The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1849-07-04
NO. ~.

she might have marched nm armyin Ger.
many, and prevented the petty Princes there
from selling their unhappy subjects to sub
| que us.n 0
On the 10th June, Mr., Lee, having been
informed ofthe dangerous illness of his wife,
! obtained leave of absence from Congress,
and returned home. The members, after
| some debate on the order Of the day, post.
poned the further consideration ofthe cub.
!ect 20 the 1st July, in order that the incip-
lent feelings Of independence of the colo.
MES Of New York, New Jersey. Pennsy lva-
mia, Delaware. Maryland and South Caroli-
ma, might be fully matur ed and understood.
A committee was. however. appointed to
draw up in the interim Declaration of In
dependence, and report the same to the
House. That committee consisted Of John
Adams Of Mass, Benz. Franklin ofPenn.,
Roger Sherman Of Conn.,, Robert r. Liv-
ingston ofNew York, and Thomas Jeffer-
son. Having written what he thought q
proper Declaration he submitted tito the
committee, who suggested several minor
alterations. Jefferson then made two fair
copies ofthe Declaration, as revised by the
committee; one for Richard Henry Lee, who
did not return to Congress till August, and
the other to be presented as the report of
the committee. This last was presented ia
the House on Friday, the 2sth June, by
Benjamin Harrison. father Of the late Pre-
sident,) and, after being read, was ordered
| to lie on the table. Fer the subsequent pro-
ceedings we again recur to the authentic
notes of Jefferson: a, VI. "%a5
"On Monday, the list July, the House re-
solved itseif into committee of the whole,
and resumed the consideration Of the origi-
nal motion made by the delegates of Virgin-
ia, which being again debated through the
day, was carried in the affirmative by the
votes of New Hampshire, Connecticut, Mas
sachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey,
Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and
Georgia. South Carolina, and Hennsylva-
MIA, voted against it. Delaware had but
Two members present, and they were divi-
ded. The delegates from New York de-
clared they were for it themselves, and
were assured their constituents were for it;
but that their instructions having been
drawn near twelvemonth before, when re-.
Cancellation was still the general object,
they were enjoined by them to do nothing
which should impede that object. They,
| therefore thought themselves not juatiiable
IN voting on either side, and asked leave to
withdraw from the question. which was Civ.
en- them. The committee rose, and report
cd their resolution to the House Mr.. Rut-
ledge. ofSouth Carolina, then requested the
determination might be put off to the next
day, as he believed his colleagues, though
they disapproved of the resolution, would
then join in it for the sake of unanimity.
The ultimate question, whether the House
would agree to the resolution of the COM
1nttee, was accordingly postponed to the
next Cay, when it was again moved, and
South Carolina concurred in voting for it,
In the mean time third member had come
post from the Delaware counties, and turn.
ed the vote of that colony in favor of the re-.
solution. Members ola different sentiment
attending that morning from Pennsylvania
also, her vote was changed; so that the
whole twelve colonies, who were authoriz-
ed to vote at all, gave their votes for it; and
within few days (July 9th,) the conven,
ton of New York approved of it, and thus
supplied the void occasoned by the with
drawing of their delegates from the vote"
BE careful to observe that this vacillation
and vote were on The original motion of the
It'll OF June, by the Virginia delegates,
that Congress should declare the colonies
independent. "Congress proceeded, the
same day, to consider the Declaration of In
dependence, which had been reported and
laid on the table the Friday preceding. and
on Monday referred to committee Of the
whole. The pusillanimous idea that we
had friends in England worth keeping terms
with, still haunted the minds of many For
this reason, those passages which conveyed
censures on the people Of England were
struck out. lest they should give them os.
fence, The debates having taken up the
| n o. NJ rfc IF tho eooon.1 III
days of July, were, in the evening ofthe
last, closed: the Declaration was reported
by the committee, agreed to by the House,
and signed by every member present except
Mr.. Dickinson.'' -..
The fact that the names of several ner-
sons are affixed to that instrument, who
were not in Congress when it passed, and
took no part in the deliberations which pro-
duced it, is thus explained by Jefferson:
"The subsequent signatures of members
who were not then present, and some oftham
not vet in office, is easily explained, if we
observe who they were; to wit, that thew
were of New York and Pennsylvania. New
York did not sign until the 18th, because
it was not until the 9th five days after the
general signature) that their convention au-
thorzed them to do 30. The convention Of
Pennsylvania. learning that it had been
signed by majority only of their delegates.
named new delegation on the Goth, leav-
ing out Mr.. Dickinson, who had refused to
sign, Willing and Humphreys, who had
withdrawn, re.appointed the three mem.
bers who had signed, Morris, who had mot
been present. and five new ones, to wit,
Rvsh, Clymer. Smith, Taylor and Ross; aud
Morris. and the five new members were per.
mltted to sign, because it manifested tha
assent of their full delegation, and the ex-
press will Of their convention, which might
have been doubted on the former signature
Of the majority only. Why the signatuIe
OF Thornton, Of New Hampshire, vas per-
mitted so late as the 18th Of November. Il
cannot now say; but undoubtedly for sorne
particular reason, which we would end 70
have been good. had it been expressed.
These were the only postsigners; and Won
see, sir, that there were solid re- sons for r..
ceiying those Of New York and Pennyylye,
MIA, and that this circumstance in powjse
affects the faith of this Declaratory Chatter