Rocky Ford enterprise., 1916-06-30

~ essary touch of vvacity to the pic
ture there is the scene of the small
boy darting from the door the last signer sets
his autograph to the precious parchment and DASH
ing down the street, calling to his grausisather. to
"Rng! Oh, ring for lberty!"
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 vas not general
ly signed upon the Fourth of J-iy 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, Lit. d. LII.
D.. now chief of the division of manuscripts in the
Library of Congress.
'There is really no reason for our celebrating
the Fourth of July more than July or August 2"
said Doctor Hunt recently to an inquirer. "It was
not until the latter date that the document was
generally signed.
'"The Virginia bill of rights of which George
Mason was also the author, was 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-
nent, 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 same as
those In the English petitions to the king the acts
of the long parliament and magma charta
you know. perhaps. that 1t was another vir-
ginian, Richard Henry Lee. who presented to con-
gress. on June Z. 1T76 of resolutions contain
ing the words, That these united colonies are and
of right ought to be, free and Independent states,
and that all political connection between them
md the state of Great Britain Is and ought to be-
totally dissolved
1T n result of the favorable voting upon
Lees resolutions that the well-known committee
composed of Thomas Jefferson John Adams Ben
jamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert r. Liy-
inGston. was named to draft the document. The
comriIttee assigned the task of preparing the in
strunlent to the vrglnian. Jefferson's was the
master political mind and 1t was by no mere
chance that he was called upon to write the docu-
ment which has been termed the best-known pa.
per that has ever come from the pen of an indi-
vidunl.'
Drafting Of the Declaration.
Thomas jefferson the personifcation OF
method" remarked Doctor Hunt, "and Immediate
ly upon receiving his commission to write the
declaration he retired to the two rooms he rented
working place at Seventh and Market place
Philadelphia, and prepared to give his country
one 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 its approval His confreres made
n few alterations, which are clearly shown in the
text and jefferson has written beside each change
the name of its author. making the document of
ine.timable value.
"The fair copy which he made for presentati ton
to congress, and which bears the congressional
amendments and alterations, is lost.
"The latter is the formal Declaration of Inde-
pendence laid before congress June 2S 1776
II was then read and ordered to lie the table
until July /. On July resolution was pissed
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
signed by John Hancock. president OF the
congress, and the signature attested by Charles
Thomson secretary of congress-
"Juy 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:
10y esterday the greatest question: which
ever debated in America was decided, and great
er perhaps never will be decided among
men,
Great Day Was July g.
In 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.
am apt to believe that 1t will be celebrated by
succeeding generations as the anniversary festival.
1t ought TO be commeInorated as the day of dev-
erance by solemn acts of devotion to God Al
mighty
"There is little doubt but that the participants
in the event considered July as the true date of
independence for the colonies, but popular fancy
seized upon the 4h the date of acceptance of JEFF
ferson's formal and detailed setting-forth as the
proper date of celebration
"Jobn Trumbuls famous painting of the scene
hanging in the rotunda of the capitol is poetical
niece OF work and gives many of the portraits of
tho sipners with faithfuness. but 1t Is somewhat
f.nciful No siken hangings draped the windows
or that stifing room on July L. 1776. and the beau.
tifuI order in which the men are ranged up for
signing the immortal document is also fcsonal.