The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-05
THE DECLARATION.
A Historical Survey shows That There
We're Four Publications Of II.

Were Four Publications Of II.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sir. An
extract was published the other day In
THE U from the famous letter dated
July 3, 1916. In which John Adams.
writing to his wife, said that July ,
should be solemnized and celebrated
with shows. games sports. guns. bells,
bonfires and Nominations from one end
of this continent to the other. from this
time forward. forevermore." One OF Il
SUNS readers calls attention to the fac;
that the celebration was recommended
for July . instead of July 4 and some
one else has said that the Declaration
was signed on July 4.
The fact seems not to be known gen.
orally, though 1t has often been stated.
that there was a Resolution OF Inde-
pendence and then n Declaration OF In
dependence. On June Z. l776, the Nir-
giria Delegates, acting through Richard
Henry Lee, offered the following resolu-
ton
That these United Colonies are, and II
right ought to be, free and Independent
States; that they are absoived from all
allegiance 20 the British Crown; and that
all political connection between them and
the state OF Great Britain IL. and ought
to be. totally dissolved.
Three days later consideration of this
resolution was postponed till the first
day of July. But to save time Congress
voted for the immediate appointment OF
a committee to formulate the reasons for
the adoption Of this resolution. The
committee was composed OF Jefferson,
Adams, Franklin, Sherman and Living
ston.
When the frs, day of July arrived the
resolution OF independence was laid be-
fora Cnnnraga ma Iahatsl arA Anal
action was postponed till the following
day. On July 2 the resolution was
adopted.
The next order of business was the
report of the special committee on the
declaration respecting independence"
This report was read. debated, altered
and finally adopted on the evening of
July 4. 1t was then signed by Johh
Hancock. president. and Charles Thorn
son, secretary. and sent to the printer.
ON July 10 the Congress ordered the
Declaration Of Independence to be fairly
ensrossed on parchment" n thai the
same be signed by every member of
Congress" On August 2 the engrossed
copy was READY and was signed by all
the members then present. fifty in num-
Der. II was signed by Wythe about
August %. by Richard Henry Lee. Gerry
and Wolcott in September by Thornton
in November. and by McKean five years
later there were ifty-six signers.
On January is, 1871. Congress ordered
that n copy Of the Declaration be sent
to each Of the States. and that they DO
desired TO have the same put upon rec
ord This was the first time copies
were sent out with the names attached.
OF course Mckean's name did not APP
pear. II is this declaration. with ifty-
hve names attached. nat commonly APP
pears In books of reference. These facts
are gathered from the official journals
OF Congress-. but I have no doubt they
will be new to many Of your readers.
The most astonishing thing about the
Declaration Is Jefferson's positive state
ment that II vas signed on July 4. In
MS autobiography" begun on January
g. 1921, at the age OF II, he writes:
The debates lin the Continental Con-
sressl. having taken up the greater parts
OF the I'd. I'D and 4th days of July. were.
on the evening OF the last. closed; the
Declaration was reported by the commit
tee. agreed to by tho House. and signed
by every member present. except Mr.. Dick
insos.
And Jefferson added: II took notes
In my place while these things were
going on. and at their close wrote them
out in form and with correctness, and
from I to z OF the two preceding sheets
Ion one OF which the above quotation
appsarsl are the originals the written.
Elsewhere he said: For the truth OF
this pledge myself TO heaven and
earth"
But Just the same. jefferson was
wrong. The report OF his committee was
written on several sheets OF paper many
changes were mad in it. Who'll SEN
fences were stricken out there were
innumerable altera Hons and corrections,
as any one can see for himself by con-
sulting a facsimile of that document. /,
was attested by the president and sec.
rotary OF the Congress and sent to the
printer but hat the members actually
signed was the engrossed, carefully pre-
pared copy on parchment. brought before
them on August 2.
There are four forms OF the Declare.
ton. and all OF them have been repro
duced facsimile. These are:
!. The original report OF the committed
of which Jefferson was chairman, with all
the alterations. This is in Washington.
?. The printed Declaration signed By
Hancock and Thomson Immediately after
It's adoption.
s. The engrossed cory on parchmen,
signed by hfty-six members. which Is in
the care OF the Secretary of State at Wash.
.ngton.
g. The printed Declaration with the
names OF nfty-hve slgners. sent out pur,
suant 60 the resolution OF January Is
i777.
And these are ali. In August. 1922.
Jefferson admitted that he haa made a
mistake in his solemn assertion, lie
was compelled 10 account for the fac;
that the Declaration preserved at Wash.
ington was written on parchment. and he
admitted that this had been signed in
August. But he went on and made an.
other mistake when he said that the
parchment copy was compared at the
desk with the original one, signed or
paper The facts show that there was
not an original one signed on paper
except the one signed by Hancock and
Thomson, te two officers. II is extraor,
binary that jefferson, of all men. should
have been thus mistaken.
W. H.. SAMSON.
New YORK, July 8.