Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-06-24

house, the whole being purchased by
the city for the sum OF $4,000 Most
people feel personal interest in the
bell.
1t was this bell which announced
the Declaration OF Independence, from
which date, July s, l776. it has right
fully been termed the Liberty Bell.
The record of this historic bell from
the time it was first brought to this
country for the purpose of calling the
assembly of Pennsylvania together un-
til that memorable day, July 8, 1885,
when it forever became silent while
tolling in memory of John Marshall,
Chief Justice of the United States Su.
preme Court, as his body was being
taken to Virginia for burial, form an
important chapter in the early history
of the country.
Though primarily intended only as
q bell to call the members Of the as
sembly together, morning and after
noon, during the sessions of that body,
it was early destined to fill an import.
ant place among the bells then in use,
and the passage taken from the Bible,
L" Proclaim liberty throughout all the
land, unto all the inhabitants thereof"
has since been looked upon as pro.
phetic inspiration.
In 1751 the Superintendent of the
State house in Philadelphia was di-
rected to order bell from the agent
of the province OF London. The re-
quirements were that it should weigh
1900 pounds, and bear this lettering !:
3" Proclaim Liberty Throughout All
the Land, Unto All the Inhabitants
Thereof, Lev. XIV. v. TO-" In August
of the year following the bell was
brought to this country, but in Sep
tember of that year it was cracked by
3 stroke of the chapter. To Phila-
delphia firm was given the contract
to recast the bell, that firm being Pass
& Stow. The recasting did not give
full satisfaction, and the founders were
given the privilege of again recasting
it. That work was completed in May,
1852, and in the month following it
was raised and fixed in the State house
steeple.
Among the noteworthy instances Of
ringing of the liberty bell may be men.
toned the following. 1t rang Septem.
Der 81, l765, the bell convened the as.
semably together when the Massachu-
sets Bay votes were received acquaint.
ing the assembly with the instructions
sent by that colony to tho agent in
London asking him to use his endeav.
ors to have the sugar act repealed,
and to prevent q stamp act, or any
other imposition of taxes upon them
or the other American provinces. Ten
days later, September %, it rang
again to call the assembly, when that
body wrote its London agent in SINH
lar terms with the letter OF the Massa.
chusetts assembly. A year later, Sep.
tember 8, l765, the bell rang. ON an
important occasion, in calling the as
sembly together to consider resolu-
tion to accept plan for . congress of
the colonies, which fiually met on
October Z, 1765, in New York. On
September 2l, l765, the bell convened
the assembly, to consider the act Of
parliament imposing stamp and other
duties upon all British subjects in
America. On October 5, 1865, the bell
was muffled and toiled as the ship
"Roysl Charlotte" bearing the stamps
for Pennsylvania. New Jersey and
Maryland, under convoy of the
man-of-war, "The Sardine," came up
the Delaware, On October 81, 1865
when the stamp act went into opera
ton, the bell was again muffled and
tolled.
On February 4, It'll. the bell called
a town meeting in the State house
square, when it was resolved that the
claims OF parliament to tax the colon.
les was subversive of the constitu
tional rights OF the colonies, and tha,
the union of the colonies ought to be
maintained. On February 4, I'LL
the bell convened the assembly when
= petition was sent to the king for the
aepeal of the duty on tea, and again
on October Is, 1878, the bell called q
town meeting, when resolutions were
passed denouncing the buyers and
venders of tea as enemies of theil
country.
On June l, 1774, when the port OF
Boston was closed, the bell was muf.
fled and tolled. On June Is tha,