The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1929-03-01

~ n
I. kAS W Americans so well-versed
KN in the history of your
kN1.1u country that you can
kSSESlaN name all of the Presidents
kzZ<8aM of the United States in
the order of their admin
istrations and can tell something
about each one of them. But if some
one said to you, "What do you know
about the following Presidents of the
United States: John Hanson. Elias
Boudinot, John Hancock, Nathaniel
Gorlam and David B. Atchison?"
you'd probably exclaim, "Why, they.
never were Presidents of the United
States!" And therein you might be
wrong, for there are those who say
that those five men should be included
In the list of our Presidents, even
though such statement would have.
to be made with certain qualifica-
lions.
In the case of the first four. their
right to, be known las President is
based upon the following facts which
have to do with the evolution of the
Office of President of the United
States: ~ j g,@ a
| The First Continental congress met
In Philadelphia September 5, .1774,
and the delegates to 1t elected Peyton
Randolph Of Virginia, president. But
he was only president Of the congress,
not President of the United States, for
there was then no United States.
The Second Continental congress
7et;in PlsiIss5 aHti - lo. i77D, Hpu
John Hancock OF Massachusetts was
elected president. But he, too. was
president only Of the congress. Then
on August 2, 1776, the delegates to
this congress signed the Declaration
of Independence which brought into
being the United States of America.
But they were United States more in
name than In actual fact of a strong,
well-Organized government.
In TIT plan for the union of the
states was proposed and within IS
months, twelve of the states had
agreed to form the new nation in
accordance with a proposed plan.
drawn up under the name of the
Articles of Confederation. The only
state which opposed it at that time
was Maryland
Under the original Articles of Con-
federation each of the states made
claims to extensive western lands.
John Hanson and Daniel Carroll, of
the Maryland delegation, refused to
enter the new country under the above
existing conditions and Hanson sug-
gested the alternate plan. Maryland
offered to give up forever its claim to
western lands and to sign over it's ter
rit0ries to the federal government if
the other states would follow suit.
One by one they fell into line and
finally, on March 1. 1881, there was
adopted a constitution called the
"Artieles of Confederation and Per-
petuai Union Between the States"
However, the confederation thus
formed had no executive officer, no
judiciary and the sole governmental
body was single house of congress,
made up of delegates elected by the
legislatures of the states.
On November 5, 1881 John Hanson
was elected president of the congress,
his formal title being president of
the United States in Congress Assem-
bled." Thus the title president of the
United States" came into being and
Hanson's right to be included in the
list of our Presidents rests upon that
fact that he not only presided over
congrc s but was in fact as well as in
name the country's Chief Executive.
1t is also asserted by Hanson pro-
ponents, chief of whom is Seymour
Wemyss Smith, editor of the Financial
Digest Of New York city, who has
striven for three years to win national
recognition for Hanson and who is
planning to carry his fight to the floor
of the United States senate, that
Hanson. rather than George Washing