The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-10
NOVEMBER 10, 1920.
The Mugwump Mind and the League
of Nations.

We are invited to say something
further about the sempiternal Amer
lean Mugwump, with view to the
classification of those Republicans tC
whom the meaning of the seven-mill
Ion majority in the recent great aud
solemn referendum is as naught com
pared with the complacency of theil
+ own personal convictions in the mat
ter Of the Wilson League Of Nations.
With pleasure.>
In Mr. FARMERS wonderful lexicon
OF "Americanisms. Old and New
OLondon, 1891 we find:
"Mugwump-A Republican who
claims a right at times TO vote inde-
pendently of his party. Mr. CHARLES
Il. NORTON. the author OF Political
Amerlcanisns,' defines a Mugwump
as 'one who sets himself up as better
than his fellows; a Pharisee,' the
political bias Of which is clear"
The writer with clear political
bias. mentioned in the foregoing def
milton, gives the subjoined account OF
the Introduction to common parlance
of venerable Indian word which
had previously enjoyed n limited and
rather esoteric usage:
"On the nomination OF the Hon.
JAMES G. BLAINE for the Presidency
(June 6, 1880 strong opposition
developed among disaffected Repub-
leans. calling themselves Independ-
ents. The movement originated at a
meeting In Boston CJune ~ and was
promptly taken up in New York and
elsewhere.
The supporters OF the regular
nomination affected to believe that
these Independents set themselves
up as the superiors of their former
associates. They were called dudes.
pharisees and hypocrites. and on
June Is, 1854, THE New YoRK SUN
called them Mugwumps. The word
was forthwith adopted by the public
as curiously appropriate. though for
q time its meaning was problemat-
ical."
When The SrN suggested this de
finitlve application Of Il term not UNI
known to previous colloqulal use in
New England, and even appearing
sporadically elsewhere, it started the
Political Mugwump rolling down the
ages. The popular recognition of the
fitness OF the label was Immediate
aud its acceptance universal. The
Blaine Cleveland campaign was
scarcely half over before the learned
In American philology were discuss
Ing questions Of origin and signfi-
canoe, sometimes with an energy that
was almost passionate.
On September 6. 1884. Dr. j. HAM
MoND TEr MBULL Of Hartford-than
whom no person then on earth was
qualified to speak with higher author
ity--conirlbuted to the late Miss en-
DEE's critic note explaining that
the word was Algonquin. that it oc-
Cured several times in ELIor's In
dian translation OF the Holy Bible.
where It appears as Mukquomp, repre-
senting such titles as lord. high cap
tain. chief. great man, leader or duke.
For example:
In Genesis, xxxvi.. dp-i3, Muk-
quomp or Mugwump is ELroT's In
dian translation of the dukes that
came Of EsAU," in the King James
version:
IN II. Samuel. xiii, EiIor's
Mukquomp represents several Of "the
mighty men whom DAVID had" such
~ ADINo the Eznlte and DoDo the
shohitc and SAVANNAH, the son of
,surr tile Hararlte.
In Matthew. vi: ~, the two mas
tiers whom no man can serve. namely,
COP and Mammon. are each Muk-
quomp In the Indian text.
Those Of our readers who were not
born yesterday or day before yester.
day will recall the eager pride with
which the Mugwumps Of the Cleve-
land. Blaine period, the Mugwumps of
Z the civil service reform period, and
the Mugwumps of the tariff reform
period accepted and adopted a desig-
nation so complimentary TO their men
tai and moral dimensions. Yet as the
good old Algonquin word fastened itself
upon them md upon the language an.
other fact was 10 be noted with re-
gard to its evolution in significance.
With awful and irresistible momen.
tum Mugwump came In the course
Of time TO convey 70 the general mind
not only the idea Of political impor-