Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1826-06-16

Though a silent member in Congress,
be was so. prompt, frank, explicit, and
decisive upon committees, not even
Samuel Adams was more so, that he
soon seized upon my heart; and upon
this occasion gave him my vote, and
did all in my power to procure the votes
of others. think he had one more vote
than any other, and that placed him at
the head of the committee. l had the
next highest number, and that placed
me the second. The committee met
and discussed the subject, and then ap-
pointed Mr.. Jefferson end me to make the
draft. said, 81 will not, you shall do
it." Then follows an amicable alterca-
ton on this point; but Mr.. Adams per-
sisling in his refusal to make draft.
Well" said Jefferson, +" if you are de-
cided, will do as well as / can. "
Very well, when you have drawn it up
we will have meeting. A meeting we
accordingly had, and conned the paper
over. Twas delighted with lis high tone,
and The flights of oratory with which it
abounded, especially that concerning ne
kAo NhlNu) hhSN hio
southern brethren would not suffer to
pass in Congress, l certainly never
would oppose. There were other ex-
pressiops which | would not have in
serted if had drawn it up; particularly
chat which called the king tyrant. |
thought this too personal; for l never
believed George to be a iyrant in dispo-
sitien and in nature; always believed
him to be deceived by his couvtiers on
both sides the Atlantic, and in his off.
cial capacity only cruel.
81 thought the expression TOO pas
sionate and too much like scoldiDg for
so grave and solemn document; but
as Franklin and Sherman we're to in
spect it afterwards, thought it would
not become me TO strike il out. | con-
scented to report ii; and do not now re.
member thai, | made or suggested sim
gle alteration. We reported it to tho
Committee of Five. 1t was read and
do not remember that Frank lin or Sher.
man criticised any thing. We were all
in haste; Congress was impatient; and
the instrument was reported, as believe,
in Jetferson's handwriting, as he first
drew it. Congress cut off about quar-
ter part of it, as | expected they would;
but they obiilerated some of the best Of
1t, and left all that was exceptionable, if
any thing in it was. have long won-
dered that the original draft has not been
published. suppose the reason is, the
vehem cot philippe against negro slave
ry. AS you justly observe, there is not
an idea in it but what had been hackney.
ed in Congress for two years before.
The substance Of it is contained IN the
declaration of rights and the violation of
those rights, in the Journals of Congress
in IVA. Indeed the essence of i, is con-
tanned N pamphlet voted and printed
by the town of Boston before the first
Congress mot; composed by Jsmes
OTIS, as ! suppose, in one of his lucid
intervals, and pruned and polished by
Samuel Adams"
The " declaration conc erning indepen-
dence," as it is very plainly called, was
discussed during tine first, second and
third days of July, and adopted on the
fourth with various amendments. Tho
following is the only whole paragraph
which was stricken out OF the original
draft by Congress, and is probably what
Mr.. Adams aludes to as being VIC. ,
lent philippe against slavery. tits CIV /,
en- as originally written; with the same
m arks OF punctuation, and tho same dis.
position Of capitals. i
she has waged cruel war against hu-
man nature itself, violating its most sa.
cred rights OF life and liberty in the per.
sons OF distant people, who never Of
Tended him, captivating and carrying
them into slavery in another hemisphere,
or to incur miserable death in their
transportation thither. this practical
warfare, the opprobrium Of in6del pow
ers, is the warfare of Christian king Of
Great Britain. determined to keep open
market where MEN should be bought
and sold, he has prostituted bis negative !
for suppressing every legislative attempt
to prohibit or to restrain this execrable
commerce. and that this assemblage
Of horrors may want no fact Of distin-
guished die, he is now exciting those
very people to rise up in arms among
US, and to purchase that liberty of which
he has deprived them, by numbering the
people upon which he also obtruded
them: thus paying off former crimes
committed against the liberties OF one
people, with crimes which he urges
them to commit against the lives of ano.
ther."