The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1921-06-30

MVI Second Continental Congress put his
INV John Hancock to "A Declaration
u" by the Representatives of the United
States of America In General Con-
gress Assembled" he wrote Ii so large
q !:
MStM ana SO plain that he then and there
NETuYE1W gave to the American language new
WVkEyk4X and enduring synonym.
lNYYYNM There" said the delegate from
lKMMll Massachusetts, George III will be
EXhEW able to read that without his spec
W tacles." And he touched It I'D
and blackened the heavy strokes of the quill he
remarked TO his fellow delegates:
But we must be unanimous; there must be no
pulling different ways. We must all hang to-
gether."
I'VE must indeed all hang together" replied
Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, "or most as
surely we shall all hang separately"
we Americans Of 1921 can read q lot between
the lines of these two historic utterances, If we
do little digging into before-the- Revolution
american history-enough digging to get a clear
Aoea or what brought about the Declaration Of
independence And 1t Is every good Americans
patriotic duty to do that same digging-and do
1t now. or course we're not all tarred with the
same brush but-to more time-honored Amer
lean similes-its dollars to dOughnuts that the
average American doesn't know enough to last
him across the street about the causes leading up
to the Revolution. And as for the Declaration IT.
Self he couldn't to save his life tell what half OF
1T means. This is bad business in itself and It's
especially bad right now.
For we are going to have new kind of Fourth
of July celebration in the United States of Amer
ica The Fourth has quit being the day Of fire.
works and casualties And in the new kind of
Fourth of July celebration the Declaration of IN
dependence will come to its own as the GROWING
touch of public observance, The American Rev
olution is the greatest sepplngstone In the march
of the centuries toward freedom and the Declara.
ton of Independence is its symbol.
Though the Declaration of Independence Is TO
come back to its own, the new Fourth will not
be the day when the American Eagle screams and
the orator bawls because Uncle Sam handed John
Bull a X o century and half ago. There
two reasons for this.
One is the World John Bull and Uncle
Sam now stand shoulder to shoulder In defense of
all that common holds dear of personal
freedom and political ideals.
The other Is the fact that the Revolution was
not quarrel between two peoples-the British
people and the American people. 1t was, in its
earlier stages at least, strife between two diff
erent political and economic systems. 1t was no
unrelated event, but formed part of the history
of the race on both continents. There a Brit
jsh revolution at the same time there
American Revolution. The British revolution was
TO regain liberty. The American Revolution was
10 preserve liberty On both sides of the Allan
tic the kings prerogatives were the aim of rev.
dictionary attack.
Now as to the many things that may be read
between the lines of what Hancock and Frank
lin said, here's just a hint: Hancock was a rich
merchant 1t part of the purpose of the
British troops at Lexington and Concord to cap
ture Hancock. At that time Hancock was re-
spondent In the Admiralty court in suits of the
crown to recover nearly half million dollars
penalties alleged to have been incurred for viola
ton Of the laws of navigation and trade Han
cock had inherited his fortune from his uncle,
Thomas Hancock who had become wealthy snug
Cling tea So II was more than right that John
Hancock should sign his name large and plain
to the document which, If made good. would save
him from financial ruin and give him free COM
merce with all the world.
Benjamin Franklin, publisher, printer, philos-
opher and statesman, seventy-one years Of age,
the oldest member of congress, was more con-
cerned with the political than with the CONNER
cial aspects of the situation He made clever
lest but no man there knew better that there Is
many true word spoken in jest.
SO the truth is that on our side of the ocean
the fundamental causes leading up to the Revo-
luton were both political and economic-and pos
sbly quite as much economic as political. To ar.
rive at the main features of the situation, the fol-
lowing chronology is helpful:
1760-Accession of George III. Conquest of Can
ada by British
1761-Revval of navigation and trade laws of
1860 and 1903. Issues of "Wrlts of Assistance"
1764-Parliament demands that colonies pay