Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1886-10-16
Old Party Names.

Olu farty Names.
: A correspondent of tho Louis
Vile Courier.Journal, who wanted
to know the names of the political
parties in this country at the close
of the revolution, and how the
Democraticpart. came by itsname,
is answered in the following very
correct aud satisfactory way py
thatnewSfaper:
.:1he Colonial parties of America
were called wings or tories. But
these have haltllya place IN Amer
iran politics, since men then were
wings or tories simply because
their fathers were, or because they
had been such prior to their eNnl
grafton. 1t was during the pas
sage OF the stamp act that Aineri
can parties began TO take shape,
and the names wing OF tory to
mark definite antagoniSms. The
wings were the patriots; the tories
owed their living TO the crown, or
had something to expect from it
When the war closed, the wings,
of course, were greatly i'll excess,
the tories becoming extinct. Whell
the question of establishing The
Union presented itself, one class OF
the wings held that State govern
ment should be supreme, and no
central power he able to coerce 1t.
This class got the name OF particu
lariSts. Opposing them were the
strong government wings, who be-
iieved he authority OF the Nation
al Government to be final in ap-
peals-all believed inthe Unlon.-
On the Submission Of the Constitu-
ton of 1857 10 Congress and the.
Legislatures, and indirectlytlrongh
them to the people, the strong gov
ernment wings became known as
the federalparty, with Washington.
Adams, Madison, Hamilton and
Jay as recognized leaders. This
was a brilliant period OF American
politics. The particularists were
called anti-tedcrals, because OF
their opposition to the federal
views and their ideas concerning
State rights. Leading them were
Patrick Henry, Sam'l Adams, and
Hancock. A little later on Jetfer.
son became identified with this par
ty, which, following him, were
called Jrflersonian Democrats
But after the passage of the Bill
of Rights, and its incorporation in
the Constitution, Jefferson with all
opposition to that instrument, the
anii-tcderal party following his
lead. AT the suggestion OF Jetfer
sou, the party name was changed
to that OF Republican. The anti
federalS we've at first inclined to
call their party the Democratic
Republican, but finally called it
simply Republican. The federal
lists tainted the new party greatly,
accused them of wishing to eS.ab-
fish mob rule, and denounced them
derisively as "Democrats.n With
the acutenesS of the Americans,
who had adopted from British sa-
tire the name .'Yankee," the Re
publicanS concluded to accept from
their opponents the name Demo
crat. So from the Ninth Congress,
Jeffersonian Republicans called
themselves Democrats, and the
word Republican went into disuse
until later on the opponents OF
Democracy accepted it as u name
well defining the meaning OF their
attitude in politics.
1t should also be stated that
when jefferson assumed the leader
ship of the Republican party, and
Was elected first republican Presi
dent OF the United States, the old
federal party headed by Hamilton
AMI Adams, rapidly declined, and
soon passed ont of existence, and
hat the Democratic party was lep-
resented after Jrfferson's last ad-
ministration in 1858, by Madison
aud Monroe, for eight years each,
and after the younger Adams one
term in 1924, then by Andrew
Jackson, one of the greatest Presi-
dents the country ever haG. Since
his time the youngest politician
can read up he history of parties
and locate the old Democratic JET
torsonian party in every Presiden-
tial canvaSS.-Advance.