The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-07-03
Is THE UNITED STATES CARE"

IL the United States ''are." or are TIE
United States sis" forms a lively ques-
ton stil IN the Eastern papers. Boston
favors the plural. as becomes the modern
Athens. New York considers that the
singular binds US more closely together in
unity: and in that view we may AK.
paraphraSing Hon. Tim Campbell, what
grammar between fr1ends?' The Indiant-
polls Journal takes the subject up with
grave solemnity, saying:
Good writer's and correct speakers will
not sacrifice the kings English TO a Claim
founded merely on sentiment, nor can
the sentiment itself, admirable as IL IS,
be strengthened or promoted by breaking
down The rules of grammar. The United
States are forsy-four in number, they
constitute a great nation. and they re-
quiro plural verb. Secretary olney Is
right and his critics are wrong"
Ii there Is going to be any trouble about
1t. as iaw-absding citizens we shall obey
the United States supreme court, which
says ara" There Is no cali for martyr
dom about It: although we might point
rs an example 20 that heroic woman who
stood In the sea while the waves rose
above her head. and raising her hand
above their crest when she could do
longer say scissors cEpt her first and
second fingers together in dying declara-
tion OF fidelity TO conviction.
Years and years ago the Bible said:
Tho wages of sin Is death" Yet In de-
fanee OF Scriptunal authority and Jaco-
bean grammar. wages r. now used IN the
plural. marked illustration Of the sacgi-
flee of grammar to growing sentiment.
which calls for wages in the plural
gold. silver ami currency. and plenty %
them. Sentiment has also overcome an
old grammatical rule which put poll
tics'' I'm che singular and insists. !n prac-
tioe. upon using Il IN the plural. TIE
spelling OF a word does not desermlnc its
number; custom docs that For instance
sheep may be In both singular and Mural.
and II a huna,le. hollow horned ramlnant
OF uncertain origin may have both forms.
why not this great and glorious United
StatesF IL "a ghousand VI brick" may
possess similarly vile latitude. WHY
not 'tlis" mot theso) free and indee,e =
dent people which fung the kings Eng.
nsh into Massachusetts, hay with defiance
or other prerogative~s OF an efYete mon
archyF hut even our any.lent enemy
which rules IRE waves rlsle,l granr,ar
when Il made the UusieA Klas,Aon, enot
klngdoTnS) OF Great Britain ant ireland
TIE sovereign says royalty we. s.
though he - really only pronoun in the
singular number and We all say '.yv,u''
- "a Individual IN violation ~ al gram
nlatscai tradition. which declares II 70 D.,
'The personal preuoun q the s.,ons tscr-
son plural" To this day that rule e
taught in our Scilcols v&fh tho exraana-
ton that tho breach IS an act 81 courtesy.
Now II grammar can be 40 court e,o,is TO a
private citizen. why should I, not De
equally. even X fnverscly. courteous T.
an aggregacson. ens and irdlvfsihle. az
''the Custed States ef America a Ma
ton which stretches from the Atlantis 70
che Psgsnc. from tAe ArssAc cs>ean TO TIE
NexAcaa gUl,, wasch plants is Tooss,r-s
or the scas and ani alnrs SIS Tag % sg,se-
ooaa's hTCczes
StiA. = Is too near the Fourth OF July
20 he stirring M ANY hard feelings. and
We are Wiling to Aave tire s;ascs In the
plural. Bet We insist that there saasl BE
only one nag--~the Stars and stripes Is.