New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-07-04


instructions of New-York. The duty of drafting the
Doclaraiion was naturally coniided 10 Jefferson
from n sense of his eminent fitness for the IaOor'
He was al this time favOrite from the sweetness Oh
his character and the vgor OF his intellect. AT 'hlS
perod il is said that he did not have an enemy IL
is also said that he drafted the Declaration from
the fullness Of his own mind, without consulting
one single hook Indeed there is another pecu-
Earitv mentioned of the simplicity OF his method'
for he wrote the great paper upon little writing
desk three inches high" While engaged IN bis task
he had pretty strong limitations from without OF
What q norton AT least of the people expected. On
the th of Junc-the COMMITTEE had been appointed
on the 1Oth-his thousand Philadelphia volunteers
beinp upon parade, the whole body voted tor indie
pcndence except four officers and twenty-five pri-
Yates When JefiersOns draft finished his col
leagues could suggest no more than few verbal
changes Jefferson himself said that he communl-
Gated his draft to John Adams and 10 Dr. Franklin
separatelv because they were the members IN whose
Judgment he chiefly cOnfded and that all the cor
rections which they made those that were Visi-
Bile Oh the paper in their own handWntlhS' MI
Adams said that Mr. Jefferson and he acted as SUD-
committee and reviewed the paper critically WIN
out making an alteration. But ms Mr.. Jefferson
wrote the paper substantially. so the Ia
nor of defending it, of Fighting fearleSsly
upon Mr.. Adams MI Jefferson considering it to be
bis duty "to be passive auditor Of the opinions OF
others" expressed he says, in acrimonious cTiti-
cism OH some of its parts that made him wrthe not
ahulc" Congress made eighteen supPressions, SIX
additions and ten alterations Jefferson said that
men are endowed with inherent and inalenable
rights; Congress struck out Inherent He wrote: TO
prove this let facts be submitted to candid world
for The truth Of rhicb pledge faith as get aRs"t-
lied By MisehoOd. The clause in italics was struck OUT
Itis well known that the passage denounclng
Slavery was also stricken ont by Congress. IL Is
usually supposed that this was done TO cOnclhate
the slaveholding delegates but ii has been sug-
gcsted that III would have been indecent III this
body to denOUnce the King for crime In the gullt
of which the colonies had shared" One passage
was omitted honorable TO the feelings of Jefferson
and worth reproducing here, as follows: "Our
British brethren are permitting their chief magls-
trate to send over not only soldiers of common
blood but Scottish ana foreign mercenancS,
to invade and destroy us. These facts
have given the last stab to agOnizing alice
ton and manly spirit bids to renounce forever
these unfeeiug brethren. We must endeayor to
forget our former love for them, and hold them, as
We hold the rest of mankind enemies IN war, IN
peace friends. We might have been free and
great people togother but communication of gran
dcur and freedom, il seems is below their dignity.
BE it so, since they will have it. The road TO hap
piness and to glory is open to us too. We will tread
il apart from them and acquiescc in the necessity
which dcnounces an eternal separation This beau
tful passage probably expresses with perfect truth
and singular felicity the feeling of the American
people as necessity and selfrespec: impelled them
10 the separation and before the cruelty of the royal
army had changed their kindly feelings to those of
anger and revenge.
SIGNING THE DOCUMENT.
The debate upon Independence was continued
through the %, Sd, and 4th of July. 1t has been
said that only the tcnacity Of Mr. Adams saved the
substance Of the document. OF this debate We
overwhelmingly no particular report. But it has
been iudiciously observed that If there hal been
no eloquent speakers in Congress, the result must
have been the same We hardly know even the
names of all The prominent speakers Ii IS not GER
tain that even Samuel Adams brought ms ,cGse-
hammer logic to bear upon the occasion. Bat tins
great man was doing much more than could have
been accomplished by eOquence. He working
encrgetically for the Declaration in private
with reluctant members. All the proceedings
were conducted with profound secrecy, II
was not until 10 years afterward that jefferson re-
corded from his or notes the actual position Of the
several delegates Dickinson undoubtedly the
great support of the disseHtients from the DcclaT
ton By all the members present except MIR. Dick
inson it was approved iron the evening OF the
Fourth of July the Declaration was adopted, New
York still abstaining from the vote, and 10 states
voting in the Affirmative. The Declaration was
signed on the Fourth only by John Hancock, the
President Of the Congress- and with his name only
it was first published. On the % of August follow
ing 1t was signed by 90 delegates, whose names
appended TO it, Matthew Thornton of New-Hamp-
sbi oh caat in tod
as privilege to add his name TO the roll. Several
who signed on tho 81 Of August were not present
upon the Fourth Of July, but permitted TO re-
cord their approval.
Some uninportant details are sufficiently amusing
Thursdav the Fourth, was a day Of intense heat;
the session had been long; the delegates were
weary and impatient; swarms of flies from livery
stable in the neighbOrbOOd came in at the windows
and bit through the silk stockings the legs Of the
patriots. Jefferson used to say laughngly, that the
annoyance rendered Congress inpatient Of delay, and
fastened the conclusion Of the great business. John
Hancock as lie wrote his magnificent autograph,
said: "There, John Bull may read my name without
spectacles.7 Harrison, who was portly man, said
that Gerry, who was lean one when the hanging
came, would be kicking in the air long after it
all over with himself. Franklius joke about "all
hanging together or all hanging separately" has
been often repeated.
HOW THE DECLARATION WAS RECEIVED
The Declaration of Independence was read pub
hcly to the people Of Philadelphia Oh the 9Th Of
July from the platform of the observatory erected
there by Rittenhouse to observe the transit Of
Venus Capt. Hopkins, who read it, belonged to the
navy. There is a dramatic tradition connected with
this publication. The Declaration was known to be
under discussion but the people had been excluded
from the debate, ard awaited in crowds some APP
pointed signal of the decisnn In the stppule Wgg a