The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-05-31
THE NAME OF OUR STATE.
The Organ and Pronunciation OF
Iowa,

The Iowa Society of New York city,
at recent banquet resolved hence
forth to pronounce the name of the
state Io-way, blending the and O. Pro-
nunciation given the name by senators
referring to the representatives from
this state-Messrs. Allison and Dolliver
varies. Senator Tillman invariably
calls it "Eyeoway;" Senator Teller says
"Eowa," with the long; Senator Over
man pronounces it "Eyeowa" and SEN
ator Bailey dwells long on the second
vowel, "Eo-wa." The Cedar Rapids
Republican prefers "Io-way."
The Century Dictionary, generally
accepted as the highest authority, pre-
scribes the long i, the long and the
sounding of the as in Persia and pen
insula.
Lippincott's Pronouncing Dictionary
of the World puts the accent on the
first vowel-i, and says the should be
pronounced as in organ or oval.
There is conflict between the pro-
nunciation authorities and neither of
them agrees with the Iowa Society of
New Workers. Ra
This newspaper inclines to accept of
the Century's pronunciation, because it
more nearly approaches the Indians
sounding of the a. The state was
named from the Iowa Indians, a tribe of
the Dakota stock. 1t means, according
to Century, gray or dusty noses
name given to the Paqotice, a tribe of
the Tcuvere division of the North
American Indians. They are now liv-
ing in Oklahoma and Kansas and num-
Der only 273."
Cues History of Iowa." Vol. 1, pages
165-166 says:
"The first record to be found in which
the name of Iowa is applied to the sec
ton Of the country which became the
state of Iowa, is Lieut.. Albert M. LEAFS
report and book of 1886 descriptive
of the Black Hawk Purchase" as he
saw it while accompanying the eXplor-
ing expedition. He writes of it as the
Iowa District as the Iowa river was
the principal water course running
through it. The name seemed at once
to meet favor among it's inhabitants,
for we find, soon after, that writer in
the Dubuque Visitor alludes to the
part OF Wisconsin territory as the fu-
ture state OF Iowa. In the following
year when a convention assembled at
Burlington to memorabilia congress on
the subject OF prescriptions, the disput-
ed boundary, and for division of the
territory, that portion of Wisconsin ly-
ing west Of the Mississippi was called
the Iowa District
"The name Of the Dubuque Visitor
was soon after changed to the Iowa
News. In the summer of 1887 James
Clark, of Burlington. gave his paper the
name CT the Iowa Territorial Gazette
William L. Toole, who was delegate
to the Burlington convention in 1887,
says that it was there decided to give
the new territory the name of Iowa,
after other names had been proposed
and discussed. The name, however,
was not used in the memorial asking
for the organization of the new terri
tory, but was applied to it in the one
on the subject Of prescriptions. But by
common consent before the act passed
organizing the new territory, the name
Iowa given by Lieutenant Lea was ac-
cepted and to him must be accorded
the honor of giving our state it's beau
tiful name
1t is to be regretted that Mr.. Cue
did not go into the matter Of the pro-
nunciation Of the word, and assemble
local testimony proving the longer ac-
ceptance of one or another pronuncia-
ton. 1t was within his grasp to settle
the mooted question of authority.