CSA 1915 News

[Guinness]

January 18, 1915

The following advertisement appeared in a few of the less reputable papers in the CSA. Many more have reprinted part of all of it as coverage of "the Italian attempt to sway public opinion". A few of the good ones are now working to investigate the truth of conditions in the Republic of Orange. And finally, at least one of the Confederacy's major papers published the editorial found below.

The ad:

The Empire of Italia is seeking to combat certain slanders directed at it within the world press.  The Empire would like to buy some advertisements within your countries largest newspapers but will not do so without the permission of your governments.  If you find the attatched text to be reasonable and truthful we would appreciate your forwarding the text to your newspapers and sending the bill to our consulate.

Consul Rufus Italia Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Attached Text :

The Empire of Italia does not usually fight its battles in the Court of Public Opinion but as some nations have impinged the Honor of the Empire we will respond by providing some facts to interested readers.

The Republic of Orange despite its claims to the contrary is a Slave holding state.  To support these claims the Empire of Italia will provide referenced sections of the relevant Legal Code of the Republic of Orange.  Before the Citizens of any country support a position that supports the Republic of Orange the Empire of Italia feels that they should have all the facts and to decide for themselves if they would choose to live under the authority of such a government.
http://www.navalism.org/index.php?topic=626.0

The reader should note that the Word Slave only appears once in the legal documents referenced and then only to deny that they exist.  But if the reader compares the legal rights of those persons to those of a Slave in the period where they were legal in more of the world I think the readers will find that slavery does still exists in the "Civilized World".
We will start with the section detailing the rights of the Native Population:

Natives ("Kaffirs" or "Blacks")
The black primitive masses originally inhabiting the continent. But the tribes were chased away from the better lands, forcing them to live on marginal farmlands. They provide the bulk of the cheap workforce in the mines and agriculture. Laws restrict their employment in the industry, and they cannot live permanently in white settlements. There are strictly enforced segregation laws to avoid unnecessary intermingling of the white and black population. Few lucky ones are able to work in the white towns - for a maximum of three months a year. They are not slaves legally, but they have limited rights and even that is often ignored. Moreover, when black people stay in "white" areas, they must belong to a white (not colored) person who is not only responsible for them, but also have almost unlimited power over them - this is often translated as slavery by ignorant foreigners.

The Republic of Orange claims it pays all its workers, but if it only pays them enough for subsistence living in abject poverty subject to the order of and I quote here "White (Not Colored) person then if this is not Slavery what is?

Next we will cover the section on the so called Brown People:

Colored ("Kleurlinge"): a mixed group of neither-white-nor-black part of the population, mulattos, people from India and native Khoisans - who has lighter skin than bantu tribes. They are subject to negative discrimination, but their rights are much closer to whites. For example, there are already a limited number of colored officers both in the Army and the Navy, and they can marry white people. They make up a significant part of the urban poor, as blacks are prohibited to stay any extended period id the city. Negative discrimination makes it harder for them to rise up, but there are examples of successful entrepreneurs, engineers and doctors who rose from their ranks.
Although they are considered 'genetically' (no one use this exact word) than whites, their white ancestry is held to allow them to rise up by their own talents. Their political power, mainly to their diversity and low number of colored who are wealthy and educated enough to be enfranchised - thus eligible to vote.

It appears that Brown people are allowed a bit more latitude within the Republic of Orange but are still not afforded the full protection of the Law.  They make up a significant portion of the Urban Poor because the White persons of the Republic of Orange appear to allow them to live in the cities full time.   

So this is the nation that people see as the champion of the Poor Zionite Nation in East Africa.  The Empire of Italia does not ask for your support it simply asks you to think what does the Republic of Orange hope to gain in New Zion a huge nation containing a very large number of "Kaffirs and Kleurlinge".  Perhaps they intend to sell them off as a work force as they did with most of the Zulu Nation of Africa?

The following editorial appeared a day or two later in the Los Angeles Times:

A House of Already Broken Glass

Recent Italian paid newspaper advertisements, and the substantial unpaid reproduction of them in the Confederate press have brought into sharp contrasts the moral questions at hand in deciding who (if anyone) to support in the current East African crisis.

Italy seeks to draw attention to injustice endemic in Orange society. We find ourselves chagrined that they have chosen to bring this propaganda here, where many states in our own Nation practice many of the same or similar social policies that the Italians seek to condemn.

Is it not true that negros and whites are made to live and work separately in States all across the Confederacy? Is it not true that many of these negros were themselves slaves only ten years ago? Is it not true that the Confederacy "saved" many Zulu imported from Africa by the French to build their canal, only to condemn them to long hours of nearly fruitless toil on the plantations of Haiti? And even now there is talk back east of raising a Zulu Corps to fight in Africa!

The Italians, in their cynical attempt at propaganda against the Orange Republic have done us in the Confederate States a great service by focusing our attention anew on our own failings, and our most significant challenge as a society: the final dissolution of remedies for the injustices toward negros on which this nation was founded.

For that, we should thank them, but we should not go to war for them. Their blind, naked aggression on New Zion should not be rewarded with Confederate blood, nor should their cynical attempts to distract from their failings as a nation by pointing out the shortcoming in another.

[Guinness]

January 20, 1915

The Haiti Progress

Haitians Seeking Enlistment

Port Au Prince -- Thousands of negros, most claiming to be Zulu, crowded the entrances of government buildings today after rumors that the Confederate Army would be accepting volunteers for a new Corps to be formed of Zulu men on the Island.

In fact the Army was doing nothing more than it's normal recruitment activities out of a small office on Du Champe de Mars, and the rumors were largely unfounded. However, the enthusiasm of the mobs led one officer at the recruiting station to remark "we're not raising a corps from Haiti, but maybe we should consider the idea."

[Borys]

January 21st 1915
The staff of the Habsburg consulate is informing anybody caring to listen, that the AFL is hiring.
After 6 years Service one gains all benefits of a Habsburg Subject, and after 12 becomes a Citizen.

[Guinness]

February 22, 1915

We join a meeting between President Roosevelt and Secretary of the Navy Butler, already in progress. The President and the Secretary have been discussing fleet disposition and future building plans, etc., in light of the end of the war in east Africa.

"Yes, we probably dodged a real bullet there, didn't we Alexander?" The President had already become so comfortable with his new Secreatary of the Navy that he was calling him by his first name.

"We did sir. We just don't have the fleet train required if we want to start reaching outside our region."

Butler was enjoying some of the President's excellent Kentucky whiskey, a gift from the UNK's ambassador. It was a further illustration of the comfort level the President had reached with him that this meeting in the failing twilight of a late winter Monday afternoon was taking place around the coffee table before the fireplace in the President's private study. The fireplace though was not optional. Winters in Richmond weren't especially cold, but the Executive Mansion was very drafty.

The President turned his attention back to the summaries of new ships the Navy's designers were working on. "Oilers and Tenders aren't very exciting, are they? These are very big ships Alexander."

"Yes sir. We've examined smaller options as well, but we feel that, especially the oilers need to be fairly big. Otherwise we just need too many of them. The tender followed naturally from the oiler."

"And this troop transport?"

"An adapted civilian design. Ships very much like that one are under construction now for various overseas routes. Six of them can carry a full Infantry Division and their equipment, though we'll need other ships along to carry necessary supplies for a long operation." The Secretary answered.

The President looked up at the Secretary: "How about that, do we need to also buy freighters?"

"We're looking at our options. There are a couple of designs for ships capable of 18 knots that we're looking into. We believe though that in a crisis, we can count on rounding up enough bottoms from our merchant fleet. Still we think it advisable to maintain a small number of pure freighters for moving goods around, and for guaranteeing availability for smaller operations."

"Needless to say, these prices you've worked up, well except for the tender, seem quite reasonable." The President observed.

The Secretary got up and motioned toward the President's empty glass. The President nodded and handed it to him. Butler walked over toward the small bar under a photograph of the President holding a small rifle, and standing with his foot up on a very large bird which was taken during the President's adventure in Maoria.

"Yes, these ships are all to be built to merchant standards, which will hold down costs. The tender is much more expensive because of all the equipment it must carry. Machine tools and the like aren't cheap, as you know." Butler said over his shoulder while poring.

"Very good Alexander. I see no reason why we shant ask for Congress to approve the acquisition of six of your troop transports, four of your oilers, and one of your tenders in the next four years' programs. In fact, I think you can go ahead and lay down the lead ships of those classes now. As I understand it, we'll have the money left over from the funds saved by delaying the building program this year."

"Yes sir. I'll have my staff send over the particulars for your submission to Congress. Now turning to my last item of business..." Butler pulled one last sheet of paper from his briefcase. "Sir, while the fleet was waiting to sail for Dakar, the CO of the Fifth Torpedo Squadron sent a proposal up the chain of command that hit my desk last week. In short, he proposes that for a number of reasons, led by the ideas positive effect on morale, torpedo rams ought to have names." Butler handed the President the sheet of paper he was holding. "I thought the idea a good one, so I had my staff draw up a draft list. As you can see, any torpedo ram over 500 tons light displacement would get a name, as would any similarly sized submersible. We chose to name each class by letter, A, B, C, and so forth, which is similar to practice in both the Norman and Colombian navies. We thought it as good a place to start as any."

The President scanned the names quickly and smiled. "Oh what a fabulous idea! These all seem quite proper names for warships. Did you think of maybe using names of military heros and the like?"

Butler replied: "We did sir, but as we developed that list, we realized that we'd have a hard time giving all these ships names of Naval heroes, and it didn't seem as good for morale to have Torpedo Rams named for Cavalry officers."

"Yes, Alexander, I see. I'll let my staff go over this list once just to be safe, but plan to go ahead. I imagine a little re-chistening ceremony for each ship would be proper, no? Oh, one question though, why the cut off at 500 tons?"

Butler chose to answer bluntly: "Because, frankly sir, I don't think the TR-200's deserve names. They aren't much more than slightly overarmed coastal torpedo boats with too much freeboard. As you know, we're already treating them operationally as coastal defense craft only."

Roosevelt didn't flinch. He was as much responsible for the TR-200s as anyone, but he didn't usually have time to dwell on past mistakes. "I see. Sensible enough. Is there thought of officially rerating them as torpedo boats then?"

"Possibly in the future. As it is now, I don't want it to appear that we're deficient in the number of torpedo rams compared to other navies."

"Yes, I can just imagine how that congressional hearing would go." The President smiled. "Maybe after the production run of the new..." he looked down at the sheet of names, "E-class of torpedo rams is complete then?"

"Quite possibly Mr. President."

"Well, excellent. Sorry to force us to keep to time Alexander, but there's an official reception tonight to celebrate peace and democracy in Africa!" The President raised his glass in a mock toast.

OOC: I'm updating my encyclopedia with the new names.

[Guinness]

June 9, 1914

The Saint Louis Post Dispatch

Barry County Officials Plead for Calm in Wake of Mysterious Deaths

St. Louis -- The Sheriff of Barry County today declared a twenty-four hour curfew in Cassville and surrounding areas, effective immediately after a riot broke out earlier in the day.

The rioting is reported to have begun when word reached Cassville of the details of the deaths of three Frenchmen who's bodies had been transported to the County Courthouse earlier in the day.

The symptoms of the illness included paralysis, nausea and vomiting, vomiting blood, diarrhea, pain, spasm, and ultimately death. Circumstances surrounding the deaths are still not well understood, though those who sought to provide aid reported that the illness came on very quickly.

The bodies have been examined by a doctor in Cassville in his capacity as county coroner, but he reported to the sheriff that the cause of the illness is unknown to him. The Sheriff announced when declaring the curfew that the bodies would be sealed in caskets and transported to St. Louis for examination by state authorities.

When asked for comment, Dr. Pinski, Dean of Medicine at Washington University refused comment. However, sources within the Governors office report that Dr. Pinski had already recommended to the Governor that Barry County be temporarily quarantined until more is known.

[Guinness]

The late afternoon summer sun beat down on Villa, his band of dorados, and the American who called himself "Smith". The acrid smell of smokeless powder hung in air as Smith surveyed the scene in front of him. There nearly one-hundred dead and dying Mesoamericans laid dead and dying. Most of them did not belong to Villa.

Villa's right hand man and interpretor, Ramirez put his hand on Smith's shoulder. "There you see how we deal with our enemies in Durango!"

Villa's band of about two hundred had spent most of the hot summer day pursuing this group through the desert before they finally caught up with them in this place, a dusty trail crossing near a dry stream bed about 45 miles from the City of Torreon in Coahuila.

Smith and Ramirez fanned out to check the bodies. It was Smith's tip to Villa that this group was involved in the recent bombing of the police station in Torreon. Although ostensibly now an officer of the Mesoamerican army, Villa might normally have taken little interest in that, but this time he'd declared "they are servents of the Eye!" and hunted them mercilessly.

"Hmmf." Smith grunted as he thought to himself. "Villa probably had a gambling score to settle with one of these guys or something."

Smith and Ramirez continued to pick over the bodies, looking for papers and examining their weapons and equipment. Both looked up after a shot rang out. One of Villa's men put a horse out of its misery. No such measures were required for the enemy, however. They had all fought to the death.

Villa meanwhile was examining the bodies themselves. "Here! Look!" He called out in Spanish as he head the bare arm of one of the dead up. "See this mark? The mark of the eye!"

Smith looked up to see the scar on the man's arm. It looked more like an old bullet wound to him. He went back to his own investigations.

The enemy were armed largely with antiquated Confederate repeating rifles of the sort owned by thousands of hunters and farmers in the CSA. These were unremarkable to Smith. Some were armed with newer carbines of Swiss manufacture. This too was no surprise. There were probably a million similar weapons in use around the world. Smith was examining one of those (it was in surprisingly good shape, as though it had hardly been used), when Ramirez got his attention. As he was walking over, another shot rang out, and another horse was put down.

"See, this is what I wanted you to see. We've been finding these here and there for the last few months." Ramirez handed him a bolt-action rifle. Stamped on the barrel was "La fábrica de las armas de Cartagena".

"Colombian?" Smith asked no one in particular. He examined the weapon. It seemed almost brand new.

Villa called out again. "Look! See! Another one!" He pointed at what appeared to Smith to be an especially large ugly mole on a dead man's stomach. "See, the mark of the Eye!" called Villa, before moving on to another examination.

Smith looked at Ramirez, who could only say "Colonel Villa is quite concerned about the eye". Smith couldn't tell if Ramirez was being serious, or if this was another example of what he'd come to find was Ramirez's especially dry sense of humor.

"I think we should probably gather up the Colombian equipment if we can, so I can take it back to El Paso." Smith said to Ramirez.

"Of course." Ramirez answered, then barked an order to Villa's men in Spanish. Immediately, they began sorting the enemy's arms into three piles, one for the Colombian equipment, one for the equipment they thought valuable enough to keep, and one for the useless gear. Most of the Swiss carbines went in the second pile. Most of the Confederate rifles went in the last.

"Have all the groups you've been seeing been like this?" Smith asked Ramirez.

"Do you mean larger, increasingly better equipped, and more and more organized?" He replied. "Yes. And bolder too. Two years ago, groups like this might have been maybe twenty, today you see there a hundred or more. Back then they survived robbing people on the road. Today..."

Villa interrupted as he walked up. "Today they rob banks, hold up trains, even blow up buildings! They are lawless bandits!" He spat on the ground.

"Not too different from your little band once upon a time, Colonel Villa." Smith thought to himself, but he held his tongue.

Villa spoke in Spanish: "See Mr. Smith. Larger, better organized, better armed. A movement is building here and elsewhere. There can be no doubt what evil is behind it!"

Smith responded in measured words: "Colonel Villa, there can be no doubt that the forces in opposition to the Democratic Republic of Mesoamerica are indeed becoming better equipped and better organized. Still, the Eye isn't manufacturing these weapons." Smith held up a Colombian rifle in one hand, and a Swiss carbine in the other. "No matter the true nature of the evil behind this, they are surely mortal forces outside the DRM."

Villa looked intently into Smith's eyes. Smith returned the gaze. "No matter. Your country is not interested in fighting the evil that is the Eye directly. I know that. For now, I'll have to be satisfied that it might take interest in those serving the Eye while continuing to oppress my people with lawlessness and violence." Villa turned away to bark orders before turning back. "We'll make camp down the road tonight. Upwind."