Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1916-06-30

# July 4, 1776 in a large, handsomely
N1A111~ furnished chamber in independence
hall, Philadelphia. To give the nee
40 essary touch of vivacity to the pic
ture there is the scene Of the small
boy darling from the door as the last signer sets
his autograph to the precious parchment and dash
Ing down the street, calling to his grandfather, to
ring! Oh, ring for liberty!"
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 was not general
ly signed upon the Fourth of July at ALL The city
was not breathlessly 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 Gaard Hunt, Lift. D.. IL.
D.. chief of the division of manuscripts in the
Library of Congress-
There is really no reason for our celebrating
the Fourth of July than July or August g.
said Doctor Hunt recently to inquirer. ut
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,
largely drawn upon by Thomas Jefferson when he
wrote the Declaration of independence.
"The fundamental principles of government set
forth in Masons bill of rights we're the same
those in the English petitions the king the acts
Of the long parliament and magma charta.
you know perhaps, that it another Vir-
ginian Richard Henry Lee, who presented to con-
gress, on June z 1776, set 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
and the state of Great Britain is and ought to be-
totally dissolved
1T was as result of the favorable voting upon
Lees resolutions that the well-known committee,
composed of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams Ben
jaInin 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 Jeffersons was the
master political mind and it was by no mere
chance that he called upon to write the docu-
ment which has been termed the best-known pa
per that has ever from the pen of an indi-
Udual'
Drafting OF the Declaration
Thomas jefferson the personlfcation Of
method" remarked Doctor Hunt land immediate.
~ upon receiving his commission to write the
declaration he retired to the two rooms he rented
as working place at Seventh and Market place.
Philadelphia, and prepared to give his country
one of the greatest monuments of human freedom.
1.-THE department of state the first draft Of
the Declaration which Jefferson presented to the
a few alterations, which are 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 ne made rof presentation
to congress, and which bears the congressional
amendments and alterations is lost
1.-THE latter is the formal Declaration IF indie
pendence laid before congress on June g. 1916.
It was then read and ordered to lie on the table
until July 1. On July resolution was passed
declaring the independence of the United States
although the exact form of the proclamation as
prepared by Jefferson was debated upon until July
A. when, with some alterations and amendments, it
was signed by John Hancock, president of the
congress- and the signature attested by Charles
Thomson, secretary of congress.
"July was actually the date Of separation Of
the colonies from the mother country, On July 3
we find John Adams, whom Jefferson called the
colossus of the colonies writing to his wife, abb
gail, in the following words:
Yesterday the greatest question which
ever debated in America was decided, and great
er perhaps never was will be decided among
men,.
Great Day Was July 2
SIN 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.
7 am ant to believe that it will be celebrated by
succeeding generations as the anniversary festival
It ought to be commemorated as the day Of deiv-
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 4th the date of acceptance of JEFF
ferson's formal and detailed setting forth the
oroper date of celebration.
"John Trumbulls famous painting of the scene
hanging in the rotunda of the capitol is poetical
niece of work and gives many Of the portraits of
4be signers with faithfulness but it is somewhat
fanctful No silken hangngs draped the windows
of that sitting room July 4 1776, and the beau
tiful order in which the men are ranged up for
signing the immortal document Is also hctonal.