The Elbert County tribune., 1916-06-30

| furnished chamber In independence
hall. Philadelphia To give the
esslry touch of vlvncity to the pic
ture there Is the scene of the small
boy dGrting from the door the last signer
his Autograph Il. tne precious parchment and dusi-
Ing down the street. calling to his grandfather to
~Rngl Oh ring for liberty"
Our ideal proclamation Of the charter of Amer
lean freedom must he shattered In the OF
truth. The Declaration OF Independence was
signed behind locked DOORS and was not generrI-
ly signed upon the Fourth of July nt all. The city
wnS not hrenthlessiy awaiting the event outside,
nor did the Liberty hell peal forth that duy
the triunphnl note of freedom.
The accredited historian of the United States
department of state is tiaillnrd Hunt. Lift D.. LII.
d. now chief of the division of munuscrlpts I'm the
Library of Congress.
There Is really no reason for celebrating
the Fourth of juy more than July August ."
sad doctor Hunt recently to an inquirer at was
moi until the latter date that the document
generally signed.
THE Nirginia bin of rights. of which George
Mason was also the author drawn up and
adopted In :he last colonial assembly In Virginia
prior 10 the Revolution The bill of rights is in
effect part of every constitution In the land to-
day II is beyond doubt that this famous tocu-
ment of which his elderly friend nuthor. was
largely drawn upon by Thomas Jefferson when he
wrote the Declaration of Independence
"rhe fundamental principles of government set
forth IN hiisons bill of rights were the
those In the English petitions to the king acts
You know. perhaps. thnt 1t another vir-
girian. Richard Henry Lee who presented to con-
grrss on June Z. lI1G set of resolutions coutnin-
Ing the words. That these united colonies are and
OF right ought to he, free and independent stntes
and that all political connection between tbem
and the stnte Of Great Britnin is and ought to be-
totally dissolved
1T WIS result of the favorable voting upon
Lees resolutions thnt the well-known committee
composed Of Thomas Jefferson. John Adams Ben-
Jninn franklin. Roger Sherman and Robert II. Iiv-
ingSfon was named to draft the document. The
committee assigned the tnst of preparing the in
strument to the Vlrglnnn. Jeferson's wus the
master political mind md 1t was by no mere
chance that he wns called upon to write the docu-
ment which h;fs been termed the best known pn-
per that has from the pen of nm ind
vidual.
Drafting of the Declaration
Thomas jefferson was the personlfcotion of
method. remilrked Doctor Hunt. "und lmine,liute-
ly upon receiving his commission TO write tho
declaration he retired to the two rooms he rented
as n working place ut Seventh und Market nlnce
Ph!lndelphla. and prepared to give his country
one of the Ereatest monuments of human freedom
'ihe department of state owns the first draft of
the declaration which jefferson presented IN tbe
committee for its approval. His confrcres mude
few attentions. which Clearly shown in the
text and Jefferson has written beside each change
the mime of Its author. making the document OF
inesmnbie value.
"The fair copy which he nude for presentation
to congress. and which bears the congressional
amendments and attentions Is lost
"The ntter is the formal Declaration Of indie
pendence lnd before congress June 49, I7IG
1t WIS then read and ordered TO lie on the tuhle
until July ]. On July II resolution WIS nisse,l
declaring the independence of the United States
although the exact form of the proclamation as
prepared by Jefferson debated upon until July
d. when. with some alterations mnd amendments II
signed by John Huncock president of the
congress. and the signature nttested by Charles
Thomson secretary OF congress.
"Juy was actually the date of separation OF
the colonies from the mother country On July 3
find John Adams whom Jefferson called The
colossus Of the colonies writing to his wife Abb
gail In the following words:
y esterdny the greatest question which was
ever debated In Anercii decided. and n great-
men,
Great Day Was July 2.
I'm second letter, written the same day he
said But the day is past. July will he the
most memorable epoch in the history of Americri
I am apt TO believe thnt II will he celebrated by
succeeding generations ns the anniversary festival
1t ought to he coinnemornted the day of dellv-
erance by solemn acts of devotion to God Al
mighty.
'T'here is little doubt hut that the participants
In the event considered July us the true date of
independence for the colonies but popular fnncy
seized upon 4th. the dnte of acceptance of JEFF
ferson's formal and detailed setting-forth the
proper dnfe of celebration.
"Joln Trumbull's fnmOus painting OF the scene
hanging in the rotun,n of the capitol IL poeticnl
piece Of work and gives many or the pOrtruits of
tIe signers with fnthfulness. hut II Is somewhat
farciful No siiken lnneings drhped the windows
of thnt stifng room, on July 4. l776 ind the beuu-
tIful order in which TIE men are ranged up for