stephen_dean said:
How about a real war between the United States and the United Kingdom over the border of Maine and New Brunswick? In real life it was settled,but could have led to a war.
A Loose Bandage - McKinley Lives!
- Thread starter Beck Reilly
- Start date
How about a real war between the United States and the United Kingdom over the border of Maine and New Brunswick? In real life it was settled,but could have led to a war.
Slightly modified...
A Loose Bandage Pt. 21
June 1913 – October 1913
- President Theodore Roosevelt's jubilant and triumphant arrival in
the capital of the United States quickly becomes a rather sober
affair. To Roosevelt's eye, the scarred city looks more like the
battlefields of Cuba than the capital he left eight years ago. Much of
the city is completely destroyed, its roads pockmarked with shell
craters, its building nothing more than charred remains, and much its
population either dead or refugees in the surrounding cities. While
the government may persist, its house has been thoroughly ruined.
From the blackened hole of the once-glorious Capitol Building, to the
burnt stump of the Washington Monument, to the battered White House,
the extent of the destruction is enough to bring the hardened
President to private tears. That night, a jagged piece of the Capitol
Building sitting upon the desk of the hotel room, Roosevelt decides
that America needs a fresh start. A message is sent to Congress in
Chicago, ordering the body to remain in the industrial heart of the
nation. Within a week, Teddy Roosevelt boards a train leaving the
nation's capital and ultimate monument to the destruction of
dictatorship.
- For the United States, the next six months are a time of rebuilding.
First (and foremost): the punishment of William Randolph Hearst.
Within a month of the final assault on Washington City, a Grand Jury
is assembled in New York City which quickly indicts the former
President on several counts of murder, treason, and numerous other
felonies. However, despite the roaring start of the Hearst case,
within months, he is cooling his heals in prison, awaiting his day in
court. The problem is that the federal government is at a loss as to
what to do with the former President.
The man's crimes would assure the average citizen of a swift execution
and unceremonious burial. Of course, Hearst is, in fact, a former
President of the United States and the damage done to the nation's
reputation, not to mention that of the Office itself, cannot allow for
an execution. So, while Congressmen and Governors disagree as to the
appropriate punishment for the country's worst President, there is
simply too much else to be done to warrant such an enormous debate.
On the other hand, the government is quick to divide up Hearst's
assets. Again, there is some conflict within the halls of Congress as
to the future of his media empire, but, in the end, lacking any
meaningful historical precedent, agree to form a government-funded
autonomous national broadcasting system, known as the United States
Broadcasting Corporation (USBC). In point of fact, Congress has
learned a powerful lesson in the usefulness of propaganda, one that
they're not going to let slip from their fingers. The USBC, which
finds itself in possession of several newspapers and radio (a medium
which has spread somewhat due to the interest of the Hearst
administration) stations is nominally an autonomous corporation
outside of government intervention, except for a
Congressionally-appointed Chairman.
- Next on the national agenda: a push for a series of Constitutional
Amendments designed to restructure the government in order to assure
the future of American democracy. Congress, meeting in its
semi-permanent home in the Auditorium Building of Chicago, begins
discussion on several key issues which could, supposedly, have
prevented the abuse of power that was the Hearst administration.
However, such talks require radically altering the face of the United
States government and, as such, the matter is extremely complicated.
Debate drags on long into the autumn of 1913 until, finally, in
November, Congress reveals its theoretical amendments to the
Constitution:
The Sixteenth Amendment abolishes the current office of President of
the United States, replacing it with the much weaker State President.
A largely ceremonial Head of State, the new State President is elected
by universal suffrage (giving women the right to vote) for a term of
four years. The State President is the Commander-in-Chief of the
military and signs bills into law and can veto those bills as well. He
has the ability to submit to Congress any referendum focused on the
foreign affairs of the nation and can dissolve Congress for a period
lasting no longer than two weeks, at which time a new election is held
and Congress can not be dissolved for two years following.
The Seventeenth Amendment creates the office of the First Secretary of
the United States Congress, an official appointed by Congress to serve
as Head of Government for a term coinciding with that Congress. He is
a member of the majority party in Congress and is elected on the first
day of a Congressional session. The First Secretary appoints members
to the State Cabinet (see the Eighteenth Amendment) and serves as its
head. He has the sole power over military appropriations but not over
operational command. Like the State President, all bills must be
signed into law by the First Secretary and can be vetoed. He has
virtually sole authority over domestic policy. He is the
Commander-in-Chief of the Capital Guard, a paramilitary body created
to protect the capital city from enemies both foreign and domestic.
All legal acts of Congress and State Decrees must be countersigned by
the State President, the First Secretary, and the departmental head
who's department is effected by the act.
The Eighteenth Amendment creates a Constitutionally-mandated State
Cabinet, which jointly clarifies and conducts the policies of the
United States, and has at its disposal both the civil services and the
military forces of the United States. The State Cabinet consists of:
The Secretary of State; The Secretary of War; The Secretary of the
Economy, Finance, and Industry; The Attorney General; The Secretary of
the Interior; and The Secretary of Education. All positions are to be
filled within one month of the Secretarial inauguration. All positions
are to be filled within one month of the resignation or dismissal of
any member. All appointments to the State Cabinet are proposed by the
First Secretary and are approved by the State President. Congress
reserves the right to impeach any member. The State Cabinet is
presided over by the First Secretary.
The ratification process is slow and painstaking, especially after
President Roosevelt comes out against the castration of the Office of
President. However, the amendments slowly but surely make their way
through the state legislatures. The people of the United States are,
frankly, tired of dictatorial Presidents and are looking to Congress
to lead the country in the future.
A Loose Bandage Pt. 21
June 1913 – October 1913
- President Theodore Roosevelt's jubilant and triumphant arrival in
the capital of the United States quickly becomes a rather sober
affair. To Roosevelt's eye, the scarred city looks more like the
battlefields of Cuba than the capital he left eight years ago. Much of
the city is completely destroyed, its roads pockmarked with shell
craters, its building nothing more than charred remains, and much its
population either dead or refugees in the surrounding cities. While
the government may persist, its house has been thoroughly ruined.
From the blackened hole of the once-glorious Capitol Building, to the
burnt stump of the Washington Monument, to the battered White House,
the extent of the destruction is enough to bring the hardened
President to private tears. That night, a jagged piece of the Capitol
Building sitting upon the desk of the hotel room, Roosevelt decides
that America needs a fresh start. A message is sent to Congress in
Chicago, ordering the body to remain in the industrial heart of the
nation. Within a week, Teddy Roosevelt boards a train leaving the
nation's capital and ultimate monument to the destruction of
dictatorship.
- For the United States, the next six months are a time of rebuilding.
First (and foremost): the punishment of William Randolph Hearst.
Within a month of the final assault on Washington City, a Grand Jury
is assembled in New York City which quickly indicts the former
President on several counts of murder, treason, and numerous other
felonies. However, despite the roaring start of the Hearst case,
within months, he is cooling his heals in prison, awaiting his day in
court. The problem is that the federal government is at a loss as to
what to do with the former President.
The man's crimes would assure the average citizen of a swift execution
and unceremonious burial. Of course, Hearst is, in fact, a former
President of the United States and the damage done to the nation's
reputation, not to mention that of the Office itself, cannot allow for
an execution. So, while Congressmen and Governors disagree as to the
appropriate punishment for the country's worst President, there is
simply too much else to be done to warrant such an enormous debate.
On the other hand, the government is quick to divide up Hearst's
assets. Again, there is some conflict within the halls of Congress as
to the future of his media empire, but, in the end, lacking any
meaningful historical precedent, agree to form a government-funded
autonomous national broadcasting system, known as the United States
Broadcasting Corporation (USBC). In point of fact, Congress has
learned a powerful lesson in the usefulness of propaganda, one that
they're not going to let slip from their fingers. The USBC, which
finds itself in possession of several newspapers and radio (a medium
which has spread somewhat due to the interest of the Hearst
administration) stations is nominally an autonomous corporation
outside of government intervention, except for a
Congressionally-appointed Chairman.
- Next on the national agenda: a push for a series of Constitutional
Amendments designed to restructure the government in order to assure
the future of American democracy. Congress, meeting in its
semi-permanent home in the Auditorium Building of Chicago, begins
discussion on several key issues which could, supposedly, have
prevented the abuse of power that was the Hearst administration.
However, such talks require radically altering the face of the United
States government and, as such, the matter is extremely complicated.
Debate drags on long into the autumn of 1913 until, finally, in
November, Congress reveals its theoretical amendments to the
Constitution:
The Sixteenth Amendment abolishes the current office of President of
the United States, replacing it with the much weaker State President.
A largely ceremonial Head of State, the new State President is elected
by universal suffrage (giving women the right to vote) for a term of
four years. The State President is the Commander-in-Chief of the
military and signs bills into law and can veto those bills as well. He
has the ability to submit to Congress any referendum focused on the
foreign affairs of the nation and can dissolve Congress for a period
lasting no longer than two weeks, at which time a new election is held
and Congress can not be dissolved for two years following.
The Seventeenth Amendment creates the office of the First Secretary of
the United States Congress, an official appointed by Congress to serve
as Head of Government for a term coinciding with that Congress. He is
a member of the majority party in Congress and is elected on the first
day of a Congressional session. The First Secretary appoints members
to the State Cabinet (see the Eighteenth Amendment) and serves as its
head. He has the sole power over military appropriations but not over
operational command. Like the State President, all bills must be
signed into law by the First Secretary and can be vetoed. He has
virtually sole authority over domestic policy. He is the
Commander-in-Chief of the Capital Guard, a paramilitary body created
to protect the capital city from enemies both foreign and domestic.
All legal acts of Congress and State Decrees must be countersigned by
the State President, the First Secretary, and the departmental head
who's department is effected by the act.
The Eighteenth Amendment creates a Constitutionally-mandated State
Cabinet, which jointly clarifies and conducts the policies of the
United States, and has at its disposal both the civil services and the
military forces of the United States. The State Cabinet consists of:
The Secretary of State; The Secretary of War; The Secretary of the
Economy, Finance, and Industry; The Attorney General; The Secretary of
the Interior; and The Secretary of Education. All positions are to be
filled within one month of the Secretarial inauguration. All positions
are to be filled within one month of the resignation or dismissal of
any member. All appointments to the State Cabinet are proposed by the
First Secretary and are approved by the State President. Congress
reserves the right to impeach any member. The State Cabinet is
presided over by the First Secretary.
The ratification process is slow and painstaking, especially after
President Roosevelt comes out against the castration of the Office of
President. However, the amendments slowly but surely make their way
through the state legislatures. The people of the United States are,
frankly, tired of dictatorial Presidents and are looking to Congress
to lead the country in the future.
G.Bone said:
Beck, please. It's a full name of its own - a male name. "Becky" is a girl's name.
It's slightly modified. (a.k.a. A couple of words are different. Secretary General is changed to First Secretary.)
A Loose Bandage Pt. 22
November 1913 – February 1914
- The Kaiser's government continues to pour money into Mexico. Much of
the initial money goes towards rebuilding the infrastructure of the
damaged nation, building roads and railroads, rebuilding cities and
ports. Pretty soon, however, President Huerta is secretly asking the
Germans for much more than railroad ties and bank loans: they're
asking for weapons of war and the training to put them to effective
use.
Thus, in December of 1913, a full eight months after the last American
soldiers stepped foot back over the Rio Grande, the Mexican government
signs a military treaty with the German Empire. The treaty guarantees
a steady flow of German weapons and training personnel to the North
American nation and, among other things, support to create a Mexican
weapons industry. By the end of that month, the first German soldiers
and advisors are starting to land in Veracruz.
Predictably, Teddy Roosevelt is absolutely ripping his hair out. Not
only is it a violation of the hundred-year-old Monroe Doctrine, but it
is a direct challenge to the United States government. Of course,
though, there is, in the end, nothing that the American president can
do about the treaty. After all, the U.S. Army had been in combat in
Mexico just a year earlier, and for the year before that as well; no
one wants to go back to that situation, least of all the
Republican-dominated Congress.
For the first time since its creation, the Monroe Doctrine cannot be
enforced by its creators. The U.S. government whines and complains,
but gets nowhere. Their complaints go unheeded by all of Europe, with
the possible exception of Britain, who has oil interests on the
Mexican coast.
- With the capital of the United States laying in ruins and virtually
the entire federal government relocated to the temporary capital in
Chicago, Congress debates and debates and finally agrees to legally
relocate the capital. The obvious choice, of course, is Chicago.
Soon after the end of the Second American Revolution, professors and
politicians alike had agreed that it was the isolation of the American
capital which had allowed Hearst to hold onto his stronghold for such
an extended period of time. That is, the isolation which made
Washington appear so functional and its establishment as a purely
governmental, non-residential city, had been its greatest weakness.
Hearst had been able to use the capital city and, indeed, firmly
entrench his own ideology in it due to the fact that it did not
accurately depict the demographic makeup of the nation.
Thus, in December of 1913, Congress passes the Residence Act, formally
establishing Chicago, Illinois, as the permanent capital of the United
States. Congress authorizes the appropriate funds to the construction
of a new Capitol and a new Presidential residence in Chicago, or, more
accurately, in the middle of Grant Park (formally renamed Lake Park
[ironically, its original name] since the government wishes to
discourage any thoughts of civil war, old or new).
Washington is allocated the appropriate funds to rebuild its museums
and monuments. The city of Washington is essentially relegated to the
role of a living memorial to the history of the United States, housing
the nation's museums, records, and monuments. The government
buildings, on the other hand, will never be rebuilt in Washington and
no critical government function will return to the city on the
Potomac.
- Meanwhile, in early January, a Constitutional Commission is convened
in Chicago to discuss the various merits of Congress's proposed
amendments. While the Sixteenth Amendment (that to create a permanent
and indivisible State Cabinet passes with relative ease), the other
two hit a loggerhead when Theodore Roosevelt comes down hard against
the creation of a Congressionally elected head of government and the
castration of the Presidency.
The states divide roughly in half on the issues of the creation of a
First Secretary and the elimination of the current office in
President. Without the necessary two-thirds majority, the Commission
comes close to ending a couple of times. Finally, though, noticing
that, despite his own personal popularity, public sentiment is turning
in favor of the amendments, President Roosevelt brokers an agreement,
forever known as the "Gentleman's Agreement," with his friend (and
Commission Chairman) Henry Cabot Lodge.
Essentially, in exchange for his support, Congress will allow
Roosevelt to retain much of his current powers, allowing him great
input in domestic affairs and almost complete control over the
international affairs. In general, this will be the line drawn between
the State President and the First Secretary. The President will
generally control foreign affairs, with all but Roosevelt having only
a slight input in domestic affairs, which will be controlled by the
First Secretary.
The two amendments narrowly gain the two-thirds majority required to
pass a Constitutional amendment and entire the books as the
Seventeenth (Office of State President) and Eighteenth (Office of the
First Secretary) Amendments.
- Shortly after the passage of the amendments, Congress convenes to
elect the very first First Secretary of the United States. Elected
from a field of candidates nominated by the State President, the newly
re-inaugurated Theodore Roosevelt, competition in the first election
is between nominees House Speaker Nicholas Longworth and Senators
Lodge and Dawes.
Despite the popularity of the revolutionary leader, Nicholas Longworth
and the relative power of former Senate Majority Leader Charles Dawes,
Roosevelt's full support of current Majority Leader Henry Cabot Lodge
is enough to tip the balance. Senator Lodge is elected First Secretary
of the United States Congress by a razor-thin margin, beginning a new
era in American history.
November 1913 – February 1914
- The Kaiser's government continues to pour money into Mexico. Much of
the initial money goes towards rebuilding the infrastructure of the
damaged nation, building roads and railroads, rebuilding cities and
ports. Pretty soon, however, President Huerta is secretly asking the
Germans for much more than railroad ties and bank loans: they're
asking for weapons of war and the training to put them to effective
use.
Thus, in December of 1913, a full eight months after the last American
soldiers stepped foot back over the Rio Grande, the Mexican government
signs a military treaty with the German Empire. The treaty guarantees
a steady flow of German weapons and training personnel to the North
American nation and, among other things, support to create a Mexican
weapons industry. By the end of that month, the first German soldiers
and advisors are starting to land in Veracruz.
Predictably, Teddy Roosevelt is absolutely ripping his hair out. Not
only is it a violation of the hundred-year-old Monroe Doctrine, but it
is a direct challenge to the United States government. Of course,
though, there is, in the end, nothing that the American president can
do about the treaty. After all, the U.S. Army had been in combat in
Mexico just a year earlier, and for the year before that as well; no
one wants to go back to that situation, least of all the
Republican-dominated Congress.
For the first time since its creation, the Monroe Doctrine cannot be
enforced by its creators. The U.S. government whines and complains,
but gets nowhere. Their complaints go unheeded by all of Europe, with
the possible exception of Britain, who has oil interests on the
Mexican coast.
- With the capital of the United States laying in ruins and virtually
the entire federal government relocated to the temporary capital in
Chicago, Congress debates and debates and finally agrees to legally
relocate the capital. The obvious choice, of course, is Chicago.
Soon after the end of the Second American Revolution, professors and
politicians alike had agreed that it was the isolation of the American
capital which had allowed Hearst to hold onto his stronghold for such
an extended period of time. That is, the isolation which made
Washington appear so functional and its establishment as a purely
governmental, non-residential city, had been its greatest weakness.
Hearst had been able to use the capital city and, indeed, firmly
entrench his own ideology in it due to the fact that it did not
accurately depict the demographic makeup of the nation.
Thus, in December of 1913, Congress passes the Residence Act, formally
establishing Chicago, Illinois, as the permanent capital of the United
States. Congress authorizes the appropriate funds to the construction
of a new Capitol and a new Presidential residence in Chicago, or, more
accurately, in the middle of Grant Park (formally renamed Lake Park
[ironically, its original name] since the government wishes to
discourage any thoughts of civil war, old or new).
Washington is allocated the appropriate funds to rebuild its museums
and monuments. The city of Washington is essentially relegated to the
role of a living memorial to the history of the United States, housing
the nation's museums, records, and monuments. The government
buildings, on the other hand, will never be rebuilt in Washington and
no critical government function will return to the city on the
Potomac.
- Meanwhile, in early January, a Constitutional Commission is convened
in Chicago to discuss the various merits of Congress's proposed
amendments. While the Sixteenth Amendment (that to create a permanent
and indivisible State Cabinet passes with relative ease), the other
two hit a loggerhead when Theodore Roosevelt comes down hard against
the creation of a Congressionally elected head of government and the
castration of the Presidency.
The states divide roughly in half on the issues of the creation of a
First Secretary and the elimination of the current office in
President. Without the necessary two-thirds majority, the Commission
comes close to ending a couple of times. Finally, though, noticing
that, despite his own personal popularity, public sentiment is turning
in favor of the amendments, President Roosevelt brokers an agreement,
forever known as the "Gentleman's Agreement," with his friend (and
Commission Chairman) Henry Cabot Lodge.
Essentially, in exchange for his support, Congress will allow
Roosevelt to retain much of his current powers, allowing him great
input in domestic affairs and almost complete control over the
international affairs. In general, this will be the line drawn between
the State President and the First Secretary. The President will
generally control foreign affairs, with all but Roosevelt having only
a slight input in domestic affairs, which will be controlled by the
First Secretary.
The two amendments narrowly gain the two-thirds majority required to
pass a Constitutional amendment and entire the books as the
Seventeenth (Office of State President) and Eighteenth (Office of the
First Secretary) Amendments.
- Shortly after the passage of the amendments, Congress convenes to
elect the very first First Secretary of the United States. Elected
from a field of candidates nominated by the State President, the newly
re-inaugurated Theodore Roosevelt, competition in the first election
is between nominees House Speaker Nicholas Longworth and Senators
Lodge and Dawes.
Despite the popularity of the revolutionary leader, Nicholas Longworth
and the relative power of former Senate Majority Leader Charles Dawes,
Roosevelt's full support of current Majority Leader Henry Cabot Lodge
is enough to tip the balance. Senator Lodge is elected First Secretary
of the United States Congress by a razor-thin margin, beginning a new
era in American history.
A Loose Bandage Pt. 23
March 1914 – September 1914
- First Secretary Henry Cabot Lodge creates an executive commission to
investigate the involvement of United States military personnel and
government bureaucrats in the atrocities committed by the Hearst
regime. Consisting of ten Representatives and Senators from all ends
of the political spectrum the National Commission on the Conduct of
the Hearst Administration becomes better known as the Holmes
Commission, after its Chairman, Senator Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., of
Massachusetts.
The Commission is founded to determine the extent of the military and
bureaucracy's involvement in the treasonous, unconstitutional acts
committed by the Hearst regime. It is not designed to determine the
extent of an individual's guilt but, rather, merely to identify
individuals or organizations heavily involved in the acts and target
them for potential legal action by the government. It is a
fact-finding group, not a courtroom.
- Meanwhile, in a courtroom in New York City, William Randolph Hearst
goes on trial. Represented by the nation's greatest legal mind,
defense counsel Clarence Darrow, he faces his former political mentor
and Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan, who acts as the
prosecutor in the case.
United States v. Hearst is the biggest media event in the history of
the nation. Hundreds of witnesses, bystanders, and reporters pack into
the New York courtroom to get a glimpse and maybe even a photo of the
most (in)famous man in America. And not just the American press.
Foreign correspondents jam in alongside their American counterparts,
furiously taking notes on the criminal trial of a former head of
state.
The case, even before it begins, is scheduled to take at least one
year. Hundreds, if not thousands, of witnesses plan to testify before
the jury and a representative of the Holmes Commission is going to
make biweekly updates in front of the court, as new and more atrocious
activities of the Hearst regime are uncovered. Even the State
President of the United States, Teddy Roosevelt, himself, is planning
on testifying.
At the same time, in Chicago, government officials worry and fret over
the outcome of the trial. After all, Hearst was a former President
and, thus, he cannot be dealt with too harshly (no matter how much
Roosevelt would like to put a bullet in Hearst, himself).
Unfortunately, though, public sentiment demands that Hearst be
punished severely. After all, his administration was directly
responsible for the death of roughly 65,000 Americans and untold
numbers of Mexican citizens.
- In August of 1914, Congress passes the National Military
Readjustment Act. In the works since the Second Revolution ended back
in May of the previous year, the Readjustment Act is designed to
scale-down the post-Hearst military. The military establishment,
despite the wishes of both President Roosevelt and First Secretary
Lodge, is punished for its behavior under the Hearst government.
The NMRA set the authorized size of the United States Army at only
150,000, a tenth of those who served under arms during the Second
Mexican War. Much of the funding for new weapons systems is also cut
from the Army's budget, although development continues on individual
weaponry, machine guns, and armored cars, which the government hopes
will eliminate future problems with machine guns and trenches (as they
wreaked havoc on the US forces around Washington, during the closing
days of the war).
The act creates the United States Volunteers, a successor to the
National Guard program. The Volunteers are, as their name implies, an
all-volunteer force recruited from within the individual states and
placed under the control of state governors. The major difference
between the National Guard and the Volunteers is that the Volunteers
are much more federally regulated. All Volunteer officers must
complete training at any of several local military institutions in
order to receive a commission. The Volunteer force is designed to be
integrated into the Army in the event of war.
The Navy's appropriations are cut, although funding for various ships
already under construction is continued, for the time being. The
greatest result of the NMRA is the final construction of the
Virginia-class battleships and the commencement of the next-generation
New York-class all big-gun battleships, which, in the coming years,
will be the most powerful ships in the US Navy.
The Capital Guard, meanwhile, receives its first budget. The amount of
money lavished upon the Capital Guard by its controllers in Congress
is almost ridiculous when placed proportionately next to the Army's
appropriations, despite rules regulation such proportions. The Capital
Guard is given enough money to arm all of its infantry platoons with a
machine gun, to fund several cavalry and even motorized infantry, and
to fund the creation of a small maritime force to sail the waters of
southern Lake Michigan, despite treaties with Canada demilitarizing
the Great Lakes, characterizing the Capital Guard as a "police force,"
despite its decidedly military nature.
- With the Congressional elections approaching, a new political party
is founded by rogue Congressmen to rival the dominating Republican
Party. The Progressive Party is founded by none other than former
Wisconsin governor and current Senator Robert M. La Follette, Sr., who
begins to court Theodore Roosevelt to join the party.
Despite Roosevelt's inclination to do just that, as the Progressive
Party more wholly represents what he believes in than the Republican
Party, Roosevelt remains loyal to the party that had gotten him
elected Vice President, rejected him, and then gotten him elected
State President back in 1912, before that title had even come into
existence.
The Progressive Party soon becomes, as its name implies, the more
liberal of the two parties, although both are considerably more
conservative than either had been before the election of William
Randolph Hearst, the Second Mexican War, and the Second American
Revolution. Candidates are fielded in September for the upcoming
November election which will determine the course of the nation for
the next two years, at the very least.
March 1914 – September 1914
- First Secretary Henry Cabot Lodge creates an executive commission to
investigate the involvement of United States military personnel and
government bureaucrats in the atrocities committed by the Hearst
regime. Consisting of ten Representatives and Senators from all ends
of the political spectrum the National Commission on the Conduct of
the Hearst Administration becomes better known as the Holmes
Commission, after its Chairman, Senator Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., of
Massachusetts.
The Commission is founded to determine the extent of the military and
bureaucracy's involvement in the treasonous, unconstitutional acts
committed by the Hearst regime. It is not designed to determine the
extent of an individual's guilt but, rather, merely to identify
individuals or organizations heavily involved in the acts and target
them for potential legal action by the government. It is a
fact-finding group, not a courtroom.
- Meanwhile, in a courtroom in New York City, William Randolph Hearst
goes on trial. Represented by the nation's greatest legal mind,
defense counsel Clarence Darrow, he faces his former political mentor
and Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan, who acts as the
prosecutor in the case.
United States v. Hearst is the biggest media event in the history of
the nation. Hundreds of witnesses, bystanders, and reporters pack into
the New York courtroom to get a glimpse and maybe even a photo of the
most (in)famous man in America. And not just the American press.
Foreign correspondents jam in alongside their American counterparts,
furiously taking notes on the criminal trial of a former head of
state.
The case, even before it begins, is scheduled to take at least one
year. Hundreds, if not thousands, of witnesses plan to testify before
the jury and a representative of the Holmes Commission is going to
make biweekly updates in front of the court, as new and more atrocious
activities of the Hearst regime are uncovered. Even the State
President of the United States, Teddy Roosevelt, himself, is planning
on testifying.
At the same time, in Chicago, government officials worry and fret over
the outcome of the trial. After all, Hearst was a former President
and, thus, he cannot be dealt with too harshly (no matter how much
Roosevelt would like to put a bullet in Hearst, himself).
Unfortunately, though, public sentiment demands that Hearst be
punished severely. After all, his administration was directly
responsible for the death of roughly 65,000 Americans and untold
numbers of Mexican citizens.
- In August of 1914, Congress passes the National Military
Readjustment Act. In the works since the Second Revolution ended back
in May of the previous year, the Readjustment Act is designed to
scale-down the post-Hearst military. The military establishment,
despite the wishes of both President Roosevelt and First Secretary
Lodge, is punished for its behavior under the Hearst government.
The NMRA set the authorized size of the United States Army at only
150,000, a tenth of those who served under arms during the Second
Mexican War. Much of the funding for new weapons systems is also cut
from the Army's budget, although development continues on individual
weaponry, machine guns, and armored cars, which the government hopes
will eliminate future problems with machine guns and trenches (as they
wreaked havoc on the US forces around Washington, during the closing
days of the war).
The act creates the United States Volunteers, a successor to the
National Guard program. The Volunteers are, as their name implies, an
all-volunteer force recruited from within the individual states and
placed under the control of state governors. The major difference
between the National Guard and the Volunteers is that the Volunteers
are much more federally regulated. All Volunteer officers must
complete training at any of several local military institutions in
order to receive a commission. The Volunteer force is designed to be
integrated into the Army in the event of war.
The Navy's appropriations are cut, although funding for various ships
already under construction is continued, for the time being. The
greatest result of the NMRA is the final construction of the
Virginia-class battleships and the commencement of the next-generation
New York-class all big-gun battleships, which, in the coming years,
will be the most powerful ships in the US Navy.
The Capital Guard, meanwhile, receives its first budget. The amount of
money lavished upon the Capital Guard by its controllers in Congress
is almost ridiculous when placed proportionately next to the Army's
appropriations, despite rules regulation such proportions. The Capital
Guard is given enough money to arm all of its infantry platoons with a
machine gun, to fund several cavalry and even motorized infantry, and
to fund the creation of a small maritime force to sail the waters of
southern Lake Michigan, despite treaties with Canada demilitarizing
the Great Lakes, characterizing the Capital Guard as a "police force,"
despite its decidedly military nature.
- With the Congressional elections approaching, a new political party
is founded by rogue Congressmen to rival the dominating Republican
Party. The Progressive Party is founded by none other than former
Wisconsin governor and current Senator Robert M. La Follette, Sr., who
begins to court Theodore Roosevelt to join the party.
Despite Roosevelt's inclination to do just that, as the Progressive
Party more wholly represents what he believes in than the Republican
Party, Roosevelt remains loyal to the party that had gotten him
elected Vice President, rejected him, and then gotten him elected
State President back in 1912, before that title had even come into
existence.
The Progressive Party soon becomes, as its name implies, the more
liberal of the two parties, although both are considerably more
conservative than either had been before the election of William
Randolph Hearst, the Second Mexican War, and the Second American
Revolution. Candidates are fielded in September for the upcoming
November election which will determine the course of the nation for
the next two years, at the very least.
Good- it reads more of a review/state of affairs rather than "something new" posts. I like the explanation of the Progressive Party and the bit about the Capital Guard. Will they be filling in the duties of the Secret Service as well in the near time future? Has there been motions of the U.S. Army merging with the Capital Guard and the Volunteers (a clunky name)? Please keep up the story!
I seem to be struggling from a severe case of ADD in terms of getting this thing done. Anyways, as an update, here's the list of Presidents (and First Secretaries) that I'm currently toying with...
Does anyone know of a website where one can read the Color-Coded War Plans of the United States Army from the '20s and '30s? (Preferably not Red or Orange, which I already have). Thank you.
Beck Reilly said:
The Netherlands in the German Empire?!?!?!?
A lot of things on that map look very fishy but I won't say anything until you reveal how it happens.
davekohlhoff said:
Could you name these problems? (As I imagine it's going to be awhile before the whole plot is revealed and if there are, indeed, serious problems, I would like to know about them.) If I cannot adequately explain the reason behind the problem, I'd like the opportunity to rework the war before I go to the trouble of writing it all.