The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-10-09


In this Heaven-favored land
With such variations as local condi-
lions may suggest, these remarks, or
others very like them may be made
at almost any public gathering In any
part OF our country. "And the Star
spangled Banner, Q. long may she
wave" while the gentlemen OF the
band will please play "Dlxie."
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JEFFERSON AND "DECLARATIoN.,
A man by the name of Charles @.
Bombaugh, A, M. Owe disremember
that we have ever heard of him before
and his name is not in the latest edi-
tion of Who's Who in America"), has
written book (Which was published
by the Lippincotts of Philadelphia, in
1905. and is now digged up by the
Hartford Courant to make more
| trouble for North Carolina) to prove
that Thomas Jefferson did not write
the Declaration OF Independence, but
that 1t was written by Thomas Paine
| According to Brombaugh, Benjamin
Franklin was a bosom friend Of
Thomas Paine. and he induced the
latter to go to America, knowing he
could trust him. Franklin was men,
Der of the committee to draft 'Dec1a-
ration a task assigned to Jefferson.
Franklin handed Jefferson a draft al
ready prepared by Paine, assuring rim
he could trust the writer never to lay
claim to It's authorship
The Bombaugh story continues:
What could jefferson do but use
1t2 1t was far superior in style to
anything he could produce So with
few verbal changes he reported it.
and 1T was adopted by the Congress
after striking out several passages
more eloquent than any that remained,
as, for instance, one about the slave
trade. The adoption of this declara-
ton placed Jefferson in an embar-
RAISING position. Not daring to say
outright that he was its author, he
studiously evaded that point whenever
II became necessary to allude to the
subject But at last, when Franklin
had been dead thirty three years, and
Paine fourteen years, Jefferson ven
tured to claim what no one then DIS
puted. It would never have done for
MIN to name the real author, and he
N'NptlSoS Thought. w no COulQ be
harmed by his taking the credit to
himself? But the science of criticism,
like the spectrum analysis, which re-
Veals the composition of the stars.
points unerringly to Thomas Paine as
The only man who could indfte that
greatest of literary masterpieces, the
Declaration of American Independ-
ence."
OF course that was Just like Jeffer-
son. He was always appropriatine
something that belonged to somebody
else: indeed, it might be said, If ono
did not care for what he said, that
such was his habit of mind. 1t was
seen In his administration of the office
of President, in his creation of the
University of Virginia in his personal |
letters and public papers, in the
thoughts of his mind and the simplicity |
and in the great political party which |
he founded. All that is needed now
to make this Brombaugh story go
down with those who are given to |
love of Truth Is for the .Descendants''
in Charlotte to claim that Thomas
ty. North Carolina. and large part /
of the sin of such a claim will fall
rightly upon the head of Charles Hop
kins Clark, of the Hartford Courant,
Who not satisfied with his efforts to
defeat old Buckley for reelection to
the United states Senate, has intro
duced this apple of discord into com
paratively peaceful entente cordiale I
which we have succeeded in estab
fishing with our neighbors in Char
lotte. whose business it has been for
who have actually tried to take Alfred
Williams from us.