Republican Herald

"WHAT'S IN A NAME?"

A man seldom becomes ashamed of his name till he has disgraced it; for a name disgraces no man, and may be made honorable by good conduct; while the best name may be disgraced by the ingenuity of him who bears it. Hence all those various aliases assumed by rogues, cast off one after the other, as occasion may require, lest the name under which their villanies have been committed, may prove a clue to their real character. Somewhat on this principle, has the party now in power in the United States, taken up names and laid them aside from time to time.

The first name of federalist, was not a bad one. It ostensibly, like the federal constitution, federal government, &c., designated friends to the national or federal compact. But the party which adopted it, disgraced it by their acts, and when they had rendered it so far odious to the people that they could no longer successfully practice their political iniquity under it, they discarded it for another very good name, National Republican. By a similar line of conduct, they inflicted disgrace on that title, and were forced to relinquish it for that of whig; a name revered by every true American. This has fared with them, the same as the others; and now they appear determined to appropriate that of democrat. Four years, under the elder Adams, served to gratify the people of the prostitution of the name of federalist, and to cover it with public ignominy. With him, it fell. Four years more, under the younger Adams, inflicted the same fate on national republican. Whig has been shorn of its glory, and to boost the party into power, they have prefixed the term democratic, to operate as a disguise. But the soul of the party remains as heretofore; and four years, as on former occasions, will prove effective to strip off the lambskin, and to expose the ferocious animal it partially covers.

Was it ever known, that an honest man voluntarily assumed the name and title of a notorious rogue? Certainly not-though, to cloak his villainy, rogue may take to himself the name of an honest man. The original federalists, after they had disgraced their own name, stole from their opponents that of Republican. Having disgraced the whig name, they commit another theft, and appropriate that of Democrat. Why are they so very anxious to array themselves in the names of a party they have abused as rogues, vagabonds, pickpockets and cut throats? Honest men do not thus conduct. What-honest men give up their own names, to identify themselves with rogues! Was such a thing ever known? What honest man would thus disgrace himself? Yet so it is with our opponents- They become ashamed of their own name, and seize on one which they contend is stamped with indelible disgrace by being borne by men, of whose conduct and character they affect to speak with horror!-

It is not so with the democrats. They never abandoned the simple title of republican, till the federalists appropriated and disgraced it. For the same reason they will be obliged to relinquish that of democrat, should the federalists succeed in their attempts to affix it to themselves. But one thing must be remembered-The democrats have always stood too much on their political character, to borrow a title that had been borne by the federalists. They have never been ashamed of their name, till it had been forcibly associated with federalism; for they have never disgraced it. The federalists will, in four years, render odious, any name by which they may call themselves. No honest party can appropriate it afterwards. The federalists having once worn it, it is unfit for use.

- Since the above article was penned, we have read an article in that open and fearless federal paper, the Boston Courier, condemnatory of a change of name, and setting forth in substance, that the proper place to look for aliases, is, the records of criminal courts, where, generally, they abound for the reasons we have stated above; and not among honest men. We intended to copy the article in the Courier, but it has been mislaid. We may find it in season for our next.