The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1919-06-28

der the supervision of the committee
previously appointed to prepare it, and
that copies thereof be distributed to
all state assemblies and to the COM
handing officers of the army.
In accordance with the above or
der the Declaration was issued as a
printed broadside on July 5, with the
heading: "In Congress, July A, IT'S.
A Declaration by the Representatives
of the United States of America in
General Congress assembled" 1t
bore the name in print of John Han
cock, president of the congress, and
was attested by Secretary Charles
Thomson, but bore no other names.
On July 10 it was resolved in con-
gress:
"That the Declaration passed on the
fourth be fairly engrOssed on parch'
ment, with the title and stile (style)
of The unanimous declaration OF the
thirteen United States of America,
and that the same, when engrossed,
be signed by every member OF con-
gress"
It could not have been headed
Unanimous" on July 4, for the New
York delegates had not then been au-
thorized to agree to it, and 1t was not
until July Is that it was announced
in the continental congress that the
assembly of New York had approved
the Declaration, and thus made II
unanimous.
On August 2, 1875, the Declaration
of independence, being engrossed ant
compared, was signed by the mem
hers. those who were not present OF
August 2 affixing their signatures a
later dates. all but one signing before
January IS, TIT.
1t has been ascertained that OF IN
fifty-six signers, more than one-fourtl
, we're not present on July 4, l7I6, an
, seven of them-Thornton, Williams
!. Rush. Clymer, Smith, Taylor and KOS
were not members on that date. y
the other hand, seven members o
that date-George Clinton, John A
SOD. r. R. Livingston, Henry Wisnel
t Thomas Willing, Charles Humphrey
o and John Rogers-had not the PRIV
: lege Of becoming "signers," for tn
a membership of all but one had cease
t prior to August 2.
The first official issue OF the DE
q laration bearing the names of II
r. signers was printed as broadside
Baltimore under the resolution
% January IS, 1777, ordering that copi'
q. he sent to each of the United State
\. There are only four copies OF this
sue now known to exist one OF Whl'
&c is in the library of congress at was
- ington. 1t is authenticated in Writll
In by John Hancock as president OF co
R gress and attested by Secretary Tho
t. son.
ye Contrary to popular opinion, thel
re fore, it is seen that the Declarati
rs was not signed on July 4, the day
a passed, but between August 2, II
g, and January IS, TIT, after 1t h
err been engrossed and compared, a
IS, then only by So members, all of Wh(
to were ordered to do so by the reso
in. tion PASSED July 10, 1776. The ma
go of Thomas Mexican, which does !
appear among the signers in
as nrinted copy, was added later-p
"a sibly not until 1881, making the fiji
zee sixth signer.
,xt But little has ever been done
perpetuate the memory of these
oh early Americans, only few OF VIII
Tho ore well-known, but it is interest
mn 70 know that the National Society
m. tho Sons of American Revolution,
nd co-operation with the Society OF
ms scendants of the signers, is locat
i'm the graves of those patriots, and
RI. pairing a memorial volume to incl
nm q biography of each individual.