The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-03-05
WHEN DID THE COLONIES END2
A Question Two Prominent Societies
would Like Answered.

would Like Answered.
For some time past the ladies of the So
ciety of the Colonial Danes of America and
the Society of the Daughters of the Revolu-
tion have been in a quandary over a ques-
ton of United States history, namely
whether the colonial period of our history
ended with the signing of the Declaration of
Independence, or whether the colonies con-
tinued to exist until the signing OF the
treaty of peace in 1882.
1t is claimed by some that when the reso-
luton introduced in the Colonial Congress
by Richard Henry Lee, on June Z, 1Tf6, to
the effect that the colonies are and ought
to be free and independent States was passed
the colonies ceased to exist and became
States. Others claim that not until the final
and decisive battle of the Revolution were
the colonies to be known as tree States.
The cause of discussion was a question of
eligibility to membership of certain persons.
The constitution of the Colonial DANES re-
quires that 'the society shall be composed
entirely of women VINO are descended in their
own right from some ancestor of worthy life
who came to reside in an American colony
prior to 1850, which ancestor or some of his
descendants. being a lineal ascendant of the
applicant, shall have rendered efficient SER
vice to his country during the Colonial
period, either in the founding of a common
wealth., OIL d LOWn, Vi u du ilSCAUuUlOA W1liCA
has survived and developed into Importance,
or who shall have held al important posi-
ton in the Colonial government, or who by
distinguished service shall have contributed
to the founding Of this great n powerful
nation"
The constitution of thu Daughters of the
Revolution requires that no one shall be
eligible for membership, except such as can
trace their lineal descent from some one who
rendered efficient service to his country dur
ing the Revolutionary war.
This question of the duration of the
Colonial period is of great Importance to
these two societies, for if it is shown beyond
question that the colonies ceased to exist as
such on July q, 1776, the dats of the signing
of the Declaration of Independence, a great
many who now base their eligibility to
membership upon some ancestor who lived
after that time would be deprived of such
basis; while, could it be proven that the
colonies did exist as colonies until the sign
ing of the treaty of peace at the close OF the
war, a great many of the Daughters Of the
Revolution who are eligible to membership
in that society would also be eligible to the
Colonia DANES Society.
The ladies, in the course of their discus
sions on this subject, have asked the opinions
of several lawyers and men who are con-
sidered to be authority on such subjects, and
the opinions nave been various.
One gentleman, a well-known Judge, said
that, as the laws of the United States were
dated from July 4, 1776. that, in his opinion,
was the time when the colonies ceased to
exist as such, and became free aud independ-
emit States.
Another, a prominent lawyer, claimed that
while the colonies declared their independ-
ence on July 4. 1776. they did not prove
themselves so until the last battle of the Re
volutionary War.
The subject is one of great interest, and its
settlement is of much Importance to both
societies, and the ladies are getting a vast
amount of good out of the historical re-
looking to the correct solution of the ques-
ton, and a final decision is looked for
shortly.