The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-06-30
DESK AND CHAIRS AT WHICH THE
DECLARATION OF INDEPEND-
ENCE WAS SIGNED.

Of civic dignity and progress within
the English race ever since Magma
Charta."
Prof. Tyler goes on to say; "If the
Declaration of independence is now to
be fairly Judged by us, it must be
judged with reference to what it was
intended to ~be-namely, an impas-
stoned manifesto of one party, and
that the weaker party, in violent race
quarrel; of a party resolved at last
upon the extremity of a revolution,
and already menaced by the inconceiv-
able disaster of being defeated in the
very act of armed rebellion against
the mightiest military power on
earth" And here is a scholars yindi~
cation, if vindication be needed, for
the pride taken by the average Amer
lean in his declaration; Jefferson
gathered up the thoughts and emotions
and wen the characteristic phrases of
the people for whom he wrote, and
these he perfectly incorporated with
what was already in his mind, and
then to the music of his own keen,
rich, passionate and enkindling style,
he mustered them into that stately
triumphant procession wherein, as
some of us still think. they will go
marching on to the worlds end"
But to speak of other declarations
connected with our early history. We
may mention the colonial bill Of
rights Q7HD, the declaration of
rights by Virginia (May 27, 1776), and
the more or less traditional Mecklen-
burg declaration of North Carolina,
which, if authentic, a%ntedated by more
than a year the one signed at Phila-
delphia.
North Carolina displayed faith in
the existence of such a declaration by
QS3f) setting aside a state holiday in
torians disagree as to the Mecklenburg
declaration, and we can but give the
story as it is related, details gathered
from here and there. 1t is stated that
tilC tttuDlt VI = NONllLJ "Nlo
called upon in the spring of 1775 to
appoint delegates to a convention
where were to be devised ways and
means for helping the harassed people
of Boston. Immediately after the bat
tie of Lexington the delegates met az
Charlotte, declared themselves free of
Great Britain and sworn ito use every
exertion to spread the love of country
and fire of freedom throughout Amer
lea, until a more general and organ
lied government be established in this
province" 1t was not until 1918 a copy
of the alleged declaration was given
to the public, and then bitter contro-
versy arose; as a writer in Harpel's
Encyclopedia of American History
remarks: There general demand
for proof concerning such an impor-
tant event, that had been allowed to
slumber more than 30 years
In the spring of 1876 presentation
was made to the Virginia convention
of a declaration Of rights, and on June
10 it was unanimously adopted. Less
than a month later we have the Amer
lean declaration, the expression of the
10 colonies. At this congress it took
no small discussion TO win a unani-
nous vote, although from the first it
was evident a majority of the colonists
were in favor of independence. The
I'd CT July pros and con flew back
ana forth, but the resolution was
passed on that day. On the Sd
there was more heated argument, sud-
denly brought to a close by word Of
the arrival at Sandy Hook Of a for
midable British armament. On the
Fourth, the unanimous vote Of the
colonies adopted the Declaration Of In
We all remember the declaration Of
colonial rights, formulated in the first
continental congress (1774), In which
WIRE set forth the needs and rights Of
the eosonists. "tbs natural born sub
jects of England" The Forrth Of
July declaration boldly breaks the
bond.
KATHERINE POPE :