THE CHINA MAIL, OCTOBER 30, 1939
TO-DAY'S STRANGE STORY OF REAL PEOPLE
NO. 76-DID JEFFERSON
WRITE THE
DECLARATION?
By VINCENT TOWNE
Many wise heads have held that one of the most flagrant of our historical fallacies is that which has long
credited Thomas Jefferson with au- thorship of the original draft of the Declaration of Independence.
Jefferson
or
mind. our
} History states that on June 10. 1776, the lower house of Congress, sitting in Philadelphia, entrusted the framing of that great instrument to a committee composed of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, their marriage, he had taken a second Robert R. Livingston and Jefferson. bride, but had deserted her for the Less authentic history states that of wife of a Paris publisher. He was these, Franklin was first selected for self-willed and arrogant, yet possess~ the task, but that his colleagues, feared of a wonderfully brilliant ing his sense of humour, turned to While Benjamin Franklin was others on the committee and finally representative in London, Paine wrote. intrusted the duty to Jefferson. In an attack on the British royal sys- fact, tourists to Philadelphia to-day tem which contained so much punch are shown a tablet which marks a that Franklin persuaded him to come building at the corner of 7th
and to Philadelphia in 1774. He employ- Market Sts., as the site of the house ed his agile pen as a protege of in which the great Virginian wrote Franklin, who obtained for him the the original draft of the document editorship of the Pennsylvania Ma- which was to sever us from the mo- | ther country.
gazine. He was writing forceful articles against slavery and in favour of American independence when he met Jefferson upon the eve of the framing of the Declaration.
Whoever wrote the original De- claration saw it altered considerably by Congress before that body even- tually adopted it, and there is no re- cord of the militant Jefferson's hav-deprive him of the honour of hav- ing ever uttered any protest against these changes.
Some students of history are con- vinced that Jefferson did not frame the original draft for the following
reasons:
of
The theory of those who would
ing composed the original draft the Declaration is that Jefferson, upon being selected to make that draft, turned to Paine as the man best able to put into emphatic and forceful language the sentiments which should The draft excoriated the British be embodied in that great instru- King for having carried on the slavement, and that Paine had injected trade, whereas Jefferson was a slave-into the document some of his own holder; that it rebuked "Scotch and pet theories. foreign mercenaries," whereas Jeffer- son was particularly fond of the peo-ed the issue of unjust taxation has ple of Scotland, and that it contain- been put forth as a further argument ed expressions which Jefferson's
in favour of Paine's authorship. He writings nowhere contain, as well
regarded that issue as unimportant, as views opposite to him. Some au-
whereas Jefferson had fought for it thorities, who have carefully weigh-
strenuously. claim ed all of the evidence,
that these sentiments and expressions so
one
а
ill-befitting Jefferson exactly fit the theories and echo the expressions of a genius who, while dwelling in Philadelphia at that time, was of Jefferson's most intimate advisers. This man was Thomas Paine, native of England, the son of а Quaker corset maker who, after serv- ing apprenticeship in his father's trade, had undertaken such various occupations as grocer, revenue man, schoolmaster, nonconformist preacher and pamphleteer. Paine had been a man of roving disposition and dis- solute habits. Having been widowed by his first wife within a year after
High Blood Pressure
The fact that the Declaration slight-
Paine was the author of the pam- phlet Common Sense, whose forceful arguments in favour of independence brought him as reward a vote of 500 pounds from the Pennsylvania Legis- lature and a master's degree from the Pennsylvania Legislature and a mas-
of ter's degree from the University
arguments set Pennsylvania. The forth in this work strikingly parallel- ed those of the Declaration, and it has been pointed out that the Declara- tion was not couched in the flow- ing style of Jefferson.
Its explosive, terse style was very characteristic of Paine whose favourite figures of speech and phraseology
Dangerous to Heart Kitty
Thousands of men and women past 40 face the dangers of heart trouble and paralysis because of High Blood Pressure. High Blood Pressure is a mysterious din- ease that causes more deaths than cancer, largely because people mistake the symp. toms for indigestion or some simpla trou. ble. Common symptoms are: Pressure in the head, headaches at top and back of hand and above eyes, dizziness, short breath, nervousness, poor sleep, heart pains, drowsiness, loss of memory and energy. If you suffer any of these symp toms, do not delay a single day, for your life may be in danger. Start treatment at once with Hynox, which reduces High Blood Pressure with the first dose, takes a heavy load off the heart, and makes you feel years younger in a few days, Gst Hynox from your chemist today. It is guaranteed to make you feel fit and strong or money back.
Asthma Cause Killed In 24 Hours
Thanks to the discovery of an American physician, it now is possible to get rid of those terrible spells of choking, gasping, coughing and wheezing Asthma by Killing the true canıne which is Germe in 1
No
Kuurning.
injections. This po
hypoondacer" sterta ta
Paine
are scattered through it. Agnostic that he was, Paine believed God to be nature and often described the Deity as such. Therefore, the De- claration's phrase "nature and na- ture's God" has been used as another argument for his authorship.
Paine was not at all jealous of credit for many of his works. He had the habit of writing anonymous- ly.
Jefferson, it is charged, never claimed authorship of the Declaration until after Paine's death.
The authorities who have begrudg- of having ed Jefferson the honour written the Declaration of Indepen-* dence have been men of serious mind, and after one has. weighed all of the evidence, it must be admitted that the identity of the writer who ex-
the pressed in such forceful words yearnings of. a downtrodden people remains in doubt.
PRESIDENT LINER
Sailings
TRANS-PACIFIC SERVICE
To
SAN FRANCISCO & LOS ANGELES Via Shanghai, Japan & Honolulu ROUND-WORLD SERVICE
To
NEW YORK & BOSTON Via Manila, Singapore, Penang, Colombo, Bombay, Suez, Port Said, Alexandria, Naples, Genoa and Marseilles.
✰✰ AMERICAN ⋆⋆ PRESIDENT LINES
“ ROUND-WORLD SERVICE.”
"Also Agents for “TWA,'
The Popular Trans-Continental Air Line”.
TELEPHONE 28171. 12, PEDDER ST.
LLOYD TRIESTINO
REGULAR FORTNIGHTLY SERVICE
OUTWARD: for SHANGHAI
B
HOMEWARD: for GENOA, NAPLES (London Overland)
via MANILA, SINGAPORE,
BOMBAY & PORTSAID
COLOMBO,
enjoy
guaranteed to "t74
in 24 hours and to stop your
plštely in':8 days or mone of empty package. Get.
londaco
When a romanos le on the skida generally the man who plake
Upland gets going.
For further particulars apply to:
LLOYD TRIESTINO
Queen's Bldg., Ground F1., Tel. 32982
**Tél: Add. “LLOYDIANO" P.O.B. 143
.....
Agents, Canton-Messrs. Dodwell & Co., Ltd., Shameen
Page 15Page 16