Evening star., 1894-04-11
THE UNITED STATES,
A Singular Subject or n Plural Oner

Written for The Evening Star
Senator George has emphatically put him.
self on record as favoring the plural view.
Senator Platt may, from his brief reply on
the same occasion, be recorded as taking
the singular side. Senator Hoar seems 10
favor the same side. President Cleveland
seems to be persistently of the same opin-
ion with Senators Platt and Hoar. The
Evening Star, in reporting the substance
of Senator Georges remarks, treats the
United States a singular subject twice
in one sentence april 6. p. q. Mr.. David
Dudley Field, in a late utterance as Quot
ed by the Baltimore Sun and other papers.
denounces the use Of the words 1.-The
United States as a noun in the singular
number, fortifying his position by quota
tions from the Declaration of Independence
and from the Constitution of the United
States.
DR.. Daniel @. Brinton, bureau of educa-
ton circular of information, No. 2, 1892,
p. 31S writes: I'm this list, the United
States was represented by objects. mostly
in stone, from thirty-six states and six ter
ritories," &C.
The Evening Star, Washington, d. c.,
August 10, 1882, sixth page, seventh column,
quotes the New York Tribune: England
has the letter of the decision, and the
United States have the SEAL" and the
Philadelphia Press: In the Paris arbitra-
tion the United States has lost its argu-
ment and won its cause" and the primary
contention of the United States has been
that its property rights In the seals Z.
needed to have a special protection"
The Evening Star, August 10, 1893, speak
ing for itself, says: 1T is true that all that
the United States has contended for before
the tribunal hes not been granted, but" &c.
Mr.. A r. Spofford, in an interview with
the writer several years ago, made the dis
tinct impression upon the small crowd OF
listeners around us that the singular view
Of this question was the only right one.
Now, Mr.. Editor, when grave and rever-
end Senators turn aside from their avoCa-
tions, at a time of financial interest and OF
no small political eXcitement,an deliberate
ly discuss a question of the grammar of
their native tongue, their constituents
meanwhile crowding the galleries, with eyes
ana ears intent TO catch the first favorable
sight or sound of approaching legislation,
and when eminent lawyers take a deliber-
ately fortified position on the question head
Ing this brief article and "denounce" any
possible opponent as guilty, not merely Of
solecism, but even Of implicit treason, II
may be safely Inferred that there is some
thing in the issue Joined of a nature too
important to be passed over without some
consideration.
The phrase 1.-The United States" was
originally employed to designate the thir-
teen dependent English colonies of Amer
lea engaged in a combined and determined
struggle to achieve their independent SOW
ereignty, and was written, not as now with
capitals. but as a common noun. as gram
marians would say, viz: ''the united
states 1t will be found so written in
some one or more OF the original docu-
ments. Moreover, within the recollection
or the writer general call upon citizens
was made by one or more newspapers to
suggest an appropriate proper name or title
for our country. This call appears to have
recognized the fact that the name. then
and still prevailing, was not in its origin
proper name, although regularly written
-ssl, sol sNaEsf l-
several suggestions, two of which were
America and Columbia, both of which were
however, respectfully declined, either as
embracing too much or as already apprO-
priated. 1t thus appears that the united
states, a union Of separate sovereign states
have become The United States" a single
united country. and este perpetual
But il must be obvious even to a SUPER
ficial reader that in common parlance the
name is, and has long been, used in two
quite different senses. First to designate
the states in their several capacityas when
il is said that the United States are repre-
sented in Congress by Senators and Repre-
sentatives, that the United States are gov
ernei, divided. subdivided, have the same
or different laws on certain subjects have
greater or less areas, have represent
atives in proportion to popuia don. have
greater or less population according to age
area or other circumstances; and, secondly.
to designate the United States as q unit in
its entirety, when is meant the general
government, the federal legislature. the
treaty-making power. In brief, the phrase
The United States" sometimes means the
forty-four states, and sometimes the one
general government; consequently and in
harmony with this two-fold view of the
matter, your correspondent entertains and
has long entertained, the settled opinion
that in the one case, being a divided unit or
manifold unit, ii is plural subject to its
verb and plural antecedent to its pro-
noun; and that in the other case being a
single unit. without thought or suggestion
of division or divisi5ility into units, the
phrase is just as clearly a singular subject
to verbs and singular antecedent 10 pro
nouns. Judged by this standard, Messrs
Field and George appear on the wrong side
and also the Tribune; The Evening Star
the Philadelphia Press, DR.. Brinton Mr.
Spofford, the President and Senators Platt
and Hoar on the right. W. b. CARR