Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-10-13

elected delegates from New Jersey, of whom
DR.. Witherspoon was one, took their seats
and voted solid vote for the declaration.
The next day, July, End, the paper was
again read and subjected to severe process,
which sifted out some paragraphs. Some
were thought too disrespectful towards the
English people, some too hostile to the king
personally and some were too condemnatory
Indirectly of the institution of slavery.
During this eliminating process, Jefferson
was greatly excited, at times showing, MS
chagrin which state Of mind Franklin
greatly relieved by telling to Mr.. Jefferson
the criticisms made on the sign which hat
ter in Philadelphia had over his store.
About one quarter, according to the elder Ad.
ans, or one.third, according to Jefferson, of
the original paper, was stricken out, leaving
the document as we now have it. The adop:
ton of this paper was warmly debated
through the second, third and fourth days
of July, and towards the close of the latter
day, the motion to adopt prevailed. 1t was
then signed by nearly every member present,
except Mr.. Dickinsons WHO refused to sign.
Willing and Humphreys, two delegates from
Pennsylvania, purposely absented themselves
to keep from signing. These three gentle
men were decapitated forthwith by the Con.
vention of Pennsylvania, then in session,
and men elected in their places who would
sign. Of the other Pennsylvania delegates,
Franklin, John Morton and James Wilson,
signed the declaration at once, and Robert
Morris, the remaining delegate, was absent on
public business and had permission to sign
afterwards.
1t is fact worth knowing, that the dele
gates from New York were willing to sign,
but waited for instructions from home, which
they received and put their names to the
declaration on the 18th of July. .
Matthew Thornton did not take his seat
in Congress until the 4th Of November, and
at that time he signed The declaration.
The original paper, as interlined and
amended, was given to the Secretary of Con-
gress to be engrossed on parchment, and this
engrossed copy. the one in the Patent Ohce'
was again signed by most of the members on
the second Of August, and at different inter.
walls afterwards by the rest. Can any one tell
uhether the real original is get in existence e?
These facts are CLEANED principally from
the Journals Of Congress, fuckers Lite OF
Jefferson and the works of John Adams.
The passage on negro slavery, which was
erased from Jefsrson's original draft, is not
published in books accessible to the most
The passage is as follows: "He, the king,
has waged cruel war against human nature
itself, violating its most sacred rights OF life
and liberty in the person of distant people
who never offended him, captivating and
carrying them into slavery in another hemis
phere, or to incur miserable death in their
transportation thither. The practical war
fare, the opprobrium of In6del nations, is the
warfare of the Christian King of Great Bri.
tain. Determined to keep open a market
where men should be bought and sold, he has
prostituted his negative for suppressing every
legislative attempt to prohibit or restrain
this execrable commerce. And that this as.
semblage of horrors might want no fact Of
distinguished dye, he is now exciting those
very people to rise in arms among US, and to
purchase that liberty Of which he has de-
prived them, by numbering these people on
whom be has obtruded them, thus paying off
former CTllHeS cOlululILeu aSo1uoU tho AAoeAtieS
of one people with the crimes which he urges
them to commit against the lives of another"
Tucker, in his life of Jefferson, supplies this
remarkable passage, together with all the
changes made in the original draft of the
declaration.
Gordon, in his history of the Revolution,
says the reason why the fret Of July did not
become Independence Day, was that "nelther
the colonies nor the members being unani.
nous, it was postponed until the next day."
But when did the venerable bell, still pre-.
served in Independence Hall, peal out the
notes of liberty? Gordon has the following
answer: July 9th. This day, at ~ o'clock
the Declaration of Independence was pro-
claimed at the State House in Philadelphia,
amidst the greatest acclamations The same
evening the equestrian statue of the king was
laid PROSTATE on the ground. The lead Of
which it was made was to be run into bullets"