Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-09-20

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and nothing was done. The national
academy of sciences reported to the
commission that portions of the writ
ing had absolutely disappeared and
that the rest was so badly faded that
restoration was impossible. Mean
while, in 1876, George W. Childs of
Philadelphia and Frank NJ Fitting. in
charge of the historical department of
the centennial exposition, requested the
government TO send the document to
the exposition to be placed on exhibit
ton. The secretary of interior Zach
airy Chandler. addressed a. letter to
President Grant. setting forth the rea-
sons why this request ought not to
be complied with. but the request was
granted, and. on its Tooth birthday.
the great charter faded, and scarcely
legible, returned to the place of its
birth, and was there exposed to the
gaze of the American people, its pitt
ful condition a standing rebuke to the
national government In 1877. at the
close of the exposition the common
council of Philadelphia petitioned con-
SreSs for authority to retain the dec
laratiOn and to place it in independence
hail. This request was refused. and
the document was brought back to
Washington, but upon request of Ham
llton Fish, then secretary of state, the
secretary of the interior consenting, it
was again returned to the state de-
partment, where it has since remained.
While the dechratio was in the
patent office an excellent phOto-litho-
graphic copy, reduced TO about one
half its size, was made by the govern
ment photolithographer. Later, a full
sized copper plate engraving was pre-
pared, and the copies printed from
this plate are perfect fac-simiIes of
the original. 1t is believed that in
making this engraving the original
was seriously damaged by a chemical
application to restore the fainter lines:
but it may be said that if this engray-
ing had not been made there would
now be no exact copy of this most
important document in existence A
framed copy of this engraving may
be Seen in the library of the state
department, and, what is even more
interesting, in frame beneath it. is
shown Thomas JeffersOn's original
draft of the declaration in his own
handwriting, and with all his erasures
and interlineatiOns just as it left his
hand. Beside this, in another frame,
placed there to authenticate Jeffer-
sons writing in the draft is the letter
which contains the epitaph which he
wished engraved upon his monument
together with a sketch and description
OF the monument he desired to have
erected at his grave. In the letter he
says
Gould the dead feel any interest
in monuments or other remembranceS
of them, the following would be to
my names the most gratifying. On
the grave a plain dais or cubs of three
it., without any holdings, SurmOunted
by an Obelisk of six it. hight, each
of a single stone; ON the face of the
dais the following inscription, and not
a word more:
Here was buried
Thomas Jefferson,
Author of the Declaration of indie
pendence, of the Statutes of Virginia
for rel giOus freedom.
and Father of the University of
Virginia.
The signing of the declaration of in
dependence was a solemn act. The
SlgnerS were subjects of King George.
and their act was treason. If the king
could have caught them he would have
hanged them every one, and this they
knew; but, according to the traditions
that have come down to us, this knowl-
edge did not deter certain Of them
from relieving the solemnity Of the
occasion with the natural flow of their
wit and humOr. The remarks attribut-
ed to them are not exactly authenti-
Gated by history, but they are too
good not to be believed. 1t is said
that when John Hancock affixed his
bold autograph he remarked: 1.-The
EngIishmen will have no difficulty in
reading that that when Franklin
signed he said: Nov we must all
hang together or we will hang sepa-
rately," and that Charles Carroll of
Carrollton, when asked why he wrote
his place of residence, replied, that
there was another Charles Carroll and
he didn't want them to hang the
wrong man.
The most enthusiastic advocate of
the great measure and the one who led
the debate in its support, was John
Adams of Massachusetts, and when
the declaration was adopted he wrote
to his wife in these prophetic words:
This will be the most memorable
epoch in the history of America; cele-
brated by descending generations as
the great anniversary festival, COM
memOrated as the day Of deliyerance,
by solemn acts of devotion to God AL
mighty, solemnized with pomps, shows,
games, sports, guns, bells, bOnfires, and
Examinations from one end of the
continent to the other from this time
forward, forever" Of all the eloquent
words uttered regarding the declara-
ton Of independence by the orators of
the generations which have succeeded
It's inception, no more impressive SEN
tence was ever spoken than one pro-
nounced by Ralph Waldo Emerson, in
an address delivered in Boston during
the civil war Referring TO con-
temptuous characterization of the dec
laration by a certain political speaker,
he said: 1--WE have been told that the
declaration of independence is a gilt
tering generally; it is an eternal