Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-07-05
The Declaration Of Independence.

Augustus Scnell mas issued an address
to the Tammany Society in which he
essays some history of the rise and pro-
gress OF the Declaration OF Independence.
He gives this "a the result OF the Con-
gress debates over the jefferson draft OF
the Declaration:
During the whole OF the 81, 3l and ith
days Of July, the great debate went on.
Several Ofthe most animated passages
were finally stricken ont OF the Declare
ton as a concession Ia the timid, and in
order Ia hiring them To its support"
This is part ri that childish history
which makes this piece Of rhetorical
composition the creation of the TACT Of
national independence, AMI Jefferson
the author Of independence. We have in
Jefferson lie by his friend Randolph,
his draft OF the Declaration, and the al
terations made by the Congress. and
they are mostly a curtailment OF inflated
rhetorical Tedundancies, which is ap-
proved by gOod taste now, and II would
have approved much greater cutting.
For example, the second paragraph,
which ends With: ITO prove this let
lacts he submitted t. candid world, !"
had appended this piece OF schoolboy
heroics, "fOr he truth Oi which We
pledge iaith y,I'Insullled 10y false hood"
In the last paragraph OF the complaints
which WAS altered To- eud thus: I'VE
must, therefore, hDll them ar We hold
the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in
peace friends, much Was stricken out
that was irrelevant, historically untrue,
and psthe,ically absurd, as To the con-
duct oi "our British brethren" They
were charged with supporting all these
inflated wrongs, whereas, the fathers
thought Il policy To make a distinction
between the King aud the people. An
unCalled Tor insult VAS given the people
ui Scotland and To- SCOtchmen IN this
country, in this: AT this time, too,
they are permitting their Chief Magis-
trHte tn send over not only soldiers OiOur
common blood, but Scotch and foreign
meTcenaries To- invade and destroy us.
Oi the foregoing paragraph, not more
than one fifth was lett 10y the criticism
of Congress. Following the quotation
last above was this precious bit OF
ralhos:
These iacts have given the last stab to
agoniEing atiection.and manly spirit bids
VA Ieuuunce these unieClng brethren.
We must endeaynT To- forget our love Tor
them, aud hold them, as We hold the
rest oi mankind, enemies, la war, M
peace friends. We might have been IA
free and great people together, hut IA
communication ut grandeur and at tree
dom. il seems, Is below their dignity.
Be it 50, since they will lave II. The
road tn happiness AM In glory is optn to
us too. We will tread II apart from
them.
This pathetic whine Of parting lovers
was stricken out. Does any one think
il ought to have been lrit' Jefferson
set out to make this a grand prlle COM
position, aud lust himself and thC husi-
ness IA that ambition. The dcclaratory
paragraph that which pronounced
ihcm free aud independent states was
out down onr-hali, not Ia reduce It's
lorrr. bat Ia cut ct surplusage. KS the
Declaration was lett, II VeTgrs On b0m-
hast; II Il had passed a. Jefferson wrote,
even the Anne. lean hrag would have
h,ru ashamed at III schunlhoy style.
The inflated paragraph charging the
kIug With imposing un THIS country the
sam said. "struck ont IN CumplalSaucc
To- south Carolina and ticorsia, Who had
never attempted To- restrain thu impor-
tation oI slaves, AMI who, on the con-
trary. still wished tO continue Il.
ia short, he had charged with rhetor-
heal eNtraNa.anCe upon the BRITISH
King as "A crime against humanity, anu
Ia us a wrong which made cause Tor sep
aratinn, that which our people liked
and had entered into with avIdity.
Much that was untrue aud much thai
was ia bAd taste was cut oil by the emu
rism al Congress: more ol the same
would have cut oil more that Was uh-
true aud bombastical. The closing
mock heroic burst: And tor the sup
mort ni this Declaration va mutually
nlr,ige To each other our lives, our tor
iunrs and our sacred honor, hat NO
place in representative act, ani dld
not mean anything. Ii reduced rep
rrSentative ordinance To personal act
These were representatives at thirteen
States, aud were putting M jeopardy
the lives, fortunes and sacred honor "i
the people.
n IL true that Jefferson, VIII" WINGED
under this lire oi criticism oi his intel
IrrtuaI h,nthng, did write IN hts private
journal that they who objected I" MS
stylr dill 81 because nj heart they were
onpnsed To independence; but tins Was
Jritrrsnn'S way. The parts that we're
strirkru out abundantly justify the emu
cal cutting. Ia Il letter Ia Robert Walsh
hr mentioned that the words scotch
AMI other foreign auXilnrleS excited
th, IN, at "A gentleman ar two at t''a'
country This utterly uncailen i"' az
tack on the scotch has hceu ALLEGED WIN
things As evidence that the Declaration
MAS written Tor Jefferson ny Thomas
Paine. who especially hated the scotch
And they Who hold To- this theory thlhk
il rnrTnhorated 10y the tact that Jetrt-
snn i'm referring To- Il, msHuotes, the
r,aI worts being "ScntCh and iuieisn
,n..rr,uarirs." at Is asked, Nould jet
irrsnn have miSquotrd these W"rds
he had written them ,,l
m, worls were certainly WIFI ana
uncallrI inr, but they were pI'n'''N
an. stress decomposition, which isaPl
'rr,,L :. writer's SAY what they did not
-, nut ~. The glitlcring gcherasities
about tue rights oi man. anu '"e ~
Iryant declaration Ola Hvliua' soNerliC-
- AMI ol dissnlyug aud creating gov,
lament by individual consent had
I."n made familiar 10y the revolution
ary tracts al Thomas Paine, bat thus !"
MI evidence that he wrote the perlata'
,;nn nor j. II rational "a SUPPOSE that
.;t,r distinguished by 81 direct, piaii'
~, and inrcihle style ~ Pa'nes
NH have written composition "' 50
','',,h rhetorical imitation, and So much
snrrlu,Irr. a. JcllrrSou's Declaration