The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1916-06-30


furnished chamber In Independence
hall. Philadelphia. To give the nec-
80 essary touch of vivacity to the pic
turc there is the of the small
boy darling from the door the last signer sets
his autograph to the precious parchment and DASH
ing down the street, calling to his grandfather, to
"Rng Oh, ring for uberty!"
Our ideal proclamation of the charter of Amer
lean freedom must be shattered in the cause of
truth. The Declaration of Independence was
signed behind locked doors, and not general
~ signed upon the Fourth of July at ALL The city
was not breathessly awaiting the event outside,
nor did the Liberty bell peal forth on that day
the triumphal note of freedom.
The accredited historian of the United States
department of state Is Gaillard Hunt, Lift. D., Ii.
D.. chief of the division of manuscripts in the
Library of Congress-
There is really reason for our celebrating
the Fourth OF July than July or August q"
said Doctor Hunt recently to an inquirer. "It
not until the latter dafe that the document was
generally signed.
1.-The Virginia bill OF rights, of which George
Mason also the author, drawn up and
adopted in the last colonial assembly in Virginia
prior to the Revolution The bill Of rights is In
effect part of every constitution in the land to-
day. 1t is beyond doubt that this famous docu-
ment Of which his elderly friend was author was
largely drawn upon by Thomas Jefferson when he
wrote the Declaration of Independence.
1.-THE fundamental principles of government set
forth in Mason's bill of rights the
those in the English petitions to the king the
of the long parliament and magma charta.
You know, perhaps, that it another Vir-
gilman, Richard Henry Lee, who presented to con-
gress. June z, 1776 set OF resolutions contain
ing the words Thaf these united colonies are, and
of right ought 10 be, free and independent states
and that all political connection between them
and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be-
totally dissolved
1T was as a result Of the favorable voting upon
Lees resolutions tirff the well-known committee
composed of Thomas Jefferson John Adams Ben
jamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert r. Liv-
ingston. named tO draft the document. The
committee assigned the task OF preparing the in
strument to the virginian. Jefferson's was the
master political mind and it by no mere
chance that he chilled upon to write the docu
ment which has been termed the best-known pa
per that has ever come from the pen of an ind
vidua'
Drafting of the Declaration.
Thomas Jefferson the personifcation of
method" remarked Doctor Hunt, land Immediate
~ upon receiving his commission to write the
declaration he retired to the two rooms he rented
working place If Seventh and Market place.
philadelphia, and prepared to give his country
Of the greatest monuments of human freedom
'"The department OF state owns the first draft Of
the Declaration which Jefferson presented to the
committee for It's approval. His confreres made
few alterations, which clearly shown In the
text and Jefferson has written beside each change
the name of It's author. making the document Of
inestimable value
'"The fair copy which he made for presentation
20 congress. and which bears the congressional
amendments and alterations, is lost
1.-The latter Is the formal Declaration of indie
pendence laid before congress June %, 1776.
II was then read and ordered to lie on the table
until July l. On July resolution was passed
declaring the independence of the United States,
although the exnct form Of the proclamation as
prepared by Jefferson debated upon until July
A. when. with some alterations and amendments, 1t
was signed by John Hancock, president of the
congress- and the signature attested by Charles
Thomson, secretary OF congress.
"Juy was actually the date of separation of
the colonies from the mother country. On July
we find John Adams, whom Jefferson called the
colossus of the Colonies writing to his wife, Abb
gail in the following words:
10y esterday the greatest question which was
ever debated in America decided, and great
or perhaps never will be decided among
men,
Great Day Was July 3
I'm n second letter written the same day, he
said: But the day is past. July will be the
most memorable epoch In the history Of America.
arn apt to believe that IL will be celebrated by
succeeding generations the anniversary festival
II ought to be conuDemOrated as the day Of deliv-
ernnce by solemn nefs of devotion to God AL
mighty
''There Is little doubt but that the participants
In the event consbIersd July as the true date of
Independence for the colonies, but popular fancy
seized upon the 4t the date Of acceptance Of JEFF
Persons formal and defniied sethngforth as the
proper date of cciebration-
"Jobn TrumbuII-s famous painting OF the scene,
hanging i'm the rotunia or the capitol is poetcal
niece Of work and gives many OF the portraits of
tI,, sipncrs with fzfthfulness but IL is somewhat
fancif,l No sirken hnngings drnped the windows
~ that sitting room on July e. 1716 and the beau
,,srI order I'm which the are ranged up for
s,,n,,g the tmrnortnl document Is also hctioEal.