Evening journal., 1889-10-31
R0DNEY'S MONUMENT.
The TRIBUTE TO THE REVoLu-
TIoNARY PATRIOT UNVEILED.
Ex-secretarY Bayard's Mastery Oration.
He Reads n Sensational Chapter OF I'm
written History-sketch of Rodney's
Life-The BAH In the state House.

Life-The Ball In the State House.
Special correspondence EVENING JOURNAL.
DOVER, Del, Oct. 3l.-over 5000
people crowded Dover yesterday to wit
ness and take part in the ceremony Of
unveiling the monument erected TO thu |
memory OF General Caesar Rodney. They |
came by every train from a distance, and |
in vehicles of every description from tho |
surrounding country. The streets were
filled from early morning, and many !
notable men and women Of Delaware
could be met everywhere. Three com
panies Of the Delaware National Guards,
Companies B, d and e added color te the
sceEe. and A. T. A. Torbert Post, aug
mented by visiting delegations from vii
mington and other places, brought the
old soldier feature out.
1t was half past p. m. when the com
memorative exercises were opened ~ the
Court House. Henry Ridgely, Jr., presi-
dent OF the Rodney Club, called the as
sembed to order and announced that
Governor Biggs would preside An i'm
pressive PRAYER was then offered by
Bishop Coleman, after which the vener-
able governor said;
Having been elected TO preside over
this highly cultured and intelligent
audience | would be remiss We're | not TO
return thanks TO the Rodney Club for
this high honor. II is my privilege and
pleasure to introduce TO you gentleman
know to you all, one who has given
twenty years Of his life TO public service,
| four of which have been as Secretary OF
! State of the United States. One hundred
years ago from April 20 last his grand
father, Richard Bsssett, one of the SIX
that signed tho constitution, was elected
a senator from Delaware. The name and
fame of the Hon. Thomas Z Bayard Is
not confined to this country, but is
known in Europe, 1t gives me great
pleasure to introduce to you the Hon.
Thomas F Bayard
When Mr.. Baysrd rose TO his fees he
was CREATED with raptuous applause from
the men and the waving OF perfect
cloud of handkerchiefs by the ladies
proved that the distinguished ex secre.
tary is favorite with them.
In the course Of his remarks Mr.. Bay
ard read a letter. hereto unpublished
from Thomas Mexican 10 Caesar Augustus
Rodney. 1t was dated August %, 1918
and recounted how RodRey's timely ar
rival at independence Hall on July 4
1916, after having ridden hard and fast
all the way from Dover, had prevented
the dangerous consequences that might
have attended the dissention Of single
state, and had in fact saved the Declare
ation of independence from being tabled
or postponed. The letter continued il
/ the following interesting fashion;
"Now that / am on the subject. l viii
tell you some truths not generally known
In the printed public journal of Congress
for 1776, Volume II, it would appear tina
the Declaration of independence wa
signed on the 4th of July by the member
whose names are there inserted, but tn
fact is not SO: for no person signed 1t Of
that day, nor for many days after, an
( among the names subscribed one wa
2 against it-Mr Read--End seven wer
i not in Congress on that day, namely
9 Messrs. Morris, Rush, Clymer, Smitl
9 TAYLOR and Ross, of Pennsylvania, an
:. | Mr. Thornton, of New Hampshire, nc
: were the six gentlemen last named a
that time members; the FIVE for Penn
sylvania were appointed delegates b
the Convention of that State on tn
20th Of July, and Mr.. Thornto
: entered Congress for theifrst time on th
4th of November following, when tb
! names of Henry Wisner Of New York
and Thomas Mexican OF Della ware, no
printed as subscribers, though both wer
present and voted for independence
Here false eolors are certainly hung out
: there is culpAbility somewhere. What
! can offer as an apology or explanation i
! that, on the 4th of July, ,t1776, the Dec
: laration of Independence was ordered &
be engrossed in parchment, and then t
. be signed, and / am told that resolv
> had passed a few days after and was en-
4 = Il
son should have 8 seat in Congress durin
that year until he should have signed tb
declaration, in order, as / have bee
S given to understand, tc proven
/, traitors or spies from worming them
b selves among us / was not in Congress
y after the fourth for some months, havin
. marched with my regiment Of associator
s Of this city, as colonel, to support Gen
It eral Washington until flying camp Z
f TO- 900 men was completed. When th
- associators were discharged retuine
y TO Philadelphia, took my seat in Congress
+ and then signed the declaration on par ct
b ment. You may rely on the accuracy o
/ the foregoing relation. It is fun tim
1 to print and publish the secret journal .
ri Congress during the Revolution.
K THOMAS MCKEAN."
/ The references to Rodney's services 4
= the stamp act congress; to his great for
titude as illustrated by his bearing whe
told Of his incurable cancer; to his va
liable services when speaker Of the pels
: ware assembly; to Washington impiici
+ confidence in him; and to Delaware
+ part in the revolutionary struggle, an
in the later history Of the country, wer
all vigorously applauded. When Ma
q Bsyafd compared the ride of Caesar Rod
: ney slightly miles to Philadelphia to vot
. for separation from England to th
:, fam0as ride Of Paul Revere, the applaus
+, was loud and long continued.
I; The distinguished orator said
d A'Mr. McKean's messenger could nc
have been dispatched until late in th
afternoon Of July /. after the adjourn
meat, and it must have been a remark
! able horse, or are laythat could bring hir
to Dover before the night of July 2. A
i one Of his farms 'Byfeld' or 'Popla
: Grove, several miles out from Dover, h
: must have found Mr.. Rodney, and whe
). McKeans message was received, you ma
know how little time was there for daint
s preparation, barely enough for tighten
ing of saddle girths and buckling on q
spurs, before the good horse stood read
to be mounted, and our hero began hi
immortal ride,0n that hot and dusty Jul
J. day, to carry into the Congress of th
Colonies the vote he held In trust for th
people Of Delaware, and which was needle
20 make the Declaration of American II
dependence the unanimous act of thin
toen united States. More than a centur