The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-30
As TO DECLARATIONS OF IN
DEPENDENCE.
Those That Have Been Made, ana The
One That II sim Needed,

Those That Have Been Made, and tn
One That II sim Needed.
To THE EDITOR oy TIE suN-str: The
Fourth Of July IL close ~ hand and with
II will come orally and In point The
usual number OF descriptions and expla-
nations accounting for It's celebration.
And with many Of these will como the
reminder that the great Declaration wa
preceded by the much discussed Neck
lenburg IN. CO. Declaration for Inde-
pendenco (May 81. i775). The orators
and writers that mention II should know
and doubtless some Of them do know
that Mecklenburg was not the first to
speak thus; II had several predecessors.
The earliest that has bean discoy-
cred IL series Of resolutions adopted by
a town meeting at Msndon, Worcester
county, Mass, in ira. They are too
long to be quoted entire, but few SEN
fences will plainly show their spirit
That all men have naturally an equal
right to life. liberty and property" ;
shee 90 Jtos anu iaWhbA sUNVhhhAoAe
must necessarily originate IN the free
consent Of the people,; that q right to
liberty and property Is absolutely un-
alienable.- And. having the present crisis
in mind. note especially the following
That the claims of the Parliament OF
Great Britain to the power of legisla-
ton for the colonies, in all cases what
ever. Is extremely alarming and threat
ems the total deprivation of everything
that Is dear and valuable in life," and
connect with It this: THAT q voluntary
reconciliation Of any powers or privileges
included in or necessarily connected with
principle of self-preservation Is mani
testify acting counter to the will of the
great Author OF Nature, the Supreme
Legislator" The resolutions. which run
to a nineteenth. then specify many cause,
Of grievance similar to those in Jefrer-
sons Declaration.
On September 6, 177t. delegates rep
resenting Suffolk county. Massachusetts,.
met at Milton and adopted what were
known as the Suffolk Resolutions be-
lieved to have been written by DR.,
Joseph Warren, who was killed At
Bunker Hill. These also bear q
strong resemblance to the Declaration
written by Jefferson. In Chester county.
Pennsylvania, such resolutions were
adopted on the same day (May 81,
1775) that the Mecklenburg Declare
ton was issued. Here the gist Of inde-
pondence Is in the sentence, whatever
person shall hereafter receive COM
mission from the Crown, or attempt to ex-
ercise any such commission heretofore re-
ceived. shall be deemed an enemy to his
country" The next month (June 9. 1775)
Cumberland county, New York (now in
Guided in Vermont). took similar action.
Thomas Paine, who came here from
England in 1874, issued his famous PAM
pElet entitled Common Sense" which
was a powerful plea for Independence,
in January. 1776. and In December he
followed 1t with The Crisis" which be-
gins with the famous sentence. These
arc the times that try mems soulsL"
The Suffolk Resolutions were present
ed to the Continental Congress-. which
approved them September II. 177$. BY
the way. that Is a notable date in Ameri-
can history. The Federal Constitution.
VIXEN completed and signed. was trans
mitted to Congress September II. 17s7.
washington's Farewell Address bears
Date September II. 1895. The bloodiest
day on this continent. Antietam. was
September II. 1852.
Every day It becomes clearer that We
need-and must have II We are not to
become virtually a colony instead OF q
nation-one more Declaration of indie
pendence. and 1t is the province of the
Senate to proclaim it. Paltering with the
proposed League of Nations. trying to
tinker II into something acceptable and
non-venomous, Is not only derogatory to
our dignity rs a great people. but futile
for the purpose designed. The Senate
should assert our eternal independence
by incontinently throwing overheard
the whole - thing. And July would
be a good day for the deed.
Whenever arises n real occasion for a
league OF nations there Is a league OF
nations. 1t Is only necessary to mention
the overthrow Of the first Napoleon. the
thwarting of Russia in the Crimea
1S54-5) and the recent defeat of the
Kaiser and his horde OF Huns. The
and the several nations return 20 their
usual pursuits. So 1t has been ever since
the Seven marched against Thebes and
there is no reason to fear that II wiz
not always be so. RossITER JOHNSON.
AMAGANsErT. June ?s.