The Washington herald., 1909-08-24
RISE AND FALL OF WORDS

A Chicago judge has ruled that to call
a man a CRATER" Is not actionable, a
ruling that, 10 conclude from hasty press
reports, is based on the distinction once
drawn by a New York politician between
graft" and honest graft" II this Chi
.cago Daniels judgment is confirmed the
distinction set up by the New Yorker
one Senator Plunkett. is obscured. Hon
est graft" simply means a tip or a per-
quisite. something not obtained dishon-
esuy. the giving or receiving OF which is
.sanctihed by custom. a perquisite. Graft
er" may mean. therefore. one who re-
ceives tips. according 20 the Chicago
standard. and to say that a person re-
ceives tips. perquisites, or g-atituities. IS
not slanderoUs and theref not action
able" says the Bosto- transcript
Graft is a horrible word. and as gem
orally applied and used refers 10 corrup-
ton. Being a short word. easily spoken.
easily written. coming trippingly or the
tongue. and the pen. IL has attained a per-
fectiy overwhelming popularity. cir
cuiation that 10 some extent is mischiev-
Gus. That Is the way with short words
which have or acquire a sinister mean
Ing. They are compact and carry far.
The headline writer appreciates graft %
for It comes into the space at his COM
mand much more handily than "dishon-
esty." corruption" or "malfeasance, -
and the headline writer is an important
contributor 10 usage" In language.
Many newspaper readers go by head
lines. and form. II not judgments, i'm
pressions. and habits Of speech from from
what they see N big. black type. The
vogue which graft easily secured II has
maintained. aided greatly by the normal
human suspicion or our nelghbor as at
tanning his enviable prosperity by some
devious way. Graft" has probably done
as much harm as good. II il has pointed
70 corruption. II IL has given a keen
cutting edge 10 the implements necessary
for the anatomist OF morbid politics. 1t
has been the equally ready promoter OF
synicism. II is something like that much
controverted insect. the fly. IN having a
capacity for destroying impurity or find
ing II eQualed by a capacity for dissem-
mating it over unaffected areas and sur
faces.
Not alone the philologist OF the class
that "abhors slang. but the pubucist
who realizes the facility Of short words
for converting suspicion into accusation
may be glad TO see graft under the
weight OF judicial condemnation. con-
signed to the glossary Of obsolete terms
and phrases. That glossary is already
bulky with the consignment OF words
once as much IN use as graft" is to-
day. There viii Doodle" be found. .
term now but little used, but once heard
everywhere as IMPLYING the same prac-
tees 70 which graft is applied.
Nc one now calls the object OF his
the nomination the accuser sought, g
"boodler" Less than a quarter Of a
century ago there were "boodlers," bold,
bad New York aldermen. for instance.
who were charged with "boodling" IN
the matter Of the Broadway street rail-
read franchise. Some Of them went TO
Jail for such transactions, and were
headlined as 'BOodlers Sentenced" In
the grammar OF popular suspicion
doodle" was the great verb. Diction-
aries published about 1890 give Doodle
as recent: American:" yet doodle" is
gone to keep company with rings" and
'juntos." which in their day had sup
planted "cabal"
The fashions Of this world pass away,
but its passions retain their vitality and
20 them the air OF politics IS as the at
mosphere OF a dollhouse. Under its slim
ulating heat. derislon gives birth TO
terms which. applied in the beginning
as insults come TO be accepted as desig-
nations by the parties addressed. The
two great names of English politics for
| certainly a century and three-quarters
were Wing and Tory. Each was given
! CONTEMPORARY to the other side.
The opposition of Charles IFS day were
accused by the minority Of sympathy q
seditious degree with the Scotch
Wings" These. or at least those selected
20 give point to the royalists' scorn, were
the COvenanters who very naturally and
even properly hated the Stuarts- These
wild western Wings" rode what the
government termed raids" and urged
their rugged moss ponies along by
grunting out from time 10 time ''Whig"'
"Whigl" equivalent 10 our rustic Get
ap."
Now nothing Is worse than being ridicu-
lous. Thoughtful politicians are very care
ful about falling into habits that may
make them objects Of derision. but the
serious minded Covenanters had other
things TO think Of They wanted to get
their ponies along. TO attend a prohibited
convertible. to keep out of the way. or
TO do a little shifting Of the malignants %
They never dreamed that their grunttag
would so tickle the exquisite risioilities OF
British responsibility that It would be
mimicked az Westminster.
Thence the miInicry spread throughout
the land until the opposition speakers
greeted with "Whig" everywhere ac-
cepted II as the foreordained designation
OF their party. Tory had a similar
derivation. The opposition likened the
majority. greedy OF Office and power as
ell majorities are, TO robber bands. gangs
OF Tories" who roamed Ireland. robbed
and plundered indiscriminately. but. when
cornered, put Up a pretense OF patriotism.
The term stuck and was accepted.
Not until It had been IN use one hun
dred and fifty years did It show signs CT
approaching Obsolescence. The lines had
been drawn far against parliamentary re-
form. The Tories said Parliament was