100 years ago today: U.S. urged to purchase Ireland’s freedom from England

Miss Mary MacSwiney, the sister of the late Lord Mayor of Cork, made an intriguing proposal during her visit to Spokane.

She suggested that the United States purchase Ireland’s freedom from England for $500 million. That was the amount of money that England owed to the U.S. in war loans.

“Our people will repay it,” she said. “It would be a big debt, but Ireland would pay it for her freedom.”

She added that she was not speaking “officially,” but was just making a suggestion.

Her brother, the Lord Mayor, died of a hunger strike in an English prison. She predicted that other Irish leaders would do the same, “if needed.”

She spoke at Gonzaga University in the morning and was scheduled to make eight other speeches at Spokane theaters, clubs and Knights of Columbus halls.

From the highway beat: A huge public works project was planned to accomplish two goals: Improving 50 miles of highways in the Inland Northwest and providing much-needed work to 600 men.

Plans called for paving six or seven miles of the Inland Empire Highway north from Whitworth College and making “gravel improvements” on the same highway between Chewelah and Colville.

Other improvements were planned on highways near the towns of Valley and Wilson Creek.

The total cost: $1 million.

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1926: Rocket science pioneer Robert H. Goddard successfully tested the first liquid-fueled rocket at his Aunt Effie’s farm in Auburn, Massachusetts.