The Irish standard., 1901-01-26
WHAT'S IN A NAME.l

WHAT'S IN A NAME.l
The initial number of VIM. ]. Bryan's
weekly paper, The Commoner, made
it's appearance in Lincoln, Neb, last
Wednesday, and with fraternal feel
ings The Irish Standard salutes it's
young contemporary with "cead mile
failte" and wishes it long life of USE
fulness to the common people of the
United States, in whose cause it is
published. On the first page of The
Commoner, Mr.. Bryan explains why
he selected that name for his paper,
and shows what an appropriate title
it is in country where government is
supposed to be of all the people, by all
the people, and for all the people, in
stead of being government of the
few, by the few, and for the few, as
it really is under the Mckinley regime.
In Great Britain the people are di-
vided into the nobility and common
atty, and commoner is generally APP
piled to member of the lower house
of parliament, or the House of Com
mons. The late Mr.. Gladstone was
called "the great commoner," because
he always remained in the lower house,
held no title of nobility, and advocated
the cause of the common people, of the
masses against the classes. In the
United States no title of nobility is
granted, and all the people are sup
posed to be commoners; but of late
years the daughters of wealthy Ameri-
cans are taking titles by marrying i'm
pecunious members of the British no
bility. The commonalty and aristoc-
racy of Great Britain have their coun-
terpart in the democracy and plutoc-
racy of the United States, and it is in
the interest of the democracy that Will
liam J.Bryan is publishing The Com
moner, as the following editorial from
his pen Enthusiastically shows:
Webster defines q commoner as zone
of the common people," The name has
been selected for this paper because
The Commoner will endeavor to aid
the common people in the protection of
their rights, the advancement of their
interests and the realization of their
aspirations.
1t is not necessary to apologize for
the use of term which distinguishes
the great body of the population from
the comparatively few, who, for one
reason or another, withdraw them
selves from sympathetic connection
with their fellows. Among the Greeks
''Hoi polloi" was used to describe the
many, while among the Romans the
word "plebs" was employed for the
same purpose. These appellations,
like "the common people," have been
assumed with pride by those to whom
they were applied, while they have
been used as terms of reproach by
those who counted themselves among
the aristocratic classes. Within recent
years there has been a growing ten
dency in some quarters to denounce
as demagogic any reference to, or
praise of, the common people,
One editor in late issue of his paper
takes exception to the phrase and says:
This expression is an in-chosen one
and should have 10 lodgment in the
vocabulary Of an American patriot and
statesman. If We sought it's origin, we
would look for it in that specious de-
magOgy which has evolved profession
al politicians, arrayed country against
town-the farmer and his sons aud
daughters against the business and
professional men and their sons and
daughters-capital against labor, anu
built up against neighbors the impreg-
nable barriers of prejudice and hate"
This quotation is reproduced because
it fairly represents the views Of those
who criticise the expression. 1t has,
however. an eminently respectable Or
igin. In the same chapter in which
Christ condensed mans duty to his fell
lows into the commandment: Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as myself: In
the same chapter in which he de-
nounced those who devour widows
houses and for a pretense make long
paycrs-in this same chapter it is
said of Him: The common people
heard Him gladly.
No higher compliment was ever paid
to any class
The term. the common people is
properly used to describe the large ma
iority of the people-those who earn
their living and give to society fair
return for the benefits received by So
ciety-those who in their daily lives
| recognize the ties which bind together
the mass of the people who have Il
common lot and n common hope. Some
times they are called "the middle
classes" because paupers and criminals