The American patriot., 1855-08-04
Party Names.

ried honors
Names of fair renown, and therein characters Of
merit;
upon them ridicule and evil,
Yea many weeds run rank in pride if men have
dubbed them cedars,
And to herald common mediocrty with the noisy
notes Of fame,
Tendeth to its deeper scorn as if it were to call
the mole mammoth"
There is much in a name and our anti-Amer<
ican opponents are well aware Of this fact.
Hence their studious and desperate efforts to
appropriate to themselves the cognomen of the
old Democratic party hoping thereby to secure
all the political capital which the name carries
with it.
The word democrat has been the prestige Of
party success for years in our country. 1t has
been expressive of those sound and popular
measures which proved triumphant over all
opposition till they found place in the settled
policy Of the country 1t has by its successes
as party cry won upon the affections OF the
people-it is interviewer with the passions Of
the masses and is engraven on the hearts OF
thousands upon thousands Of American voters.
It carries with it party influence which no
other word in the vocabulary possesses and
hence the great desire on the part Of the anti
Americans to clothe their own party with the
name and to secure all the advantages deriva-
BILE from it to themselves,
But they can never win the day by such
means, and even if they should succeed in OBJ
tanning the monopoly Of this name which has
now become national, the cognomon Democra-
racy will sit as awkwardly on their party Or
ganization as the trappings Of an elephant
would on mule.
The name democrat first used as the cogno-
men of many of the Jacobin clubs in France
whence it was imported into the United States
was very unpopular when first applied to the
followers of Jefferson. Its first wearers on ac-
count of the multitude Of their politicical sins
had attached damnation Dire the party ap-
pellation and it was given to the new party
founded by Mr.. Jefferson in ridicule both OF
himself and those who agreed with him polit-
cally. To be called democrat annoyed him
very much, he wished his followers to be known
as the "Republcan party" and long and lus-
tily did he battle against the adoption of a
name which he 50 much despised from its asso-
citation in Europe.
In the same manner the ridiculous epithet
"Know- Nothings" has been given by the anti
Americans to our party-a phrase as meaning
less and inappropriate as it is possible for one
to be- 1t is a cognomen which does not be-
long to our order but which many seem will
ling to adopt on account Of the quaintness OF
the thing. But there are many others more
punctlious about their party name repudiate
it, adopting the true name of our organization
| -Natire American, which expresses exactly
the character of the material composing our
party and the high political aims we cherish
The true name then Of our order is "the
american Party which will explain the rea
son why SO many of our party members have
felt themselves at liberty to deny any affilla
ton with the Know-Nothings because they
know no such term in the vocabulary of oul
party language.
The most effective political warfare, the anti
Americans have adopted then is to tell thu
Democrat found in the Native American ranks
that he is a Nothing" and that he il
in open hostility with the Democrats. Thu
arousinr his prejudccs against name and ex
citing his love for the other, they hope to vii
him over.
This miserable humbug mode of making
political capital by practising on the passion
and prciudices ofthe masses is alike dishonor
able in those who use it and insulting to tn
common sense of those who are sough
to be victimized Upon the effect of this sor
of elcctioneering depends much the success c
those efforts which are being made to breal
down the cause of Native An|ericanism.
There is no antagonism whatever betwee
the great cardinal principles of political fait
advocated by the True Old Democracy an
those held to by the Native American party
The points at issue now between the Native
aud Antics are upon entirely different ques
tons from those disputed between the Whig
and the Democrats, and man may supper
Gas aoe do) the true Old Democracy and Nativ
American at one and the same time.
For the American Patriot.
o.: N6aa4:.-