The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-08-19
jLAY ATTEMPTS TO RENAME THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

-. prof Moses Colt Tyler's 'chautau-
qua address.
- 4 ereat was the movement for the
name Of Columbia that in 1871 the
Nv government set apart a small
p domain on the Potomac for a ma
M tionAl capital, and in giving spec
IL name to this particular district
~ ~ accepted resfdence OF the national
-g~rSment. not accidentally but design
IN ana significantly, called IL the Dis.
~ a Columbia; that Is, the capital OF
~ ration. which was, IT was hoped, 10
"a eo1Ied by that name. And all these
&urls fDr the adoption Of the name Col
5Shaa have been reflected in tho fact that
~ rap Of our country. II you look over
\ - Just count. is now fairly dotted
B ~ perforatcd with that word. One
- 1 looked to see how many could
~ and not only the great river which
Y ~1ctles into the Pacific, called BY Capt
~ OF that ship Columbia, but found
~ name applied to at least eight coun-
~ eaehtsen townships. four cities, ana
Suvonteon villages In our country.
~ YET the most significant fact about
1tH any movement for that name is,
SS1h III the early struggles for the word
6elumbia during the first twenty or thir-
3 years Of our independence. and not
G1ghstanding all the just and wise things
~ we're said In favor OF IT, the word
01rnbla does not seem to become our
ro1lcnal name except In old fashioned
coe1ou poetry and IN patriotic oratory
ally wooden The outside world. which
= matters OF this kind iSfuses to be die
800 70. does not spontaneously take
lhN nams Of Columbia upon its tongue
4 speaking OF us. and while we have
m hssitating over the business the
n6me Columbia has been quietly and ef-
actually appropriated by another nation.
~ gallant little republic in South Amer
-. The United States OF Colombia. no
al the name Is no longer available for
~ uDe on any terms except possibly
~ method Of just swallowing down that
NM south American republic. name and
vashisGton Irving's Preference.
After these efforts on behalf OF the name
oplumbia had become a failure, as was
IN 10 b the case a good many years
-, notable effort on behalf Of another
lationel name was made. and this effort
booams rich In proportion. being fostered
" eur fascinating prose writer WASH
ngton Irving. Among other things he
I'VE want 4 national name. We want II
roo<ieAl and We want Il political. With
~ poeticaI necessity OF the case shall
~ froublo- leave II for OUR poets TO
IN for themselves how they manage to
moes that collocation OF words. tho Unit
= States Of America. down the swelling
~ Of song and to hoat the whole raft
uDon the sea Of heroic poesy. am now
Gueekine Of the mere purposes OF COM
IN life How In q citizen OF this repub-
n 10 designate himself. especially when
~ goes abroad want my own peculiar
nauns. ! want an appellation that shall
vi IT once and IN way not TO be mis-
taken that belong TO this very portion OF
America, geographically and politically. 10
which II u my pride and happiness TO be-
king: that am Of tho Angio-saxon race
which founded this Anglo-Snxon empire In
ths wilderness. (you see they then called
Il an empire.) Such an appellation would
have magic In II; Il would bind every
part together al a keystone, It would be
8 passport to a citizen OF the republic
throughout the world"
This was fifty or sixty years ago. before
there was much Of the transrnississippi
country populated. I'VE have much In our
power" said he. ITO furnish ourselves
with such . national appeilation from one
Of the grand and eternal features OF our
country. from that noble chain of noun
tsins which formed It's backbone and ran
through the confederation when we form
I'd our Independence. / ailude to the Aile-
eheny mountains. and I propose that we
Atnceforth describe ourselves as the Unit
a states Of Allegheny"
This suggestion OF washington Irving
had some rather notable consequences.
OAs was that II attracted tho attention
" powerful organization devoted TO the
mtersAts Of our national history, named
me New York Historical Society. IL was
N tho year 1856. In the midst Of the cx-
element connected with the annexation
u Texas. that some of the younger and
more aggressive members OF that society
took up this subject along Irvink's sug-
oestlon, and for . time they devoted
themselves with no nttle energy to the
task OF trying TO persuade the United
States Of America to turn itself over into
the United States OF Allegheny
For example. they got tho society and
The whole county for time. not being
VERY busy with other matters Just at that
moment. 20 discuss a series OF resolutions
watch they had brought forth. the first
ef which was 40 follows:
That II In expedient that efforts should
nov he made TO unite upon n specific
geographical name for the country. that
the name OF Allegheny be recommended
- the best. considering that II IL derived
tfcm the erandest and most useful fea-
mFs common To the whole country. an
eternal tpye OF strength and union.
essetchins from tho Gulf Of Mexico 20
ne Great Lakes. that II IL associated with
inc most interesting portion Of our his
scs,. and that IN adopting IT we would
resscre 10 the land one OF the primordial
Titles of the aboriKines." Now. these peo-
Hs urged to the sehooia that they should
Ne on their mars the words the United
ssAsss OF America" and that they should
With them use tho Republic OF ALE.
Shensa'A
4 Campaign for AIlewhenia.
fea will be interested 90 know that
shsss resolutions were submitted to the
srciesy by David Dudley Field By Henry
hehoolcraf,. The famous wf,tcr on In
uan topics, aud Charles Fenno Hoffman.
ahS IN accord with these resolutions a
isfalar campaign was started, boom Of
AhsshsniA. working up ~ public opin-
sea IN favor ~ that name. An address was
ens oct By the New York society and the
sAuocn ether state societies suggesting
NE eAanse 81 name and calling Tor eS-
Pwfsiors q public opinion en- the sub
Fst OF all the answers returned, while
Many admitted objections urged against
NE phrase "the United states ~ America"
= nar national name, perhaps only one
Z exFfe&sea A decided xxiiiiDUrss4 10 aeSNnt