The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-07-04

The present annual federal expenditure of sew
enty to eighty millions for public roads was un-
dreamed of. Some years were to pass DeIore we
undertook the reclamation of our arid lands
through federal agencies. Rural free delivery had
not even entered upon the period OF academic us
cussion. Federal land banks were unthought il
except in the minds of a few students OF foreign
agricultural credits. Women voted in general
elections nowhere In the Union save in my state
of Wyoming and the Eighteenth amendment had
not been thought Of"
Independence day this year will have a ne"
feature in its celebration the honoring of James
Monroe, fifth president of the United States anu
author of the Monroe Doctrine. Senate joint res
olution 274 in the last congress, to provide Tor the
participation of the United States in the observ-
ance of the one hundredth anniversary OF the
enunciation of the Monroe Doctrine and OF me
ninety-second anniversary of the death of james
Monroe, is substantially as follows:
Resolved, etc, That there Is hereby established
the Monroe Doctrine Centennial commission.
There is hereby authorized TO be appropriated the
sum of $122, 500, to be expended by the congress
sional commission. The sum of S67 800 may De
expended in cooperation with the James Monroe
Memorial Association and Foundation, for the
purpose of contributing to the purchase and res
toration of the former home of James Monroe In
the city of New York, as a permanent memorial,
and the creation of a memorial foundation, the
income from which shall be used for purposes OF
furthering progress, unity, and good will among
the peoples OF the Pan-Amerlcan republics. rHiS-
five thousand dollars may be expended in coop
GRAFTON with the National Committee of Celebra-
ton for the purpose of participating in a general
program of public celebration of the one hundredth
anniversary of the enunciation of the Monroe
Doctrine to be held in New York and Washington,
and in the places of the birth and of the burial
of James Monroe and participating in memorial
services to be held in New York, on July A, 1923,
the ninety-second anniversary of his death. No
expenditures shall be made until the James Mon
roe Memorial Association and Foundation has ex-
pended or contracted to eXpend at least the sum
of $67. 500 for the same purposes.
When Clemenceau was here he put in his 1tn-
erary two must things: To place a wreath at
Lincoln's tomb and to touch the Liberty Bell. He
did both. And in this connection, Representative
f. B. Gernerd of Pennsylvania was moved in the
last congress to retell the story of the famous
journey of the Liberty Bell to Allentown, Pa, dur
ing the Revolution, He said in part:
at was after the battle of B~randywine, Sept. II,
1777, that General Washington ordered the trans
fer Of all military stores TO Bethlehem, Pa. Even
before that critical hour had arrived, the Pennsyl-
vania assembly awoke to the gravity of the situa-
ton and passed a resolution on the sixteenth day
of June authorizing the removal of all bells, as
well as all the copper and brass, in the city of
Philadelphia to some place of safety the Liberty
Bell was not taken from Independence Hall until
after General Washington's order had been given.
It constituted a part Of the military train of 700
wagons, which carried the whole of the heavy
baggage of the army, which was escorted by 200
Virginia and North Carolina soldiers under the
command Of Col. William Polk of North Carolina.
That famous caravan proceeded along the banks
of the Delaware river to Trenton, and from there
Travelled through wild and rugged country to Beth
lehem, arriving there on the twenty-fourth day Of
September, 1777. After the military train had
reached Bethlehem the wagon upon which the Lib
erty Bell was loaded broke down In the street.
1.-The next day the bell was placed on the wagon
of Frederick Leaser, who, together with John
Jacob Mickey, escorted by a small guard of sol
diers, brought it and the chimes of Christ church,
eight in number, to Allentown, where they were
placed in the basement of the German lions Re-
formed church, where it was kept in hiding until
the following spring, when the British army evac-