I50TH ANNIVERSARY OF
SIGNING OF DECLARA
TION OF INDEPENDENCE
On June 7, 1776', IWehard Henry Lee
moved in Congress that '‘these-United
States are and of right ought to be
free and independent States.” Four
days later the motion was adopted,
and two committees were raised to
present a declaration and the plan of
a confederation. On the declaration
committee were TbOmas. Jeffersosv,
Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and
Roger Sherman. On June 28, 1776'—
just 150 years ago this day-—that
committee reported. The Declaration
of Independence was drafted by Jef
ferson, and but very slightly changed
from his copy. When ir, came up for
final action—July 4, 1776—it received
the votes of every" d- legate from the
Thirteen Crfloni.es; ant! immediately
signed by the names of the fifty-six
members present.
Anything pertaining to those taking
part in the signing of that immortal
document—the Declaration of Inde
pendence—can not fail to prove of in
terest, for which reason the:following
speech—one which has.met with some
favor, likewise disfavor—delivered in
the House of Representatives some
weeks ago—is herewith reproduced,!
OAe Hundred and Fiftieth Anmvcr
sary of- the Declaration ofcb Inde
pendence-—-Jefferson When, in Good
Humor.
(Extension of remarks of Ilonr. Eman
uel Caller of New York in House of
Representatives.).
Mr. Caller. Mr. Speaker, one-of the
stories that.Thomas Jefferson repeat
e”d. at Monticello- was. the.one on Jef
ferson’s "boyhood chum, Hen Harrison.
While a member'of-the Continental
Congress- atu.Philadelphia, . Ben Har
rison was joined by a friend as he left
the Congressional.JHall. He took him
for a bumper to a place where sup
plies were furnished Members of Con
gress. They called for two glasses of
brandy and water. The man, in.
charge replied liquors were not in
cluded in supplies furnished Congress
men. Ben Harrison said: “Why not?
What are those New England Mem
bers drinking pver there?” The an
swer was, “Molasses and water, which
they charge to stationery.” Harrison
re-joined, “Very well; give me brandy
and water and charge it to fuel.”
I am in favor of H. J. 153 providing
for the participation by the Govern
ment of the United States in the Ses
quicentennial Exposition commemo
rating the signing of the Declaration
of Independence, at Philadelphia, July,
1926.
The resolution authorizes an expen
diture of $1,186,500 for the purpose of
participation by our Government
through the bureaus and departments.
The bill further authorizes the appro
priation of $3,000,000 for the1 con
struction of exposition buildings upon
the written approval,of the -National
Sesquicentennial Commission', which
commission was formed by a resolu
tion adopted in the; Sixty-eighth Con
gress. Two Presidents of the United
States have authorized this commem
oration of .the; signing, of the Declara
tion of. Independence, the authoriza
tion of which has been ascribed to
Thomas Jefferson. Philadelphia,
wherein was written and signed the
r—r
I
i
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\
Cigars
Tobaccos
Candies'
Fruits.
Soft Drinks
A Place to Meet
Your Friends
Proprietor
Geo, Mutchler
!
Declaration of Independence and
wherein the Constitution o l the
! Vnited States was framed, claims the
I hwt**>r. of being the birtahplace of'tftfsj
i Nation. It, is a fitting place to huldi
I an exhibition of. the progress of the
United States, irv.axt, science, indus
, try,, and in the .development of pro
| ducts of the air,, soil,, mine, forest,
1 and sea during the course of: 150
years. The amount hereby contract <
| uted to the Exposition by the Gov
ernment is-quite essential, to the end.
. that the exhibit might be held with
! suitable grandeur ami dignity:: * ' *
The Declaration of Independence is
indissolubly connected with Thomas
! Jefferson, its author.. Me wrote, that
1 famous document when he. was com
paratively a young man of ,1;< years.—
a red-headed son of a Virginia .plan
ter. He strongly believed in the doc
1 trine of equal rights, politically, so
’ cially and relgouslyt He had been the
' author of the Statute of Virginia for
Religious Freedom and caused its
passage by the Virginia Assembly.
I Part of it reads as follows:
] “Whereas Almighty God hath cre
1 ated the mind free; that all attempts
! to influence it by. temporal punish
ments or burthens, or by civil inca<
| pacitations, tend only to beget habits
of hypocrisy and meanness and are a
departure from the plan of the Holy
Author of our religion, who. being
Lord of both body and mind, yet chose
| not to propagate, it by coercions on
| either, as was in His Almighty power
; to do, and so on for another page of
1 magnificent, eloquent, and glorious
: defense of the principle of mental lib
erty, as even more important than
! physical freedom.”
It is the forerunner of all Araer
: lean documents that make for reli
gious freedom. It was the Smooth
! Stone from, the Book of Truth which
he, like David, hurled at the Philis
1 tines of bigotry and the Goliath of
intolerance.
By participating in this Exposition
and celebration we again affirm our
faith in Jefferson and the statute.
The Declaration of Independence
sounded the tocsin note of freedom
; and aroused, as had no othfer doou*
ment, a people to a realization of
their oppression. It was the alarm
clock that awakened the sleeping cen
turies. It was as radical as anything
that has ever come out of "Russia.
When the true history of our fath
ers shall hive been written, ,1 incline
to the belief thati-J* ffersoa will have
equal place with Washington. Tie. was
one of the most versatile men of his
times. Besides h wing*, been a: Mam
Ber of Congress, twice Governor of
Virginia, Minister too France, Secre
tary of State. to< Washington, founder
of the University of Virginia, and
twice President, he could calculate an
eclipse, survey an estate, plan an edi
fice, try a ease, break a horse, dance
a minuet, and play the fiddle. He was j
a sort of an Edison, Burbank, Ein-j
stein, all rolled into one. If he were!
living today he would know all about1
radio, aviation and the automobile. He
probably would have been a baseball
fan and his wife a golf widow. He
built and equipped Monticello, bis
lovely home, which partakes of “the
glory that was Greece and the gran
deur that was Rome.” Monticello is
now a national shrine of democracy..
John Adams, second President of the
United States, and his friend, de
scribes how he was welcomed to the
Continental Congress, as he brought
with him a reputation for literature,
science, and a large talent for com
position. He understood Italian,
French' and Spanish-, and had been
learning German, and intended to
(learn Gaellic.
Withal he had afine sense of
humor. Too often this is lost sight of,
and one rarely finds any streak of his
humor in the tomes that have been
written about him. The common con
ception is that Jefferson, Madison.
Washington, Lincoln, and Hamilton
were really lacking in humor. Be it
known, however, that they had their
times of hilarity and bumon, just' like
other mortals. We usually put great
men on such a High pedestal and so
far up in the clouds that the mists of
fancy, speculation and reverence
hide the fact that 'hey were humans
and at times humorous;' We almost
deify Washington, yet the truth is
now coming into its own that Wash
ington: would' often drop-his solemn
gravity - and swear like a stableman
and evert throw things at people. He
even: enjoyed a iribald joke. Lincoln
was a man of great austerity;, but he
often suffered a lapse from grace.
Myths often hide the real Lincoln.
He failed to appear at the church on
the day set for his wedding. He had
a rare and rich humor. When he was
afflicted with a slight attack of small
jhmc and was quarantined in the
White House he said, “Now that I
have something to give, nobody wants
to take it from me.”
The great Washington often im
bibed “wisely but not too well.” There
has been recently printed his recipe
for making beer. Here it is:
“Take a large sifter full of bran
hops to your taste—boil these three
hours, then strain out 30 gallons into
a cooler. Put. in three gallons mo
lasses while the beer is scalding hot,
or rather draw the molasses into the
cooler and strain the beer on it while
boiling hot. Let this stand till it is
little more than blood warm., then put
in a. quart of yeast. If tin* weather is
very cold, cover it over with a blanket
and let it. work in the cooler 24 hours,
then put it into the cask.. Leave the
bung open until it is almost done
working. Bottle it that day week it
was brewed. (Washington’s notebook
(kept when he was a* Virginia* colonel
in 1757), p. 0.)
The great Hamilton had his unfort
unate affair wit tv,Dolly Reynolds. The
great Jefferson, at.times,,too,. Had his
off moments. 1 call to mind that off
moment when he said' that yellow
Fever was a provident, blessing be
caus eit discouraged the growth of
great cities. Jefferson,, you know,
viewed cities as pestilential to the
morals, to the health and to the liber
ties of mankind. The* answer is: A.
giant can carry a thousand sins. The
sun has its spots. The diamond has
its flaws. I wish, however., that much
more could be broadcast about chi'
humor of Jefferson and the sparkle of
his wit.
Paul Wilstach has a very interest
ing chapter on Jefferson's humor en
titled “Jefferson Out. of Harness,” and
he calls to mind that Jefferson*
cheered Elbridge Gerry, when that
gentleman felt the barbs of his ene
mies, with-—
“The vote of vaur opponents is the
most honorable mark by which the
soundness of yours conduct could he
stamped. I claim the. same honorable
testimonial. There was hut a single
act of my whole administration of
which that party approved. * * *
And when I found they approved it,,
f confess 1 began strongly to appre
hend l had done some wrong, and to
exclaim with the psalmist, ‘Lord, what
Rave I done that the wicked should
praise me?’
Wilstach, futhermore, says that the
reputation of an oratorical bore was
wrapped up and delivered in the re
mark by Jefferson that “His speeches
were dull, vapid, verbose, egotistical,
smooth as the lullaby of a nurse, and
commanding, like that, the repose
only of the hearer.”
Jefferson wrote Patrick Henry: “If
the troops could be fed upon long let
ters, I believe the gentleman at the
head of that department in this coun
try would be the best commissary on
earth. * * * They are like a drop
sical man calling for water.”
Jefferson often repeated a story,
told him by Ben Franklin, who said
he had been invited t«> o club of phy
sicians when the case under consid
eration was whether physicians had
on the whole done more good or harm,
and the chairman said they must first
tell him whether under the appella
tion of physicians they meant, to in
clude old women. If they did, then
they had done more good than harm;
otherwise, more harm than good.
And our good friend Jefferson had
his moments when he could be quite
frivolous with the ladies. * * *
When he went to France he was asked
by Mrs. Smith, daughter of John
Adams, to procun for her two pairs
of corsets. He wrote to her from
France as follows
“Mr. Jefferson* has the honor to pre
sent his compEment-s to Mr Ms. Smith
and to send her the two pairs of cor
sets she desires, lie wishes they may
be suitaBle, as Mr*. Smith omitted to
send her measure. Times have al
tered since Mademoiselle de Sanon
had the honor of knowing her; should
they be too* small, however, she will
be so good’ as to lay them by awhile.
There are ebbs as well as flows in
this world.”
Jefferson was aske'd once why the
Declaration: of Independence was
signed so promptly, and Jefferson is
alleged to have replied:
“When the question of independ
ence was before Congress it had its
meetings near a livery stable. The
members wore short breeches and silk
stockings, and with handkerchief ii
hand they were diligently employed ii
lashing the flies from their legs. S<
very vexatious was this annoyance
and to so great an impatience did if
arouse the sufferers that it hastened
if it did not aid, in inducing them tc
promptly affix their signatures to the
I great document.”
I like Jefferson all the better for his
| humor; it helps our better under
standing him.
I Thus, if the sesquicentennial does
| nothing but help enshrine in the
hearts of our people a better love for
Jefferson, it will justify my vote for
this appropriation. Permit me, in
closing, to apply the words of Shelley
to Jefferson—
“ ’Til lthe future dares
Forget the past, his fate and fame
shall be
An echo and a light unto eternity.”
CAILLAl \ MAY ACCEPT
FINANCE MINISTER POST
Paris, June 23.—C’aillaux is under
stood to have accepted the post of
Minister of Finance in the new French
Cabinet. This may throw out M.
Poincare and force the new Premier
to select Cabinet members in accord
ance with ( aillaux policies.
Notice to Pay School Tax
TojAll Whom This May Concern:
In accord with Chapter 21), Session
Laws of Alaska, 1910, and amendments
thereto, all male persons between the
atres of twenty-one and fifty years, who
are not “sailors in the United States
navy or revenue cuttir service, volun
teer firemen, paupers or insane per
sons,” are required to pay an annual
school tax of five dollars (§5).
This tax is due and payable after the
PROFESSIONAL
Mrs. Jean McLean
Notary Public
Tokotua, Alaska
| Du Rand’s !
! Cafe and j
j Hotel |
Flat City
:! and deduct as herein specified within
, i first Monday in the month of April and
shall he paid before the first day of
May, providing you are in the Terri
tory of Alaska mi said first date; if not,
the tax is due witbiD thirty days after
vour arrival in Alaska or within ten
i days after written or oral demand is
made upon you by the school tax col
lector. Taxes not paid iD accordance
with the foregoing requirements shall
become delinquent, and each person de
linquent shall be subject to a fine of
two dollars.
I All persons, firms and cot porations
i employing labor in Alaska shall fur
; nlsh to collectors a list of all employes
(subject, to tax, aDd employers of labor
i as above set out are authorized by pro
visions of said act to deduct amount of
! the tax from the wages of each em
ployee who is subject thereto. If any
: of such employers shall fail to report
j the period designated for pavmeDt of
. said tax, the said employers of labor
1 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and
subject, to a fine of from $50 to $500.
All persons subject to, and refusing
or neglecting to pay, said tax, are sub
ject. to a i,t,e of $25, or imprisonment in
jail for [>eriod of one month: and all
Mich employers of labor as herein set
out, who neglect or refuse to collect
said tax from employees may be pro
ceeded against and shall pay the
amount of'-ach individual tax, and a
further penalty of $25 for each such
tax.
Tax receipts will be furnished by the
tax collectors.
Dated at Takotna. Alaska, this .'fist
day of May, 1926.
J. H. McLEAN,
Duly authorized and qualified
Alaska Territorial Schoel Tax
Collector for Tokotna District.
B. & t Store
McGrath, Alaska
Groceries
Hardware
Miners’ Supplies
of All Kinds
Ladies’ Furnishings
Furs Bought and Sold
Moose Skin Mitts and Boots
King Island Mukluks
Babeesh, or Sled Lashing
Voigt’s Dog Harness, the very
Best
FRESH GARDEN SEEDS
A. R. Eldridge
i
1 ALASKA RIVERS NAVIGATION \
! COMPANY |
j Operating Light Draught Stea mers j
On the Kuskokwim. i
i I
Capt. Wallace Langley, Manager. |
! i
J. H. McLEAN
i
Fresh Fruits Fresh Vegetables j:
Plenty of Nuts
Choice Canned Goods Meats
Fresh Garden Seeds
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