The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1882-06-17
Declaration Of independence.

endent of the l4ennox Library, vi
cad a paper before the New York 60
Society ON Tuesday 50
vening last, upon the Declaration a,
# Independence, which he said iii
vas not written by Thomas Jeffer- m
ION, but by John Dickinson. Mr.. Il
Moore sketched the life of Dickin- /,
son from his youth in the Society q
Of Friends up to his manhood IN n
Congress and in the revolutionary /,
army, and said he was one of the /,
most able, alert, and feryid adyo- i
Gates of his country's rights. DIR. /
Moore then set before his hearers $
John Dickinson's positive aver
ment that the declaration, on Ia
king up arms in l115, and all the
other papers included in the pub
LEGATION of his political writings,
were composed by him, and added
that there was no other claimant
until twenty-five years after John
Diekinson's death y The ques.
ton of the authorship of the |
Declaration of Independence DIR.
Moore continued, dis not very
complicated one. There is only
one adverse claimant, and his pre-
tense Is only to part ofthe work
But his reputation is of the high
est, and the part he claims was
said to be the best, | propose to
settle this question now and here.
But il any further defence is need
ed will defend the absolute, sole
undivided claim of John Dick
! inson to that imperishable trophy
! of his pen, the original draft oi
y which in his own handwriting,
! hold in my hand and shall further
9 exhibit hereafter DR.. Moore wen
on to cite proofs of the genuine
. ness of Dickinson's clam, ant
= then quoted the following iron
10 the memoirs of J effcrson, begal
= by the great Democrat in 1911, il
v the seventy.scventh year of hi
q age: al took my seat with them o
~ the twonty-hrst of June. On th
u twenty fourth a committee VIII
y had been appointed to prepare
w declaration of the cause Of takin
g up arms brought in their report
~ drawn, believe, byJ. Rutledge-
* which not being liked the Hous
IL committed il on the Goth and addc
% Mr.. Dickinson and my self ini
- the committee. prepared a dra
10 of the declaration committed to u
" II was too strong for Mr.. Dick
US son. We therefore requested hi
- to take the paper and put II inl
y" form he could approve. He d
io so, preparing an entire new stat
sc ment, and preserving of the fc
mcr only the last four paragraph
- and of the preceding one. We a
!" proved and reported it to Co
~ grcss, who accepted IT," Aft
AZ quoting Jefferson as to the impt
~ feet memory Of aged men, !
'A Moore exhibited the original dri
On of the declaration, and said that
~ person but the author hims'
10 ever had a hand in preparing tb
~ document. II is in the handwr
Wv ing of John Dickinson, and &
." corrections, additions, interlin'
~" tions and revisions in number, {
100 tent, position and character f
=" bid the supposition that he copi
~ any part Of the paper from q DIR
nu of Mr.. Jefferson or any other p
ol son. 1t Is the original first DIR
3D. vf the whole more conspicuo
sa- and certain than in the ''last 70
ne paragraphs and half of the pre-
er- ding one,r claimed by Mr.. JEFF
'oh son. In closing, DIR. Moore pie
inc antly raped George Bancrol
vas knucklcs, intimating that the l
Ier. torian had accepted ex-parte te
'nd mony and jumped to hasty C
YES clusion. Those who examined
ne original draft of the declarati
'ut- which was exhibited after the
Oh ture, concurred with DIR. Moore
no to the parts claimed by Jeffers
Jul