Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1904-12-14

E1EN - WV -
journalist, made
80 a map Of the
z continent, and
had II printed, and so the world
gave { h e name America TO
the newly discovered new world .
II was rather rough on Columbus,
but the willy Italian got the glory
{ by sublime impudence. When
our colonies achieved their indie
pendence we formed a government
and named it the United States OF
America. Tins we became perm
anently Americans, the other ma
tons of the continent naming
} themselves otherwise, such as
Canadians, Mexicans, Brazilians
and so forth. Having adopted the
name OF Americans, we have a
right to hold on to it, and recent
ly our ambassadors to foreign
countries have been designated as
American ambassadors. But at
the last Thanksgiving dinner CT
the American Society in London,
Sir Edward Glare, a distinguished
English lawyer, entered a respect
tul protest against the assumption
Of american" to designate the
United States embassy. The word
"American," b said, implies
domination over the whole West
ern hemisphere, which the United
States does not possess and is not
entitled to, as Great Britain is ter
ritorially a larger power on the
American continent, to say no.
thing Of the miscellaneous lot Of
independent nations to the south
Of us.
Sir Edward 8 unreasonably
jealous in this matter. The name
is assumed by us because Of no
claim to paramOuntcy, but simply
because other nations invariably
speak OF the United State people
as Americans In contradiction to
ether nations Of this continent who
assume special names. II we are
not to be known as Americans, IL
would be difficult to find ar appel
alton that would cover the case.
Officially and in the Constitution
it Is the United States Of Americ4,
and when the Constitution it is
the United States OfAmerica, and
when the Constitution was adopt
ed it was the only union of the
kind. 1t is not the United States
Of North America, as Sir Edward
Clarke would have it, and as the
Republic Of Mexico is also q United
States," it is no more entitled TO
that designation than the one it
has. In our persuit Of an adiect-
i've to designate things belonging
to the nation We q hardly say
United States of America, or
United States Of North America,
and Sir Edwards "Usonan" lie q
little too grOtesque even for En-
glish humOr. We take the liberty
OF calling ourselves and ours
American" as a matter Of cOnven-
lent custom, and 80 does everybody
else. II the British object they
are quite as much to blame as any
body for it, and they win find it
rather late in day to makes change.
There was a time, half a century
ago, when our people visiting Eu-
rope, called themselves Virginians,
New Workers and what not; but
now that We have forty-fve States
in the Union, with several more in
sight, it is absurd to hold on to
the names OF States when we look
to the American flag for protection.
We arr American citizens, and we
appeal American protection in
case Of danger, as the old Romans
appealed tOthe name Of their world
wide Republic, and Just as st.
Paul did when he claimed TO be a
Roman citizen and appealed to
Caesar, although he was q Pales-
tine Jew. In this country we may
have spats now and then over pO-
litical elections, but everybody is
proud to know he is an American
citizen. This Is the great Repub-
lie Of America, and we are cit"
Sir Edward Clarke neet not dis
turb himself about the extent of
. Canada. He is welcome to his
broad expanse Of ice and frost, but
be knows full we'll that in the
course Of time the whole concern
will drop into the American Re-
public, we're it properly belongs.
New Orleans Item.