Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-19
i. S. HAS ORIGINAL
OF DECLARATION
Frequent Claims of "Genu-
inc" Elsewhere Challenged
by Library Experts.
BY THOMAS R. HENRY.

copy of the Declaration of Independ-
ence"?
The original document has turned up
so frequently of late, been featured in
newspaper headlines, and allegedly pro-
nounced genuine by scholars who
should know better, that the staff of
the Division of Manuscripts at the
Library of Congress is beginning to get
impatient.
For in its own files is the one, origi-
nal copy of the Declaration OF lnde-
pendence, authenticated beyond the
slightest possibility of doubt, and any
other "one original copy" that turns up 1
anywhere lust naturally isn't" no mat
ter who says it is. In all the field OF
history there are few facts more certain
than this. e.
But the letters offering for. sale. 1.-THE
one, original copy" continue to come.
The owners, 1t is stated at the Library,
slightest doubt that they have some
thing which will bring them great
wealth. Sometimes they have scholar
ly support for their opinions.
But a fact is a fact, and 1t is dis
agreeable job for tn e;;p2-ts to write
each time a pcr5c.-1 spy blasting
high hopes and sometimes getting
abused for their trouble by persons
whose faith can't be shaken. So, con-
Sidering the number of the letters. it
has had printed a form letter which
henceforth everyone will receive who
claims to have the zone original
Declaration"
Only Original Known.
The letter follows:
''The Declaration Of Independence,
the original engroSSed document with
the original signatures, Is in the LIZ
brary of Congress, on exhibition in a
shrine specially constructed to contain
it and the Constitution of the United
States, with such arrangements as will
prevent any subsequent fading. No
other original with the signatures is
known The engroSsing was ordered by |
Congress July 10, 1875. and was COM |
pleted by August 2, 1776. Most of the |
signatures we're affixed to the parch- |
ment on the latter day The others |
were added at various times during the |
months of August, September, october |
and November of the same year.
This document has often been re- |
produced in facsimile. The only fac |
smile made from the parchment itself |
was made in 1928 by order of John |
Quincy Adams, Secretary of State, Two |
hundred copies of this were printed |
and were distributed by Congress. The |
name of the engraver, William j. Stone, |
was then removed from the plate, but |
he was later permitted to replace it. /
How many were printed in the interval |
is not known. Every other facsimile /
has been made from one of these 1928 |
facsimiles or its replica.
THE Library does not undertake to /
furnish correspondents with estimates /
of the value of facsimiles. The super
intendent Of documents at the Govern
ment Printing Office can supply well /
executed facsimile on receipt Of Is
cents.
THE Library also has, in the Division
Of Manuscripts, the draft of the Decla-
ration prepared for the Continental /
Congress by the committee of five APP
pointed for that purpose on June In /
17T6. It is in the handwriting Of /
Thomas Jefferson, with a few amend |
ments in the handwriting Of John |
Adams and BENJAMIN Franklin"
A Priceless Document.
Obviously, it was stated at the Di-
vision of Manuscripts, the original /
Declaration of independence, If it hap
pened to be footloose in the world,
would be priceless. But it is the prop
erty of the United States Government
and anyone can see it and convince
himself of its authenticity.
Well executed facsimiles Of historical
documents, sometimes difficult to de-
tect, where the history is not known,
are constantly appearing In almost
every mail the Library OF Congress re-
ceives some inquiry. Interest has in
creased of late because of the fabulous
prices paid for some genuine manu-
scripts, especially those containing Sig |
natures of some signers of the Declara- /
ton who wrote few letters. Wealthy |
collectors trying to get complete col
lection OF the signatures of "Signers"
sometimes are willing to pay almost any /
price.
The value Of a letter, it is pointed |
out, depends not. so much on its con-
tents, unless this happens to be very |
significant, as on the rarity, of the sig /
nature. Thus papers signed by such /
men as Washington and jefferson, who |
carried on constant and voluminouS |
correspondence, have nothing approach |
ing the value Of any scrap of paper /
which bears the authentic signature Of |
Abraham Lincoln. The Library Of |
Congress itself has only few Lincoln |
gnatures-outside the closed collec- |
ton Of Lincoln papers deposited by the |
late Robert Todd Lincoln which can |
not be opened-and it is practically inn |
possible to obtain one at any price any |
where.
The value Of the great mass of his
torical papers IN the files of the manu- |
script division it is pointed out, would |
be incalculable If judged by the prices |
sometimes paid for single similar manu- |
scripts. Here they are preserved not |
as curiosities but as source material for
students Of American history.
This material, says DR.. j. Franklin
Jameson, chief of the Division of Manu- |
scripts, now is being augmented by the |
correspondence of men still living who
are sending their preserved letters to
the library with the understanding that
they will be closed to the public until
all persons named in them are dead. |
Among the collections thus received are
those from Elihu Root and Robert /
Lansing. The library also has received, |
with appropriate restrictions, the papers |
of the late William Jennings Bryan |
and Philander c. Knox. When these |
are finally opened to scholars they are |
expected to shed much light on the |
history Of the recent past