heat of a Milwaukee summer evening, a fiery gathering of labor activists convened in the Auditorium on Sunday night, May 25, 1919. The meeting, organized by the Federated Trades council, brought together over a thousand workers, women, and men, to voice their discontent with the oppressive conditions they faced. Their goal: to…
The Great Stock Swindle of 1919: Unraveling the Mystery of California Packing
In a shocking turn of events, the financial world was left reeling in May 1919 as the California Packing Company’s common stock came under scrutiny. At the time of its inception, the company had acquired the business and assets of five Pacific coast food packing and canning companies, all with established reputations for producing essential…
Wilson’s Slip-Up: A German President’s Misguided Quote
In a speech advocating war with Austria, President Woodrow Wilson unwittingly handed the German Republic’s President, Friedrich Ebert, a propaganda gift. The speech, which Wilson delivered in a moment of high tension, seemed to suggest that the United States and its allies would not emulate the atrocities committed by Germany and its allies during the…
Democracy’s Empty Promises: The Betrayal of Ireland and Egypt
In the aftermath of the Great War, the world eagerly awaited the peace treaty that would shape the course of history. But as Milwaukee Leader readers poured over the official summary, a disturbing reality emerged: England’s guarantees for the freedom of Ireland and Egypt were nowhere to be found. The silence was deafening, a stark…
