Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-25
Jefferson Quotation
Is Declared in Error
To the Editor of The Star:

To the Editor OF The Star:
I trust 1 will be pardoned for calling
attention to mistake in a quotation
In an editorial in recent issue of your
worthy journal, which have been TAX
ing and reading almost constantly now
for nearly Is years.
In this editorial Thomas jefferson, as
you will see from the marked copy in
closed is twice represented as having
used the expression, "All men are born
| free and equal" in the Declaration of
independence In addition, the edi-
torial itself is headed, it quotes, Free
and Equal"
1 would suggest that whoever wrote
this editorial get copy of the Daclara-
ton of independence itself and read
carefully the second sentence of that
immortal document. I think he will
discover that in this jefferson used
neither the word born" nor free in
this passage. Correctly quoted, the
complete passage reads:
we hold these truths to be self
evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable rights. that
among these are life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness"
This passage says nothing about men
being born" nor anything about their
being born free" Jefferson surely was
not so ignorant as not to know that
millions of men had been born slaves.
He was not dealing with birth or how
men were born when he wrote that i'm
mortal charter Of our rights and lib
critics which gave birth to a new ma
ton, founded on "a new order Of
things" He was dealing with crea-
ton and how the Creator created men.
And when Jefferson used the word
equal" he surely did not mean that
God had made all men equal in.height.
strength or mental capacity. He was
talking about rights" and "unalien-
able rights" And he went on to specify
three of the most important of these
"unalienable rights "life. liberty and
the pursuit of happiness" In these
things he maintained that God had
created all men equal: that one man
had as much right to these rights and
to enjoy these rights, as another; and
he was right. From this standpoint he
did not "overstate" matters. nor make
any too sweeping" a statement. He
simply gave expression to truth the
world had been waiting for ages to
hear 1t is only when he is misQuoted
as in this editorial. or misinterpreted,
or misunderstood. that men who be-
lieve in the equality of human rights
take exception to what he wrote.
Based upon this doctrine OF the
equality of human rights, to which
jefferson gave such terse and elegant
expression. is that other American
doctrine that all men should stand
upon an equality before the law. One
Of these doctrines is no more "eXtrav-
sgant" or "overstated" than the other.
Both are fundamental principles of the
Government of the United States.
1t Is q great mistake, therefore, in
nv Judgment, to have jefferson. the
author of the Declaration of indie
pendence, thus misquoted and misin-
terpreted in one of the leading dailies
OF the Capital of the Nation, and this
editorially. It does not seem that such
a Misrepresentation of him and the
Declaration should be permitted to pass
without correction. I consider this Is
one of the greatest breaks" have ever
seen in an editorial in The Evening
Star. 1t gives wrong impression TO
every reader who reads 1t, excepting
those who know just how the Declara-
ton of Independence reads, and. de-
spite such teaching and such obserVa-
tons, still hold to the equality OF
human rights. It makes governmental
when he was nothing of the kind. 1t
casts reflection upon the Declaration
of Independence and upon every one OF
the SIS noble patriots who signed it.
This is poor reading and poor instruc..
ton to put before the youth and school
children of this Capital City and Ma
ton. Its natural tendency will be to
create disrespect for the fathers and
founders OF the Nation, and to oues-
ton the soundness of the principles
and constitutional documents upon
which our Nation is founded. When
lawlessness and disrespect for law is SO
rampant. this is poor time to 90 any
thing like that. Far better would it be
to dig deep and get hold of correct
understanding of the fundamental prin-
ciples of the founding fathers and eX-
pound them and maintain them.
WILLARD A. COLCORD.