Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-10-28
PARTY NAMES IN NEW YORK.

The public have been sorey puzzled to understand the
meaning of several Of the party designations in New York
long time ago had the Clintonans and the Buck
tails or Tammanytes definition of the latest desgna
ton is furnished by the Albany Argus which to be
versed in Natural History:
ABOUT PoLYwoGs.-In addition to the elegant names
Of Hards and Sofs Hunkers and Barnburners now ap-
piled to parties in New York, the Softs have lately
ceived the additional designation of 'sPolywogs." A
party in this State was formerly known by the similar
and equally euphonious designation Of Tadpoles." Web
ster unabridged says polywog is tadpoe, and tad
pole according to the same high authority is ncpien
frog. frog is an amphibious animal Of the genus
Rama with four feet, naked body, and without TAIL
remarkable for swimming with rapidty and for taking
large leaps land" We have thus arrived at the end
WeSsters natural history of the Poywog and confess
ourselves in doubt to the application of the term The
only conceived any Of the species could be put
to was to fry their hind legs Is the scrmmage in which
the Ilards and Poywogs in New York are engaged
to terminate in such serious hroil as that
viii our friends of the Albany Argus in which paper
we find the term inform of its origin and applicable
ty? 1t is desirable, perhaps that it should be cleared
up at once as matter of historical Importance Who
knows but Polywogs may figure largely in the poti
cal history of New York as did the Bucktails in the days
Of Clinton ?-Nlecausee Nsws.
We believe the Dutchess Democrat is sponsor to this
new political designation, which has rapidly grown up
into recognised party Lest its origin like that
OF other party names, should hereafter become dis
putcu De as well, as the NEWS
suggests, that the facts and circumstances attending it,
and the points of similarity from which it took its RISE
should be borne in mind.
The peywog Tor periwiggle, he is called in English
dictionaries is the ANIMAL we believe the tad
POLE 1t has the head fore legs and body of the frog
plus tall hybrid creature which makes its way through
the water by wriggng and twisting and by the united
efforts of tail and fore legs In due course of time the
creature loses its tail and gains a pair Of jumping legs
instead It is then frog during its pclywog state it is
neither fish nor frog
I When men who have called themselves Democrats
choose to abandon their party organization and to take
position half between Democracy and Abolition Wing
geryike the Softs Of New York--snch name as apo-
ywog becomes not inappropriate The resolutions pass
ca by this third party at their Syracuse Convention the
News will remember declare the repeal of the Missouri
provso "nexpedient and unnecessary and in the same
breath congratulate the country upon its certain results
This resolution has been well characterized therefore, as
"poiyWog resolution''-as being "neither fish nor
frog"
The peculiar locomotion of the polywog constitutes an
other evidence of the proprety of its adoption the
oiem OF the party Of New York 1t neither
jumps nor swms, but withes itself along in hncouth
neegant fashion, ridiculous to behold reminding of
the movements of the Freeso friends of the Admnisra
ton Again, we believe it prefers muddy waters andlies
in them quescent enjoying the luxures Of absorption
idle as any Buffalo Platform Custom house officer from
Niagara to Montauk The News will note many points in
the nature of the beast akin to the pecuares of the
Seymour and Rynders Softs of New York.
Nations have delighted in emblems borrowed from
the animal kingdom The Bourbon and Orleans cock has
only lately given way in France to the Napoleon eagle
The English and Venetian lions the Austrian Prussia
and Russian double headed eagles familiar instances
80 also parties have adopted such emblems The Wings
1874 canonzed the Why should not the Softs
in 1854 adopt the polywog albany Argas.