Smyrna times., 1933-05-31
HONOR PAID
TO DICKINSON
Marker to Patriot, Scholar,
Soldier, Unveiled at Will
mingtOn Cemetery
PROMINENT
SPEAKER

Delaware Thursday officially hon
ored John Dickinson, scholar, sold
ier and writer, one of the most
brilliant of the Revolutionary and
post-Revolutionary patriots. Thurs
day afternoon Governor Buck and
members of the Society of Friends
met at the grave of Dickinson to
unveil the monument in his honor.
The monument, bronze tablet set
into a boulder near the grave of
Dickinson, has been erected by the
Historical Markers Commission.
The grave is at the Fourth and
Washington streets corner of the
old Friends cemetery in Whining
ton. Dickinson was the author of
the country's first national consti-
tuition, THE Articles of the Confed-
eration," and also the author of the
famous "Olive Branch" petition
written in 1774 asking King George
III to withdraw his troops from the
colonies. Dickinson was also out
standing at the Constitutional Con-
vention of 1887 and he signed the
Constitution as a delegate from
Delaware, but at the peak of his
public career, he brought down
upon himself the odium of many
Colonial patriots because declined
to vote for the Declaration of In
dependence and refused to sign his
name to the famous document.
Since his death in 1908, Dickinson
has been buried at the Friends
cemetery, Fourth and West streets,
Wilmington, with only a small
headstone marking his grave. En-
graved on the stone was simply
-. D." and thousands passed the
grave, little knowing that there lay
one of Delaware's most outstand-
ing patriots, one time governor of
the State, chief justice of Pennsyl-
vania, delegate to the Continental
Congress from Delaware and Penn
sylvania, author of "The Articles of
the Confederation" author of sew
eral important petitions to King
George in behalf of the early col
onies, author of '"The Farmers Let
ters" and one of the outstanding
Delaware delegates to the Consti-
tutional convention in 1887 and a
signer of the Constitution as a Del
aware representative. When Dick
inson died, Congress went into
mourning for 80 days. In July,
1776, when Congress was debating
the Declaration of independence,
Dickinson as delegate from Penn
sylvania led the opposition to the
Declaration and in doing so, he
brought upon himself the hatred of
the jealous New Englanders and
the other delegates who favored in
dependence. Dickinson controlled
the Pennsylvania vote and had he
persisted he might have turned
Pennsylvania against signing the
Declaration. He wanted the colon |
les to wait until a more auspicious |
time to sever connections with Eng |
land, but when he saw that many
of the colonies wanted complete in
dependence, rather than delay the |
voting, he left Congress and joined |
a regiment in New Jersey. This
act, historians say, was the noblest
proof of moral courage ever shown
by public man, but in doing so,
he made himself for a time an out
cast from public life and became a
martyr to his opinions. At the ex-
ercises Thursday afternoon Benia-
min X. Smedley, chairman of the
committee of the West
street monthly meeting of Friends
opened with brief Introductory re-
marks, followed by the invocation
by Bishop Philip Cook. The sing