The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-07-21
cENTURY.oLp JOKES.
Humors of the Declaration of indie
pendence Debate.
CChicaEo Record-IIerald.)

peuQeQcS O6DlLG.
Chicago Record-IIerald.)
Just a century and a quarter ago to-
dav the debate on the question of de-
CIaring the colonies independent was at
its height As every one knows, the
discussion was held behind locked
doors. and no record was made OF the
speeches. 1t was felt that in case any
member Of the body was captured ana
there was written evidence against MN
ne would be strung up speedily Tor nav
ing spoken against the supremacy OF
the crown. The popular idea Is mat
there was absolutely nothing TO hghtSh
the grave soIemnitv of that July de-
bate. When Daniel Webster delivered
his panegyric of Thomas Jefferson and
John Adams he drew a picture OF the
scene in the continental congress Wheh
the declaration was under discussion
Webster's pictures and the speeches.
which he put into the mouths of some
of the delegates form the worlds idea
today of the session upon which was
depending the birth of a nation. In
after years, while all who were present
still kept silence about the greater part
of the proceedings. they did not feel It
was necessary to hold to themselves
some of the jokes which enlivened the
solemn conclave. Most of these bits OF
hUmOr have been forgotten, and one
has 20 go back to literature contem-
pOraneous with the close of the revO-
lutiOnary war to set at them.
8 9 8
Mrs. John Dickinson, wife of one of
the Pennsylvania representatives in the
continental congress, is credited with
being the original Mrs Caudle John
had written the Letters of a PennsvI-
yania Farmer" which had done much
to arouse a spirit of liberty among the
people. Immediately after the intro
ductiOn of Richard Henry Lees first
independence resolution Mrs. Dickinson
began at her spouse from beneath the
shadow of her nightcap. She said:
Johnnie if you have anything to do
with this independence business you'll
be hanged and leave a most excellent
widow"
Dickinson spoke against the resolu-
ton, declaring the colonies to be free
and Independent, and more than one of
the members Of congress told him that
it was the wife and not Dickinson who
was speaking.
Z Benjamin Franklin's statement after
the signing Of the declaration is in ev-
cry school history in the land. The re-
joinder that Benjamin Harrison made
to the other Benjamin's remark is not
so well known. Franklin, after the
last signature was affixed. said: Now.
we must all hang together OF Wen all
hang separately
Harrison was a heavy weight, and
he had d ready wit. When Franklin
spoke Harrison looked down over his
ample proportions, and said: Yes, but
when they drop US off at a ropes end
some of you light-Weights will be kick
ing and suffering long after I am done
for"
It has been fairly well established
that John Witherspoon, the pious pres
ident Of Princeton, lacking a prepared
speech of his own for the debate.
quoted from Tom Paiues pamphlet,
Common Sense Tom Paine Was an
atheist, but that made little difference
to the clergyman delegate when he had
a chance to let his feelings go ripping
out with sentences like this: 1t mat
terS very little now what the king Of
England either says or does. he hath
wickedly broken through every moral
and human obligation, trampled nature
and conscience beneath his feet, and by
steady and constitutional spirit of in
science and cruelty procured for him.
sell q universal hatred"
Some good Presbyterian in congress
took WjtherspoOn to task for quoting
the atheist Paine. The reverend John
turned on his critic and said: The
devils pitchfork is none too bad d
weapon to use on tyrant."
Wftherspoon on another occasion lent
some hUmOr to the debate. John Dick
inson had said that the colonies were
not ripe for independence The Pres
byteTian divine was on his feet in an
instant He fairly howled at the speak
er: Not ripe. sir We are not only
ripe, but rotting. Almost every colony
has dropped from the parent stem, and
your own province, sir, needs no more
sunshine to mature it"
There was an incident connected with
the debate for independence which,
while not humorous. may perhaps be
properly mentioned Read, one Of the
Delaware delegates, inveighed against
declaring for independence When Nc
Kean, another Delaware delegate,
heard Reads speech, ne feared that
the majority of his colony delegates
would not be in favor of the resoIu-
ton, because Caesar Rodney, a strong
advocate of the measure and one of
Deiaware's representatives, was absent
and eighty miles away During the
heat Of the debate Mexican stole out of
the house, secured the best horse in
Philadelphia, put a round sum in gold
into flrSt-claSS hOTseman'S pocket and
said; You ride and bring Rodney here.
Spare neither speed, expense nor
strength The life of a nation hangs
in the balance" This mans ride has
never been sung in song. but he
brought Rodney to Philadelphia in the
nick of time, and Delaware's delegation
by a majority vote went on record for
free dom,