Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1921-07-01
FOURTH OF JULY,
1916, REAL DATE
OF DECLARATION

whether July or July 4 should be OBJ
served as Independence day. 1t will be
seen by the following quotation from
The American Revolution written by
John Ffske and published by Houghton,
Mifhin company. that the Declaration Of
Independence was resolved upon July 2,
but was not put into form and finally
adopted until the evening of July 1.
On the LIST of July, 1776, congress
resolved itself into committee of the
whole, to take into consideration the
resolution respecting independency."
As Richard Henry Lee was absent,
John Adams, who had seconded the
motion, was called upon to defend it,
which he did In powerful speech.
He was ably opposed by John Dickin-
son, who urged that the country ought
not to be rashly committed to a po-
sition, to recede from which would
be infamous, while to persist In 1t
might entail certain ruin. A declar-
alton of independence would not
strengthen the resources of the coun-
try by single regimen, or a single
cask of powder, while it would shut
the door upon all hope of accommoda-
ton with Great Britain.
That there was weight In these
considerations was shown only too
plainly by subsequent events. But
the argument as whole was open
to the fatal objection that If the
American people were to wait for
these questions to be settled before
taking decisive step, they would
never be able to take decisive step
at all. Independent action on the
part of all the colonies except New
York had now become an accom-
plished fact. All were really in re-
bellion, and their cause could not fail
to gain In dignity and strength by an
nouncing itself to the world in its
true character. Such was now the
general feeling Of the committee
When the question was put to VOTE
the New York delegates were excused,
as they had not sufficient Instructions
OF the three delegates from Delaware,
ope was absent, one voted yea, and
one nay. so that the vote of the col
ony was lost. Pennsylvania declared
in the negative by four votes against
three. South Carolina also declared
in the negative, but with the intima-
ton from Edward Rutledge that it
might not unlikely reverse its vote, in
Difference to the majority. The other
nine colonies all voted in the affirm
alive, and the resolution was reported
as agreed to by a two-thirds vote.
On the next day, when the vote was
formally taken in regular session Of
congress, the Delaware members were
all present, and the affirmative vote
Of that colony was secured Dickinson
and Morris stayed away. thus re-
versing the vote of Pennsylvania;
and the South Carolina members
changed for the sake of unanimity.
Thus was the Declaration of indie
pendence at last resolved upon, by
the unanimous vote Of twelve col
onies, ON the End Of July, 1776; and
this work having been done, congress
at once went into committee of the
whole, to consider the form Of dec
laration which should be adopted.
Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Ben
jamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and
Robert Livingston were the members
Of a committee to draw up the dec
laratiOn, and Jefferson, as represent
ing the colony which had introduced
the resolution Of independence, was
chosen to be the author Of the dec
laratiOn.
On the evening of the 4th Of July,
1776, the Declaration Of Independence
was unanimously adopted by twelve
colonies. the delegation from New
York still remaining unable to act.
But the acQuiescence Of that colony
was SO generally counted upon that
there was no drawback to the exul
tation Of the people. All over the
country the declaration was received
with bonfires, with the ringing of bells
and the firing Of guns, and with torch
teht npononalasss