Lynchburg Virginian

From the Richmond Whig, Nov. 28.

WHIG STILL!

The question has been often asked, shall we abandon our great national name? How can we? How can any man abandon that, for which, in honesty, through evil report and through good report, he struggled, during long years, to honor, to vindicate, and to establish? All the measures prepared by our party are interwoven with, and comprehended in that name—Whig. Notwithstanding the epithets which have been heaped upon the Whig party—notwithstanding the efforts to prove that it is the representative of nothing—the exponent of no principles,—it still stands out before the intelligence of the country, the synonyme of great, beautiful, national principles. "The people do understand it—it is expressive to their minds—it is familiar to their ears—it is comprehensive and venerable. Why then adopt any state name, if our principles and our measures are to be unchanged? And what Whig desires to change or modify them? If there be any such, let him go over at once to the enemy. It will be a waste of time, and of labor, and be productive of no good result, but on the contrary, of confusion and wandering in our ranks. What need is there of it if any man is ashamed of the name? Would the principles we advocate, change their complexion at all by this device? That "the rose by any other name, would smell as sweet," may be an abstract truth; but to change the name, would lead to confusion in thought and expression—and though the rose might still exhale the same unaltered fragrance, unchanged by the mere change of name, still, until the new name became universally familiar, the harmony of association and of language, would be marred and unbroken. Let us then, stand by our principles, not only, but by the name which embodied them; by the standard under which we marshalled for the last conflict, and which is destined, we proudly and fearlessly trust, to float the Heavens, over a party victorious and powerful—over a country redeemed and free. We can enlarge the bounds of our aim. We can add to the number of our great national issues, without changing our front, or re-gilding our standard. To do thus, is no less the dictate of our nature reflection, than the expressed will, so far as we can learn it, of our numerous compatriots. So let it be.