Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-04

in a London counting house, he enigrated
to this country. bringing along with him
a quantity of goods. which he sold in New
York and Philadelphia. He became
startled Europe and America by sending
a cargo of wheat to Liverpool. His per-
sonal interests were in Great Britain, but
he Joined the revolutionists, saw his coun-
try home on Long Island plundered and
wrecked and his business swept away
Every sfgner suffered. Most of them.
it should be remembered, were men OF
property. Many of them belonged to
what in these days would be called the
plutocracy. Twenty-seven of them were
graduates from European or American
colleges. There was not an ignorant
man among them.
Twenty-Five had Travelled in Europe
IWenty-four were lawyers in good
practice. Thirteen were wealthy farm
ers Nine were merchants. Five were
physicians, one of whom was the great
Benjamin Rush of Philadelphia, who
esteemed. Is a contemporary of his had
said, the poor his best patients for
God was their paymaster"
Nor were the signers emotional
youths bent on war and adventure
Iheir average age was forty-three
dled, some one has truly said, with
out stain upon his honor or his char
acter All but eight of the fifty-six
were born in America. Two were ma
Ives OF England. two Of Scotland
three of Ireland and one of Wales.
The men of wealth, in addition to
those who have been mentioned. includ-
ed Thomas Nelson of Virginia. He
hved IN nne style. hunted foxes in sea
sou WIN ms pack of hounds and rode
ACCOMPANYING him with a fowling piece
he gave all of his property to the
cause OF liberty and left his wife in
poverty. ="
owned four large farms His crops
were corn and tobacco. Ships, sailing
from the wharf near Mount Vernon.
the nome OF Washington, took his to-
bacco to England and brought back
BOOKS, plate. wines. clothing and fur
hiture- Nevertheless he signed. Still
another Virginian was Benjamin Har-
rison, who inherited three fortunes
and owned lands. mills, vessels and a
shipyard.
Joseph Hewes Of North Carolina was
very prosperous importer. The revo-
luton drove him out of business. Will
liam Paca's estates in Maryland were
near the British lines and exposed to
instant reprisals. George wythe of the
same colony was rich and had been lux
urious and indolent At the age of
thirty he changed the manner of his
life md at fifty, when he signed, was
famous lawyer. Two young men who
studied in his Office became Presidents
of the United States and another be-
came Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court.
Old Caesar Rodney of Delaware, pro-
prietor of rich and broad acres. who was
afflicted with cancer In his face from
his youth up. though he wore silk
mask over his eye and cheek, was one
of the revolution. George Taylor. too.
was rich. He married a widow in
Pennsylvania, once the wife of the man
for whom he worked a day laborer,
and the venture brought him a large
iron works and a mansion.
In Pennsylvania also lived George
Clymer, wealthy, dominating and cour-
ageous. His house was sacked. A man
Of bold opinions. he said that a rep
resentative of the people is appointed
to think for and not with his con-
stituents." Answering an Englishman n,
after the war, who sneeringly referred
to Americans as being but imperfectly
civilized" George Clymer replied that
American fathers did not, "as is said of
a mouse with a litter, starve nine Of
tueH Gil ~ oNeiieeu tHe teHlH
Nor were American laws 80 framed as
that the poor people are necessarily
confined to the same district, as deer to
the same park"
There were great men, as well as
rich ones, in the resolute ranks of the
signers Pointing to Roger Sherman,
the Connecticut shoemaker. jurist, leg
islator and the father of nineteen chill
dren, Thomas Jefferson said: There is
a man who never said a foolish thing
in his life
Popular opinion" Sherman wrote, lis
founded in Justice, and the only way
to know If popular opinion is in favor
of a measure is to examine whether it
Is just and right in itself" Sherma n