Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-06

Wv OF July INDUCES IN his sale and sane
or unsafe and insane celebration,
as the case may be, he would probably say
that he was celebrating the signing of the
Declaration OF independence if anyone asked
him the question.
The actual facts are that the Declaration
of Independence merely had its first reading
before the Continental Congress on July 4th,
1870, and the tentative draft then sub
mittcd by the committee previously APP
pointed to draw up such a document was
approved by the members present.
No resolution on the subject was passed
until July 10Th, when it was " Resolved:
That the Declaration passed on the fourth
be fairly engrossed on parchment, with the
title, etc, and that the same, when en-
crossed, be signed by every member Of
Congress.
1t was not until date nearly month
later than the day we celebrate, that is, on
August end that the Declaration was
signed by the members of Congress then
present Nor did all the signers affix their
signatures on that date nor even in that year,
although some so-called histories state that
they did.
The records of Congress show that Mat
thew Thornton "a delegate" from New
Hampshire, who had not been present at the
reading or the signing, presented his creden-
tials on November 4th, I776 and on that
day an act was passed allowing him to sign
the Declaration with the date of his sub
sCription.
And it was not until five years later, in
1891 that Thomas Mexican, who was a
member from Delaware in 1916 and who had
been present at the reading on July 4th of
that year, but absent with the army at the
time of general subscription of said instru-
ment on August End, asked that he be per
mitted to sign. An act was then passed
allowing him to afiX his signature, che add
ing thereto the date of such subscription.
While a very large proportion of Uncle
Sans constituents are of the impression
that it is the actual signing of the DeClara-
ton that we celebrate on July 4th, a still
larger majority are of the idea that this was
the only Declaration of Independence from
the rule of Great Britain that was made by
the colonies and the first one. Both ideas
are incorrect.
On May Goth, I775, over a year before the
framing of the Declaration which we treas
ure, a convention was held at Charlotte and
a Declaration of independence from the rule
OF the English crown was then signed. The
convention was held at midnight and
the delegates were representatives of each
militia company in the county.
On May 3Ist the same year the conven-
ton passed a series Of resolutions defining
the government of the county by her own
people and not thereafter did the inhabit-
ants recognize the rule of King George.
The original document of the Mecklenburg
Declaration was, unfortunately, destroyed
by fire in 500 and copy made afterward
from memory.
But even this was not the first written
Declaration of Independence framed by the
colonists Ante-dating their neighbors in
North Carolina by two months the patriots
of Hartford County, Maryland, met in con
vention on March 22nd, I775, at Hartford
Town which is now called Bush. They
agreed to and signed on that day what is
probably the very first Declaration of indie
pcndencc made by the colonies in formal,
written form and this document is still in