Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-06-06
WHAT'S IN A NAME?

r. HE Ohio State Journal recently
remarked that "Our idea OF a
hound of the Baskervilles. or
worse, is the fiend in human form
around these elegantly appointed
offices who tears the editorial page
Out of the Springfield Republican
and leaves the rest of it lying there,
looking perfectly innocent and
heart-whole, for US" We sympa-
thize with the editor of the Ohio
Journal in his grief, for we GER
tainly think that the Springfield
Republican is by far the ablest
editorial paper that comes to our
desk, and we get a great deal OF
inspiration out of it. Our readers
are doubtless aware of the fact. as
we quote from it more than from
any other newspaper. The reason
for that is that it generally ex-
presses our own ideas in better
words than we could do. The only
thing that strikes us ~unpleasantly
about the Springfield Republican is
its name, and what is in a name. A
rose by any other name would
smell as sweet.
A good democratic reader OF The
Tribune reproached us the other
day because we quoted SO often the
sentiments of the Springfield Re-
publican. He said, here you are
supposed to be running a democratic
newspaper, and you are always tell
ing us what a republican newspaper
has to say about public affairs.
Can't you find a democratic news
paper to quote from, if you must
quote other editorial o~pinions?"
Our critic was astonished to learn
that the Springfield Republican
newer was a republican party organ,
and got its name half a century be-
fore there was any republican
party in existence. In the broad
ems of the word, it has always
been democratic, though it is at
present and has been for some time,
strictly independent in its politics.
protesting no party allegiance.
Yet it was established as a JET
fersonian democratic organ more
than a century ago by its original
owner Samuel Bowies, to defend
Thomas Jefferson against the Fed
eralist party under the leadership
of Alexander Hamilton. 1t has re-
NAMED in the same family owner
ship ever since, three generations
of editorial managers-father, son,
and grandson, having guided its
destinies as editor since its first
issue. In a general way, it cham
pions the cause of democracy in
the broad sense of that word as it
did a century ago. 1t is Jeffer-
sonian in its principles. 1t was
a supporter of Woodrow Wilson,
and still is.
The thing that led our friend
astray was the word Republican in
it's name and he was not aware that
the newspaper had a better right
to the am than the republican
party ever had. A good many peo-
pie do not know that the original
name Of the democratic party as
founded by Jefferson was the repub-
lican and democratic party. 1t was
generally known as the republican
party. Owing largely to the odium
cast on the name republican party,
through the excesses committed by
the republicans of France during
the French revolution, the follow
ers Of Jefferson dropped the name
republican and called themselves
democrats. The Springfield Re-
publican took its name when the
followers of Jefferson called them.
selves republicans. They were the
progressives of that day. The prop.
ertyD owning classes, the conserva.
tives of that day, were mostly fed.
eralists and later wings.
Time changes many things and
it changes parties also. When 1866
came with the final contest agains,
slavery the democratic party found.
ed by Jefferson as a progressive
party had come to represent the
conservative opinion of the coun.
try. Most of the wealth Of the
country was in it. 1t stood for
property rights against freedom
even property rights in human be.
ings. 1t was essentially aristocratie
instead of democratic. 1t was Ham.
iltonian rather than Jeffersonian ir
sc IDEAS