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Show ' (j , ( By ELMO SCOTT WATSON ill WlY, " ?V,j, i f i RrTTloU nm, be one of those 'MwM fe h if A . I I ' the hlstor, of your WMt$$$l ' W V W - "1 UAr country that you can lilVt -tt SfeTi Jm nurae all of the Presidents C?TTA5 WL jf fi,C - i - , ' M I'M r P- Xr ' J gglof the United States In JSrsglf P2 ' 0 VPlW"4 Wl ft"a '.e order of their admin- Jfe ; Vfl Orations and can tell Bo,nhlnB A J Mdtr- 'VlfeW bout each one of them. But If some iV"fp f TTW J one said to you, "Whut do you know vT 3 ' S t By ELMO SCOTT WATSON QT. T 'U may be one of those 3& J Americans so well-versed K to the history of your ijLjyi country that you can name all of the Presidents lQA 'f the United States In wmmammm the: order of their administrations admin-istrations and can tell something about each one of them. But If some ono said to you, "Whut do you know about the following Presidents of the United States: John Hanson, Klias Boudinot, John Hancock, Nathaniel Gorhnm and David B. Atchison?" you'd prohably exclaim, "Why, they never were Presidents of the United States!" And therein yon might be wrong, for there are those who say that those five men should he Included in the list of our Presidents, even though such n statement would have to be made with certain qualifications. qualifica-tions. In the case of the first four, their right to be known ns President Is based upon the following facts which have to do with the evolution of the office of President of the United States: The First Continental congress met In Philadelphia September B, 1774, ton, wus the first President of the United States. In proof of his assertion, Mr. Smith offers the following facts: On November 21, y81, the eonures- lonal committee on "Arrangement of the President's House," conlBtlng of Joseph Montgomery, Samuel Osgood and Kdmund Randolph, Introduced the following resolution In congress: 'Kesolved, That the attendants of the President's house consist of one steward and such others as may be found necessary, not exceeding eight." A residence had been leased a few days previously as President Hanson's home. The steward was required to deliver an accounting of expenses to the President's Presi-dent's secretary each month and the President was authorized by a. resolution resolu-tion to draw on the public treasury for the proper amount. On November 28, 1781, Gen. George WaRhlnirton was Hllmmnned h.fnn 1 after he was referred to as the "President "Pres-ident of the United States." In view of these facts It seems that John Hanson, Elias Boudinot, John Hancock, and Nathaniel Gorharn are as much entitled to being called "President "Pres-ident of the United States" us are any of the men from George Washington to Herbert Hoover who have borne that title, and that In listing our Presidents, Pres-idents, we should divide them Into two classes, those who held office under the Articles of Confederation and those who have held office under the Constitution. The right of David B. Atchison of Missouri to be Included In our list of Presidents Is a fertile subject for dispute. dis-pute. He la called "President for a Day." and the wliole question of whether or not he actually was Prea- eiiu me uro Kmcs lit tI eicctou reyton Randolph of Virginia, president. But he was only president of the congress, not President of the United States, for there was then no United States. The Second Continental congress met In Philadelphia May 10, 1775, and John Hancock of Massachusetts was elected president. But he, too. was president only of the congress. Then on August 2, 1770, the delegates to this congress signed the Declaration of Independence which brought Into being the United States of America. But they were United States more In nanm than In actual fact of a strong, well-organized government. In 1777 a plan for the union of the states was proposed and within 15 months, twelve of the states had agreed to form the new nation In accordance with a proposed plan, drawn up under the name of the Articles of Confederation. The only stat, which opposed It at that time was Maryland. Under the original Articles of Confederation Con-federation each of the states made claims to extensive western lands. John Hanson and Daniel Carroll, of the Maryland delegation, refused to enter the new country under the nhove existing conditions arid Hanson suggested sug-gested the alternate plan. Maryland offered to give up forever Its claim to western hinds and to sign over Its territories ter-ritories to the federal government If the other stales would follow suit. One by one they fell into line and finally, on March 1, 1781. there was udopted a constitution called the "Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Per-petual Union Between the States." However, the confederation thu3 formed had no executive officer, no Judiciary and the sole governmental body was a single house of congress, made up of delegates elected by tiie legislatuiet of the states. On November 5, 1781 John Hanson wns elected president of the congress, his formal title being "President of the United States In Congress Assent- congress and officially thanked by President Hanson for bis victory at Ycrktown. "Mr. President," Washington replied to president Hanson, "1 feel very sensibly sensi-bly the favorable declaration of congress con-gress expressed by your excellency. This fresh proof of their approbation cannot fall of making a deep Impression Impres-sion upon me, and my study shall be to deserve a "ontlnuance of It." In the meantime, before Washington Washing-ton became the "first President under the Constitution," the United States had three other "Presidents" under the Articles of Confederation. In November, No-vember, 1782, Hanson retired from the Presidency and died the following year. On Novemher 4. 1782 Ellas Boudinot Bou-dinot of New Jersey, who had served as a delegate to congress from 1778 to 1770 and bad again been chosen In 17S1, was chosen "President of the United States In Congress Assembled'' and became the Chief Kxecutlve of the nation. As such he Issued th proclamation announcing the end of the Revolution on April 19, 17S", and another announcing the signing of the treaty of peace on September 3. Klias Boudinot has nlso been called the "first President of the United States," -his right te that title being based upo i the fact that It was not until England had signed the treaty of peace und thus acknowledged the Independence of her former colonies that the free and Independent United States of American actually existed. In 17S5 the seat of government was changed to New York city and John Hancock of Massachusetts was elected elect-ed "President." Owing to 111 health, however, he did not actively serve in that position und on May 29, 1780, he resigned. So another "President" was chosen Nathaniel Gorharn of Massachusetts. Massa-chusetts. On May 14, 1787, a convention of delegates from all states except Rhode Island met In Philadelphia "to form a more perfect union" and after a stormy session of four months adopted ident depends upon whether or not a man can be President without taking the oath of office or actively administering admin-istering the affairs of the nation. Atchison's "Presidency" came about In this way: March 4, 1849, come ou Sunday. Technically, President James K. Polk's term of office expired March 3, 1849, and his successor, Zachnry Taylor, should have been Inaugurated on March 4. But March 4, 1S49, came on Sunday and Taylor did not take the oath of office until Monday, March 5, 1849. On March 3, George M. Dallas, vice president under Tolk, announced an-nounced In the senate, over which he was presiding, "The close of my official offi-cial term being near at hand, I conform con-form to tin established and convenient practice by withdrawing from the deliberations de-liberations of this body." On the mo-lion mo-lion of Senator Benton of Missouri, his colleague. Senator David B. Atchison, Atchi-son, was appointed president of the senate pro tern. Since the terms of President Polk nnd Vice President Dallas expired on March 3 and the term of President-Elect President-Elect Taylor did not begin until March 5, when he was Inaugurated, It is contended thut David B. Atchison was President of the United States for one day, Sunday, March 4, IS 19, even though he never took the oath of office. The biographical congressional congres-sional directory, 1774-1911, nn official, senate document, backs up that claim, although some historians contend that Taylor was Presidenl de facto on Sunday, even though be was not sworn l:i, and that Atchison was not sworn In as President and never pretended pre-tended to exerclKe any duty or prerogative pre-rogative of the office. But the state of Missouri honors him as the only Missourian who has so far served as President of the United States and on October 27 of last year It paid tribute to Its "President for u Day" when u $15,000 memorial statue of Atchison was dedicated at Platts-burg, Platts-burg, Mo., with Impressive ceremonies at which tiie governor of Missouri was ioc in uiciimi tijt.'uurr. lie is lul l nor remembered In his home state by a county which Is named for him and Missouri's sister siate, Kansas, has a city which bears his mime, although It Is more famous because It Is the home town of a famous country editor, Ed Howe of tho Atchison Globe,, than It Is because It was named for a "President "Presi-dent for a Day." bled." Thus the title "President of the United States" catneJnto being and Hanson's richt to be Included, In the list of our Presidents rests upon that fact that he not only presided over congrr s but was In fact as well as in k name tbe country's Chief Executive. It is also' asserted by Hanson proponents, pro-ponents, chief of whom is Seymour Wemyss Smith, editor of the Financial Digest of New York city, who has striven for three years to win national recognition for Hanson and who is planning to carry his tight to tbe floor of the United States senate, that Hanson, rather than George Washing- a new Constitution. If provided for a new method, of choosing a President and under Its provisions an election was held In which George Washington of Virginia, was unanimously elected President. From contemporary documents, docu-ments, It is evident that the Chief Executive of the nation was referred to then us the "President of the United Unit-ed States Under the Now Constitution" Constitu-tion" whereas before that official had been called tbe. "President of the United States In Congress Assembled." Later that portion of the title. "Under the New Constitution," was omitted as being too cumbersome und there- |