Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-07-14
EVENING CHAT

Ex-Attorney General Hampton L.
carson says ''the truths of history are
more important than fiction" He is
much interested in the proposed ma
tional celebration of independence Day
at Philadelphia, but quite disturbed
over certain inaccuracies of statement
regarding the Declaration. THE most
/ glaring of these, he says, sis the story
Of the blue-eyed boy signaling to his
grandfather in the belfry and shouting
to him: Ring, ring. This Is pure
tiction, invented by George Lippard,
the novelist, in his novel. Blanche of
Brandywine.' Unfortunately, 1t was
! copied, without examination of its
origin, by Benson ]. Losing in a foot
note to his Field Book of the Revo-
! luton The most reliable authorities,
such as the Diary of Christopher Mar
shall the letters of John Adams to his
wife, the Life of Richard Henry Lee
| and Sanderson's Lives of the Signers,
make 1t plain that the Resolution for
the independence of the Colonies was
introduced by Richard Henry Lee, of
| Virginia, on the second day of June,
1875; the debate ran for a month; the
vote was taken on July 2; the draft of
the Declaration of independence. as
drawn by Jefferson. slightly modified
by Franklin and John Adams, was
, signed on July 4 by John Hancock,
President. and Charles Tompson, Sec
retary, alone; no public announcement
was made on July 4, nor was there any
ringing of the bell The delay was due
to the absence of instructions to the
New York delegates. These were not
received until the Sth of July, and then
public announcement was made by the
reading of the Declaration aloud to
the people in the square by John Mich
olson, and then the bell was rung. The
fs.ifr l,NVtl II
Gus members until some time in the
following August, an engrossed copy
being substituted for the draft signed
by Hancock and Tompson as officers.
BY this time the terms of several MEM
bers of the Continental Congress who
had participated in the debates and the
vote had expired and their places were
taken by men whose names appear as
slgners who were not members on the
date of the vote.
The second error is the statement
that John Marshall was the last sur
vivor of the signers and the last asso- |
clate of Washington. John Marshall |
was not q Signer, nor even a member |
of the Continental Congress. In 1776 |
he was but 81 years old, and was in |
the virginia militia, and a student of |
law. Thomas jefferson and John Ad- |
ans, the first the author of the Decla- |
ration and the second the Colossus of |
Independence in debate upon the floor |
both died July 4, 1926, on the fiftieth |
anniversary of the Fourth of July, |
1776. each one unconscious of the seri-
Gus illness of the other; John Adams |
closing words being Thomas jefferson
still lives The last survivor of the
signers was Charles Carroll of Carroll
ton, who died in 1892"
Reports received at the Capitol from
the farming districts in Pennsylvania
indicate that in some sections the corn
crop, which appeared to be most -four
lshlng q week ago, had been almost |
wiped out by the heavy rains and high |
winds accompanying the recent storms.
In some parts of the Susquehanna,
cumberland, Lebanon and Juniata val |
leys the downpour of rain on hillsides
washed out great patches of growing |
corn and in come instances it was car.
rled yards away and scattered over
roads and lanes. Many farmers will |
lose over three-fourths of their corn.
IN many sections the corn has been
blown almost fiat and some of it can
not be saved. Other corn has been
Tilted, but will probably ear, although |
1t will be very hard to handle when
ripe. In fact, most of the corn which
has been saved will be difficult to cut,
as much of it must be handled stalk |
by stalk. The loss to the corn crop by
Friday nights storm alone will run
into thousands of dollars.
A new line of complaints is receiving
the serious consideration of officials
of the Public Service Commission be-
cause of the number and widespread
character of the letters. Incidentally,
1t is one of the very last forms of COM
plant one would suppose would reach |
the commission. In Schuylkill Berks |
and several other counties complaints
have been filed that sparks from rail-
road engines set fire to hay in the
fields and also by burning stubble ne.
cessitated considerable work to extin>
guish the blaze. In another complaint
1t is contended that the sparks from
engines indicate that they are not
properly equipped with spark arresters
and that number of fires have been
caused by them. Another man says
that the cinders and sparks falling on
fields beside the tracks are running the
soil, as there is heavy traffic. Investi-
cations are being made into these COM
plants with a view to determining
causes and then the matter will be
brought to the attention of railroad
men.