The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-07-04
FOURTH OF JULY
By Frederic J. Haskin

committee of the whole and rcsnmed
lis consideration. There was some dis.
s"ns'on Through tho motion nf Rut
leoee OF South Carolina further voting
was post 2oned. On july PicbarG
nehTH zee motion was adopted, max.
ing thot day really the Independence
ua3 o' ,ho hauon, FOR IN that motion
linuiei'cnacnce ini' was formally declared,
July ana !, as we'll as much of tbc
nlght of the I'd, were spent in discnss
ing The paper that the COMMITTEES Mad
lrdmeo At o'clock on the afternoon
OF the ath tho declaration, with sundrv
amendments, was adopted
lhe1e arc many pretty traditions con
nectSa Mth TINS that have to be shat
/ tered Thomas Jefferson declares that
/ as soon as it was passed all Che dele.
/ gates gathered around and signed il
except Mr.. Dickinson, - while fhc
Journal clearly shows that ii was sipned
only bT John Hancock as President and
attestod bF Charles Thomson as clerk
tue signatures being affixed July ). This
contradiction may be explained by the
fact that Mr.. Jefferson made his notes
many wears after, when he was an old
man, and his statement is doubtless A
mistake due to lapse Of memory. There
was no gathering Of overjoyed citizens
TO hear the news. nor did a small boy
run TO an aged grandfather waiting at
the Liberty Bell and cry Ring. grand
rather, ring There was a rumor
abroad that Lees resolution had been
carried, but the sessions had been in
secret and the Philadelphia papers of
the 5th made no mention of the great
fact
The bell rang on July S. I776. when
the first celebration of independence
day was held. On that dav the great
document was first publicly read by
John Nixon of the Council of Safety
OF Pennsylvania the reader standing in
the observatory in the state house yard,
On July the document was read to
Washington S army in New York by
an alde. and enthusiastic citizens over
threw the statue of George III and or.
dered the lead made into bullets to
fight the British, On July II 1T was
read in Boston On July 25 in Will
liamsburg. Va; on August in Charles
ton, and August 10 in Savannah. The
programme of the first celebrations
building boufres and ringing bells. In
1875 the population of the embryo re
public was approximately 2,700,000.
On July Congress ordered that
copy Of the Declaration of Ipdepend
ence be engrossed aud presented to
every member of the Congress for sig
nature. This was done and on August
.. l1I6. the signatures as they are
known 10 all patriotic Americans were
affixed Congress then had ifty-four
members. some of whom had not been
present at the time of the adoption
of the paper. but whose sentiments
were found sound and whose signatures
were ordered placed with the rest. John
Hancock wrote his name larger even
than usual. $50 John John Bull can
read il without his spectacles, y he ex.
planned "There go many millions,
some one said when Charles Carroll
wrote his name. for he was then the
richest man in America. Some oneIelse
called attention 10 the fact that there
were many Charles CAROLS and that
the King of England might seize on
the wrong one 10 be hanged for trea-
son .'Then there shall be no doubt
said Carroll, and after his name wrote
- of Carrollton.' 1t was on this occa-
sion that Hancock remarked that all
ly responded, "Assuredly, or we shall /!
certainly hang separately"
jefferson declares that the signing
was greatly FASTENED because of the
swarms of flies that harassed the Con
Gress. \ stable was near the state |
house and great swarms of bIes came
in 10 settle upon the silk-clad legs of !
the delegates aud bite through the thin
material jefferson lntimates that
treason were preferable TO hy bites
and hot weather. and that there was
quite rush TO have the document
signed and get out to pleasauter quar-
ters. Matthew Thornton of New Hamp
shire was out of Philadelphia nj the
time with his army, and so signed IN
November. Thomas Mexican OF Della
ware was not then "a member. bat signed
IN the fall of I776. becoming the fifty