Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1921-06-30
BY JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN

w taces" And as he touched it up
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."
eve 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 a lot between
the lines OF these two historic utterances, if we
40 little digging into fore-the- Revolution
American histOry-enough digging to get clear
idea of what brought about the Declaration Of
independence And it is every good Americans
patriotic duty to do that same diggng--and do
1t now OF course we're not all tarred with the
same brush but-to more time-honored Amer
lean smiles-its dollars to dOughnuts that the
average American doesn't know enough to last
MIN 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
it means. This is bad business in itself and it's
especially bad right now.
For we are going to have a new kind of Fourth
of July celebration in the United States of Amer
lea. 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 it's own as the browning
touch Of public observance, The American Rev.
oluton is the greatest steppingstone 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 X century and half ago. There are
two reasons for this
One is the World war. John Bull and Uncle
Sam now stand shoulder to shoulder in defense of
all that our common race 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 it's
earlier stages at least strife between two diff
erent political and economic systems. 1t was no
unrelated event, but formed a part of the history
of the race both continents There was Brit
ish revolution at the same time there was an
American Revolution. The British revolution was
to regain liberty. The American Revolution was
to preserve liberty. On both sides of the Attain
tic the kings prerogatives were the aim of rev.
olutionary attack.
Now as to the many things that may be read
between the lines of what Hancock and Frank
lin said here's just 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 as
penalties alleged to nave Deen 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 1t was no 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 phlos-
opher and statesman, seventy-one years of age
the Oldest member Of congress, more con-
cerned with the political than with the CONNER
cial aspects Of the situation. He made clever
Jest, 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 economlc-and pos
sibly quite as much economic as political. To ar
rive at the main features of the situation the fol-
lowing chronology Is helpful
1760-Accesson of George III. Conquest Of Can
ada by British.
1761-Revlval of navigation and trade laws of
1860 and 1863 Issues Of "Writs Of Assistance"
1764-Parliament demands that colonies pay