The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-10-30
SUCKERS
Why Illlnelsans Are % Callsd-Orlgin q
the Term.

ASAhoOW8o0
the Term.
For many years the inhabitants Of
Illinois have been called Suckers" and
numerous explanations Of the origin Of
the term have been given. The one
most commonly quoted il found in
Wheeler's Vocabulary Of the Noted
Names Of Fiction" taken from tho
Providence Journal, and Is - follows
1.-THE Western prairies are in many
places full of holes made by the 'craw-
fish "a fresh-water shellfsh, similar in
form to the lobster), which descend TO
the water beneath. In early times,
when travellers wendell their way over
these immense plains. they very pru-
IDENTIFY provided themselves with long,
hollow tube. and. when thirsty, thrust
it into these natural artesians. and thus
easily supplied their longings. The
crawfish well generally contains pure
water, and the manner in which the
traveller drew forth the refreshing ele-
ment gave him the name of Sucker.
This is very plausible, and the ''down-
easterns." no doubt, accept it as an his
torical fact, but. as the old settlers of
Illinois never heard Of such . thing I'M
til they saw it in print. the statement is.
to say the least, rather doubtful.
Stephen A. Douglass. in . speech
made at Petersburg. Va, during the
Presidential campaign of 1860, offered
the following explanation:
about the year 1878 George Rogers
Clark applied to the Governor of Vir-
ginia, and suggested to him that as
peace might be declared at any time be-
tween Great Britain and the Colonies it
would be well for us to be in possession
Of the Northwest Territory. SO that
when the Commissioners came TO nego-
tiate treaty we might act on the we'll
known principle of uti possidefs-
party holding all they had in possess
sion. He suggested to the Governor to
permit him to 60 out to the Northwest.
conquer the country. and hold it until
the treaty of peace, when we would be-
come possessed of it. The Governor con-
sented, and sent him across the noun
tains to Pittsburgh. From there he and
his companions fioated down the Ohio
on RATS to the falls. where Louisville
now is. After remaining there for
short time they again took to their RATS
and floated down to the Salines, Just be-
low the present Shawreetown in Illi-
nois. There they took up their march
across the country to kaskaskia. where
the French had an old settlement, and
by the aid of guide reached the Oquaw
River and encamped some little distance
from the town. The next morning Clark
got his little army together and took up
his line of march for the French town of
Kaskaskia. It was summer, and a very
hot day, and as he entered the town he
saw the Frenchmen sitting on their little
verandas quietly sucking their mint
juleps through straws. He rushed upon
them, crying: Surrender, you suckers,
you! The Frenchmen surrendered, and
from that day to this lllinoisans have
been known as Suckers
Mr.. Douglas spoke in humorous
vein and did not expect his listeners to
think he was reciting history. The fol-
lowing account, however, is vOuched for
by early settlers as being correct:
''For number of years after the
opening of the lead mines at Galena,
ILL.,, the majority of the miners. who
lived in the southern part of the State
and in the settlements on the Mississippi,
were in the habit of going to their homes
in the fall and returning to the mines in
the spring. One day in the autumn of
1926 an old Missourian. who was watch
ing number of Illinois miners go on
board southern-bound boat at the Ga
lena wharf. asked them where they were
going. They replied: We are going
down home Why said be. you put
me in mind of the suckers; they go up
the river In the spring and in the fall
60 down again He had reference to
a fresh water fish of the carp family,
which has the habit mentioned. The
nickname sucker was at once applied
to Illinoisans and has stuck to them
ever since. In the spring the miners
who had remained at the mines during
the winter would say when the shoals
of suckers were seen ascending the
river: In few days we shall see the
real suckers come up the river. '"-Chi-
cago Tribune.