The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-07-09
W. H. Samson in the New York Sun.

W. H. Samson in the New York Sun. 4 N extract was published the "A other day in the Sun from the A famous letter dated July 3, 1II6, in which John Adams writing to his wife, said that July 2 should be soemnized and celebrated with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and Examinations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward, forever more." One of the Suns readers calls attention to the fact that the celebration was recommended for July instead of July 4; and some one else has said that the Declaration was signed on July {. The fact seems not to be known gener- ally, though it has often been stated, that there was a Resolution of Independ- ence and then a Declaration of Independ- ence. On June 7 ire, the Virginia del- egates, acting through Richard Henry Lee, offered the following resolution: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain Is 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 Congres ss voted for the immediate appointment of a committee to formulate the reasons for the adoption of this resolution. The com mittee was composed of Jefferson, Adams Franklin, Sherman and Livingston. When the first day of July arrived the
 resolution of independence was laid be- l fore Congress and debated, and final ac- ton was postponed till the following day On July the resolution was adopted. The next order of business was the resport of the special committee on the declaration respecting independence. ' This report was read, debated, altered | and finally adopted on the evening of July A. It was then signed by John Hancock. president, and Charles Thom- 1 son, secretary, and sent to the printer | On July 19 the Congress ordered the | Declaration of Independence to be fairly engrossed on parchment" and that the
 same be signed by every member of Con
 gress." On August ? the. engrossed copy | Wdo iSdds anu was SiSueu py dll tut
 members then present, 50 in number. It
 was signed by Wythe about August 27,
 by Richard Henry Lee, Gerry and Vol
 colt in September; by Thornton in Mo-
 vember. and by McKean five years later;
 there were 56 signers.
 On January IS, 1777 Congress ordered that copy of the Declaration be sent | to each of the states and that they be desired to have the same put upon rec ord.' This was the first time copies were ] sent out with the names attached Of 1 course McKean's name did not appear. It is this declaration, with 55 names at l tached, that commonly appears 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.
 l The most astonishing thing about the Declaration is Jefferson's positive state- ment that 1t was signed on July 4. In
 his Autobiography. begun on January S. 1921, at the age of 77. he writes:
 The debate Gin the Continental Con-
 gress). having taken up the greater parts
 of the 2d, Sd and 4th days of July, were. l on the evening of the last, closed; the Declaration was reported by the commit
 tee, agreed to by the House, and signed