The Green Forest tribune., 1915-07-02

lIHf8S&A I. the happenings of that greas day jIHI krSm lI. has become common heritage of IllNSSbd8GINl III the people of our land, Many an IF1tI@-570 American considers it part of - a patriotic duty to upon the imaginative picture entitled The First Fourth of July which some historical writer has painted upon his vision.
 In fancy he sees Independence hall in Phila- delpha and the Continental congress with it's fufied shirts, long cloth coats, knee pants, silk stockings and low shoes sitting with dignity, but listening spellbound to wonderfully strange and entirely new document called The Declaration of Independence"
 In fancy he even hears the popular acclaim of That is just what all say." and Tt is well worded, MT. Jeferson.' Then the mind pie lures the various delegates to congress hasten ing forward, eager for the honor of fixing their signatures to a sheepskin document.
 The scene changes to the ringing of the great liberty bell, to the assembling of the people at Philadelphia who applauded the reading of this bill of rights and to the final closing of the day with every man, woman and child in Philadel, phia happy because he is no longer a British subject having become a free American in single day
 Such vision pictures heroic scene: but the true record of events does not affirm that these so-ealled happenings took place on that me- morable day By plotting out the imperfect de- tails of the picture the Fourth of July is in no way robbed of any of it's glory.
 An 8c ctrst.st14e sccGunt ycf what <trangpired at
 It time changes the meaning of the Fourth of uly from one day to about sixty in which the whole history of our national liberty is told and the heroic heart-throbs of the sorely tried colo nsts are keen1y felt.
 The day itself properly symbozes the liberty for which the patriots of that time stood ready to sacrifice their lives in order to launch the United States as a national craft which should be anchored by no weight of foreign despotism
 It was time of danger when brother friend and neighbor became estranged by reason of political opinion. Some coonists still loved the mother country with true English pride while others were so embttered by the injustice of the sovereign across the seas that they willingly gave their all to the cause of the people of the land.
 During the latter part of 1774 George Wash ington himself wrote that no thinking man among the colonists wanted to separate from England, and Franklin rdiculed the idea
 During the early days of the revolution the bluecoats never dreamed of separating from the beloved land of their ancestors. In fact, such would have been condemned by Ameri- cans themselves as treason. Jefferson declared that prior to April 19, 1775 he had heard no whis- per of the disposition of anyone to stand from under the governmental power of Great Britain The inevitable, however. came with the spring of 1776 when local assemblies began formal dis cussion regarding the liberty of coonists. These legislative bodies possessed but little power but they did a great part in crystalzing the senti ment for independence in many quarters and forcing those opposed to the idea to declare their inimical attitude.
 The good work of these small legislative bodies reflected and magnied as soon as the dele gates were sent to the Continental congress- Then the spirit of liberty permeated the very at mosphere of the national assembly and many an individual received the courage to align himself with the cause
 If June T. 1776, there had been an "extra paper to have informed the public of the latest political news one might have read the harine headlines Richard Henry Lee of Virginia the Man of the Hour" for it was he who on that day started the Fourth of July It this south who introduced the first declaration of in dependence in congress declaring the American people free.
 Good judgment dictated the caution of omit ting John Adams from the minutes, a the second to that motion, yet the fact is know1 today, when there is no army of redcoats wait ing to seize patriots rebels
 Too much praise cannot be given to the il troduction of Lees resolution yet it to tn credit of the Continental congress that actio was not forced upon such important measur at that time It could not have succeeded unt all objections had been senced, all fears c Englands success allayed, until all were COT scientiously convinced that the of libert was just It was imperative that all should loo the Goddess of Liberty squarely in the face wit a devotion to follow where she should lead
 As no agreement could be reached on June the resolution laid over until the next da when it was again postponed for consideration Ill til July 1.
 Tn order that the cause of liberty should Ii, he retarded during this wait congress at th