Carbon County news., 1937-09-10
By ELMO SCOTT WATSON

II, 1887.
l. The place is Independ'
ence Hall in Philadelphia,
where a little more than II
years ago a group of Sc men
had gathered to sign a docu-
ment which declared that
"these United Colonies are
and by right ought to be free
and independent states"
Now another group of men
SIS this time-has gathered
here to sign another docu-
ment, and it is even more i'm
portant than the Declaration
of independence. With it,
they hope, the people of the
United States will form a
more perfect Union, establish
Justice, insure domestic
Tranquility, provide for the
common defense, promote
the general Welfare and Sc
cure the Blessings of Liberty
to ourselves and our Poster
ity."
Heaven knows, there's need
enough for all those things!
During the last 10 years (since
November IS, 1777) the new
republic, founded by the Sc
signers of the Declaration,
has been trying to function
under the Articles of Confed-
Grafton and it hasn't been very
successful. There has been
little enough tranquility,
none too much of justice or
common defense or general
welfare. AS for a perfect
Union"-well, there was more
than. one despairing citizen
who called his country the
dis-United States!
So the 55 men, who had gath
cred here on May ID, 1887, to
frame a durable form of govern
ment, knew what a stern task |
there was ahead of them. 1t was
a familiar enough scene to six of |
them-Roger Sherman, Benja-
min Franklin, Robert Morris, |
George Clymer, James Wilson
and George Read. They saw in |
this room the same furnishings |
which had been here on that July |
day II years ago when they |
signed the American Magma |
Charta. There was the same I
mahogany desk and high |
back chair in which John Han
cock had sat as he presided over
the deliberations of the Sc i'm
mortals who were risking their |
lives by placing their signatures
on that instrument of sedition."
Near it was the chair in which |
had sat the secretary who record
ed their proceedings - Charles
Thomson.
But now, Maj. William Jackson
occupied Charles Thomson's
place and, instead of John Han
cock, another man sat in the /
presidents chair" His indom-
table courage even in the "times
that tried mems SOULS" his will
70 win, his mistaken faith had
made independence a living real
ty instead of just vague ideal
o be hoped for. So it was only
light that George Washington
should preside over the delibera-
ions of the men who were to
shape the destinies of the nation
le had striven so nightly to
'ring into being. And, in all truth,
hey would need his strong hand
o guide them during the next
our months.
Four Bitter Months.
For those were to be four
months of debate, argument, con-
roversy and bitterness as per-
Qualities and opposing view
'oints clashed and mems tenn
'ers grew short in the sultry heat
f one of the hottest summers
Philadelphia had ever known.
Wrestling with the tremendous
ask of trying to save a nation
rom chaos and working behind I
losed doors and closed windows,
hey suffered terribly from the
eat-and they also suffered from
nutterable WEAKNESS with the
,ng-windedness of some of the
peakersI
More than once the great Vir-
inian had almost despaired in
his sitting room just as he had
Lmost despaired on the snowy
illsides of Valley Forge. For at {
mes it seemed certain that the
would break up with
5 task unfnished-and he knew ,
lat meant the end of the fed
Il a,rninr, Enr. rrrLninl, = L.. hnd | e