The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1861-07-25


and Robert r. Livingston.
In regard to the preparation of the pa
per, Adams gives the following interesting
account: "Mr. Jefferson had been now
about year a member of Congress, but
had attended to his duty in the House a
very small part of his time and when
there he had never spoken in public. Du-
ring the whole time [ sat with him in
Congress, / never heard him utter three
sentences together.
at will naturally be inquired, how it
happened that he was appointed on COM
mittee of such Importance There were
more reasons than one. Mr.. Jefferson had
the reputation of a mastery pen; he had
been chosen delegate from Virginia in
consequence of very handsome paper,
which he had written for the House of
Burgesses, which had given him the char
acter of fine writer. Another reason
was, that Mr.. r. H. Lee was not beloved
by most Of his colleagues from Virginia,
aud Mr.. Jefferson was sent up to rival and
supplant him. This could be done only
by the pen, for Mr.. Jefferson could stand
no competition with him, or any one else,
in elocution or public debate. The COM
mittee had several meetings, in which were
proposed the articles of which the Decla-
ration was to consist, and minutes made Of
them. The committee then appointed Mr..
Jefferson and me to draw them up in FORM
and clothe them in Il proper dress. The
sub committee met and considered the
minutes, making such observations on
them as then occurred, when Mr.. j Jefferson
desired me to take them to my lodgings
and make draft of them. This [ de-
clined, and gave several reasons for doing
so.
'<1st. That he was a Virginian, and [ q
Massachusettsian ID That he was a
Southern man, and | Northern one. Sd.
That [ had been so obnoxious for my early
and constant zeal in the measure, that any
draft of mine would undergo more severe
scrutiny and criticism in Congress than
one of his composition. 4th. And lastly
(and that would be reason enough if there
were no other, | had a great opinion of
the elegance of his pen, and none at all of
my own. [ therefore insisted that no hes
itation should be made on his part. He
accordingly took the minutes, and in day
or two produced to me the draft"
Mr.. Jefferson lived in Philadelp phia at
the house Of Mrs. Clymer, on the south
west corner of Seventh and High streets.
Here the Declaration of independence was
composed. Some change took place in
the position of the delegates, touching
their assent to a declaration Of indepcn-
dence, during the interval before report
came from the committee. Those from
Pennsylvania were left uncontrolled by
instructions from the assembly; and those
New Jersey and Maryland
were instructed to vote for the declaration.
The committee reported on the lst of Ju-
". In Committee Of the Whole, the Dec
laration received the vote Of nine colonies
the delegates from New York declined
voting, as they had no Instructions Del
aware was divided; Pennsylvania stood
three for, and four against the measure,
and South Carolina one for, and three
against it. Several important paragraphs
in the original draft were stricken out
One Of these was some bitter declaration
regarding the encouragement of the slave
trade by the King. On the final vote, two
Pennsylvania members absented them
selves, giving the vote of that colony in
the affirmative. Caesar Rodney, of Della
ware, was enabled to decide the vote of
that provin ee afiirmatively, and South Car
olina threw her vote the same way.
The Journal of Congress for the 4th of
July, I76, reads thus: "Agreeably to
the order of the day. the Congress re-
solved itself into a committe of the Whole
to take into their further consideration
the Declaration; and after some time, the
President resumed the chair, and NIr.
Harrison reported that the committee
have agreed to Declaration, which they
desired him to report. The Declaration
being read, was agreed to as follows" etc,
etc.
Says Hildreth: at was now ordered to
be engrossed on parchment, and was sub
sequently signed by all the delegates then
present, including several who were not
members at the time of the adoption
These signatures were attached on the I'd
of August The only member who did
not sign it was Dickerson, the Pennsylva-
MIA delegate.
"The domineering spirit of of the Brit
ish ministry and nation, on the one hand, /"
remarks the historian, "the ardor of resis-
tance to the exercise by the mother coun-
try Of the taxing power on the other,
brought to focus by the attempt to CO.
cree Massachusetts, and kindled into a
blaze by the Lexington fight, had precip-
itated contest, the length, the sacrifices,
the labors, the costs of which, none at