, 1881-07-31

/ To the Editor Of The Chicago Tribune.
CHICAGO, July 81 see in THE TRIBUNE thi
| morning IN extract from the ST. Louis Globe
Democrat, which says, in speaking of a successor
| to Judge Clifford: But the New England pco-
| pie will probably demund that Il Yankee sh:l
succeed Il Yaukee." Now, I would like to ask, II
| an exact definition can be giveu1 as to who il
meant by the term Yankee I am native o1
| tho State Of New York, md we called any per-
sons from tho New England States Yankees;
when came West to live, many years ago,
| was surprised to hear myself called 4 Yankee,
| and found that generally all from eass Of Ohio
| were so designated, After the war went South
to reside, and found that a1l persons from north
| Of tho Ohio River we're called Yankees; aud in
England all natives Of the United States arc
known as Yankees. whether Northernors or
Southerners.
L few years ago, having occasion to 20 to
which wished to rent, the real-estate agent,
Of one House On his list that 1 probably would
not like it, as family OF Yankees lived In the
Says ]. " Yankees! Whom do you mean by
that? supposed that every native Of Connecti-
cut was Yankee, Il there ever were any,
Yankees come from way down East 1Gr II Maine:
Il said that I was GLAD Mt last to find out wheTe
Yankees reilly came from.
i few days afterwards I was1 calling On q
poung married lady from Portland, Me-, and,
eraticatIon II nall Making the aequsiatanes s
HeayenEs sake said i, 10 tel! NE whom you
call Yankees. If you are not ones''
"Why, Yankees are those people who live
down on the east coast of Maine, near New
Drunswtck,':' she responded.
IL: As have never been able to interview a, per-
gs aSe Esa are x'os ae
THE CORRESPONDENTS illustrations =. Of fl tho
yague use Of the word Yankee" are very pat.
The worl, however, applies to a1l the inhabitants
them at u time when Maine hardly had an exist
ence, It Is az Indian eorrupnon of ''EngIlsh
Or o. :" Ang!ois, and drifted into use az designs
paraginF sense By lie New {orsers who, b 4es owing
of New Amsterdam and the English on the Con-
nectfcut River had very low opinion Of their
friends to the East So strong was this
Gouverncur Morris, in hts will, provides that biz
son shall not attend Harvard or Yale because, IL
aa es %9na sats se ap t. ea b
the Yankee" When the Revolutionary War
broke our the term - Yankee" was used by tho
ly all the rcyoted coionies-a natural upplica-
ton OF tho term. since New England was in
many respects the head and front or tho rebeil-
ion. Later on In the history ol the country, tho
use OF tho word IS Yankee was extended, is the
correspondents states, and it was employed BY |
t9 mean pretty much north
mean any body east OF the Alleshanics. Being used
rs much In q deprcciatory sense, it BECAME q !
little unpopular at home, especially among tho |
ultra refined people, who &lisiikcd to call tnem-
selves 'innkccs. or admit that they were |
such Sometimes It is employed even In New |
England in this conteu1ptlous sense where 4 t
man speaks of another who is a keen shrewd
sharp. close fellow us Irregular Yankee" or
q its intensified form, as regular Connecticut
Yankee, very much in tho same way as q I
,olorcd person, black rs tho ace OF clubs, will
'all another person as black us himself "a black
liEgcr. being so accustomed to hearing the |
Grtn NIL arounl him as r word of rcproach, |
There arc largo numbers Of New En-
eetion c; to the word, aud. are perfectly
Wiling to use it. It has been given rs a name
o many vessels. Including some Of the prjyut- !
'orsmen during the Revolution, and it was also
nc pct mime Of one of our pct prize fighters
Yankee" Sullivan. 1t is also related that.
'nce upon time when Prince Edward. uftor-
yards the father Of Queen Victoria WIS travel
1g from Boston to Montreal, he stopped at q
hocmakcrs house In Il Vermont village. Feel
ng somewhat eiatcd, ho suddenly kissed tho
wife. observing US he did SO, that
ae might recollect that she had had the honor |
+ being Kissed by an English Prince. Where Fl
pon the indignant husband took the Prince by
ne Collar and kicked him out of tho house, re-
lnrkln9. q that, when he returned home. no might
ell bis folks that be had been kicked by Yam
ee shocmukcr.l |