8
THE GREEN BAG
such be made, that may cause or lead to a separation from our Mother Country, or a change of the form of this Government." It was impossible for Wilson or any other Pennsylvania delegate to vote for Inde pendence while bound by such drastic instructions. Wilson's true attitude, fortu nately for his 'fame, is set forth not only in his arguments, cited supra, but in what is perhaps the most extraordinary certificate ever given by members of a representative body in defence of the course of a comember, and which the writer recently located in the Archives of the National Government. This document, now for the first time published, and dated "Congress Chambers, Philadelphia, June 20, 1776," bears the names, inter alia, of John Han cock, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, and is as follows : "Whereas it has been represented to the Congress that Reports have been circulated concerning Mr. Wilson, one of the Delegates of Pennsylvania to the Disadvantage of his Publick Character and the Misrepre sentations have been made for his Conduct in Congress, "We the Subscribers Members of Congress do therefore certify, that in a late Debate in this House upon a Proposition to declare these Colonies free and independent States Mr. Wilson after having stated the Prog ress of the Dispute between Great Britain and the Colonies, declared it to be his opinion that the Colonies would stand justi fied before God and the World in declar ing an absolute Separation from Great Britain forever; and that he believed a Majority of the People of Pennsylvania were in Favour of Independence, but that the Sense of the Assembly (the only repre sentative Body then existing in the Prov ince) as delivered to him by their Instruc tions, was against the Proposition, that he wished the Question to be postponed, be cause he had Reason to believe the People of Pennsylvania would soon have an Op portunity of expressing their Sentiments upon this Point and he thought the People ought to have an Opportunity given them to Signify their opinion in a regular Way upon a Matter of such Importance — and because the Delegates of other Colonies
were bound by Instructions to disagree to the Proposition and he thought it right that the Constituents of these Delegates should also have an Opportunity of deliberating on the said Proposition, and communicating their Opinions thereon to their respective Representatives in Congress — The Ques tion was resumed and debated the Day but one after Mr. Wilson delivered these Senti ments, when the Instructions of the Assem bly referred to were altered and new In structions given to the Delegates of Penn sylvania. Mr. Wilson then observ'd that being un-restrained, if the Question was put he should vote for it; but he still wished a Determination on it to be postponed for a short time until the Deputies of the People of Pennsylvania who were to meet should give their explicit Opinion upon this Point so important and interesting to themselves and their Posterity; and also urged the Propriety of postponing the Question for the Purpose of giving the Constituents of several Colonies an Opportunity of remov ing their respective Instructions, whereby Unanimity would probably be obtained. "Samuel Adams, John Hancock; Wm. Whipple; Thos. Jefferson; -Thos. Nelson, Jur.; Benj." Harrison; Wil liam Floyd; John Alsop; Francis Lewis; Joseph Hewes; Robert Treat Paine; William Ellery; J. Rogers; Henry Wisner; T. Stone; Edward Rutledge; Arthur Middleton; Thomas Willing; Francis Lightfoot Lee; Robert Morris; John Adams; Step: Hopkins." "Congress Chambers, Philadelphia, the 20th. June 1776." The delegates of several colonies were bound by instructions similar to those given by the Assembly of Pennsylvania; among these were the delegates from New York New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware. Wil son, with his keen foresight realizing that the Declaration would not be practically effective, and might indeed prove abortive, if not supported unanimously by the colo nies, was straining every energy to secure an expression of the will of the people, whose temper he knew and trusted, and whom he had for so long a time, by resist less logic, been preparing for the great step. Finally under pressure from the people,
