The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1908-06-05
FADED DECLARATION
OF INDEPENDENCE
Not to Be Seen by Anyone
Until The Year
1923.

a mcSSdBc htOAu NhC NHilc ilOuSS
a few weeks ago announced that the
President had gwen a permit TO a man
VINO wanted 10 see with his own eyes
the original copy OF the Declaration of
Independence. or what is left of it.
The permit however, must have died
a-bornin,' for it did not further mate
rial. II that permit had been issued
and had been presented at the Depart
ment of State it would have enabled
its holder to have The first view Of the
Declaration OF Independence that has
been had since the spring of 1903
says the New York Sun.
No one has seen the document for
five years. 1t is locked up in a safe in
the library OF the ScateDepartment
and not even the officials of that de-
partment get it out 10 look at il.
Even before 1903 it had been kept
in the safe but IL was often brought
out for admiring citizens TO scrutinize
and 20 exclaim over. Since 1903 the
light Of day has not fallen on 1t.
There had been TOO much light Of
day before that. In fact there had
been TOO much OF a good thing; too
much folding. too much rolling. too
much handling and, also, too much
stealing of its immortal language by
a wet press copying operation resort
I'd to in 1920.
This was tried as a means OF secur-
ing II facsimile copy. 1t was good
enough for the copy. but it was power
jul bad on the original for it result
ed in transferring TO the copy the ink
which belonged on the old copy parch-
ment itself. Not content with
swiping its ink. the Government put
The document up on exhibition in a
nice bright light so that visitors
could decipher the traces of ink
which remained.
For thirty years the Declaration of
Independence hung in the light, and
The longer it hung there the more
necessary the light became for the
ink that was left grew paler and paler
unil it was hard TO make out any
Of The signatures except the big black
name of John Hancock. Finally it be-
came evident that If anything except
the parchment was 20 be left the do
cument would have TO be kept in
the dark.
SO it went into retirement in the
safe, being brought out only upon spe-
cial occasions.
In 1908 the late John Hay, then
Secretary Of State appointed a COM
mittee 10 examine Inc condition OF
The declaration and TO recommend
what should be done to prevent il
The committe found it creased and
bereft of its ink. but they were pleas.
ed to find no evidence of mold OF
other disintegrating agents" They
recommended that the document bC
kept dark and dry, and their recon.
mendation has been religiously follow
! ed.
The original parchment was photo
graphed in 1883 annd again in 1903
The committee recommended that |
be photographed again from time u
time. The present indications arr
thai il will not be seen until perhap!
another twenty years has gone by ant
The time comes in 1923 for taking an
other photograph.
In the safe with the Declaration o
Independence reposes also the origi
nal copy OF the Constitutional 0
The United States. |, is nos on ok
hlOitiOn but il doubt as 10 it's exis
tence continues to grow it may be pro
duced TO set such fears at rest.
There is nothing the matter will
the Constitution; that is to say, no
with the document itself. The ink Il
all right, the provisions clear-so far
the writing goes. 1t is shut up II
the safe to prevent it from the fat,
Of the declaration.