The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-05-07

in that exceedingly small matter ought TO adj
monish him not to NEEDLE with others of infinitely
greater magnitude. To change the name of a coun-
try. inhabited by seventeen millions of souls from
that by which it has been known during the lifetime
Of all its citizens, and has connected with il all its
patriotic associations, TO in itself dimnutve,
heretofore applied only to counties little rivers,
and not carrying with Il single national association
would be found to be no easy job.
AS an example of the difficulty Exchanging names
70 which the PEOPLE are partial, take the case Of
spelling Wisconsin. Congress gravely declared il
should be written Wiskonsan last winter the terri
toriai with equal gravity, enacted that il
should be Wisconsin. -, 49, .1IaT
The famous committee Of the New York His
torca Society intimate that when travelling in for
elgn countries, = not enough to say we are Ameri-
cana, but must add from the United States 10 pre-
vent being mistaken for Mexicans. Perny.ns or
Brazilians II would be worth while lust now TO
know how many of our citizens when anno,,nced
as Americans TO any respectable circle, in anv en- .
lightened nation, have not been Immediately rscoc
Missed as from this republic What little Of confo-
sion there may exist, might easily be obviated il
government would address its minister and con-
sus, and require them to be addressed, as American
minister, American consul, &C.; instead Of United
States CONSUL &c. instead of United States minister
&C. So, too, of the army and navy; let il be Amer.
lean army, American navy, and not United States
Army and United States Navy. True, at home, we
are by the constitution domestically the "United
States of Amcrica;' but abroad we need only to be
known as Americans" if we would but call our.
selves so. 500 e8
These wise commentators will have it there is NO
music in "Amercan;' quite as much, one would
suppose, as in "Legging;" besides, they should re
feet that the ancient poets had some names Of places
to deal with, destitute of music as the ragman's
bell; and to pronounce the names of some Of Their
heroes would almost tear to pieces even Dutch
mans mouth. But did they get mad and leave
them unsung' Not bit Of il; they substituted q
poetic for the real name, which poetic has de-
scended to us, leaving the "constitdtional" one
among the rubbish of forgotten times. ~
But if we must throw away the comprehensive
name Of AMERICAN for one more local. let us have
one that sounds well; one, the appropriateness Of
which shall be manifest to the sscommon people,
during the process Of change Let it be associated
in the minds of every child from the St. Lawrence
to the Del Norte with something truly national and
patriotic, and not name like Apalachia, unknown
only to the comparatively learned. For this, what
more appropriate than that hallowed river, about
equ-dstant from the northern and southern extren-
tiles of our Union, upon whose waves national YES
sells can float oceans tide hundreds Of miles in
land whose waters, having their sources in various
States, lave the walls of the sIMMoRrAL CRY =
founded by sour Father,,' whose much loved home
was on its banks; and Aow,--yet slowly, as if ia
avoid disturbing the slumben Of the mighty one,--
past his last resting place, Washington's river
PoToMA PoToMIA, PoToMIANs; in poetry, how
sweet and sonorous; but how fiat and diminutive
.dpalGcha, .apaIachians orator. in the heat
some patriotic appeal, would perhaps pronounce it.
"Are we not all happy-lacky- Glisns.!''