Show aver hear of these by ELMO SCOTT WATSON OU may be one ot thos americans so well versed in the history of your country that you can name all of the presidents of the united states in the order of adman and can tell about each one of them but if some one said to sou what do ou know about the following presidents of the united states john hanson ellas boudinot john hancock gorham and daid B probably exclaim why chev bever cever nere presidents of the united states and therein you might be wrong for there are who say that those flie men should be included in the list of our presidents even though such a statement would ahne to be made with certain alons in the case of the first four their right to be known aa president Is based upon the following faits which have to do with the evolution of the office of president of the united states the first continental contress cons ress met in philadelphia september 5 1774 did ohp delegates to K elected peyton randolph of virginia president but le l e was only president of not president of the united tor 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 alie congress then on august 2 1770 the delegates to this congress signed the declaration of independence which brought alno feeding feeing the united elites of america but they united states more in came than in actual fact of a strong well government in 1777 a plin 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 onla state velch opposed it at that time nas maryland under alie articles of con federation each of tl e states emde claims to extensile western lands john hanson and dinael carroll of the maryland delegation refused to enter the new country under the above existing conditions and hanson sug the alternate plan maryland offered to give up forever its clita to western lands and to agn over its ter to the federal government if the other elates would follow suit one by one they fell into line and finally on march 1 1781 there was adopted B constitution called the articles ot confederation and per hetnal ut lon between the states however the confederation thus formed had no nicer B judiciary and the sole governmental body was a single house of congress made up of delegates elected by the legislature of the states on november B 1781 john was elected president of the congress formal title being president of the united states in congress assem bled thus the titled president of the united states came into being ami dansons hansons right to be included in tin list of our presidents rests upon that fact that he not only presided over condit s but was in act as well ns in name the count rys chief it Is also asserted by finnson proponents thief of whom Is seymour smith editor of the digest of new york city who has for three icara to ali national recognition for hanson and who Is planning to curry his tight to he floor of the united states senate that hanaan rather than george waging ton was the first president 0 the united states in pro f of his assertion mr offers the following facts on november 21 1781 the congles con gres committee on arrangement of the presidents house consisting of joseph montgomery samuel osgood and edmund randolph introduced th following resolution in congress resolved Ke solved that the attendants of the presidents house consist ol 01 one steward and euch others as may be found necessary not exceeding eight A residence had been leased a few days previously as president s home the steward was required to decher an accounting of expenses to the presidents secretary each month and the president was author lied by a resolution to draw on the public treasury for the proper amount on november 28 1781 gen george washington was summoned before congress and officially thanked by president for bis victory at yorktown Tork town mr president washington replied to president I 1 feel very sensibly the favorable declaration of congress expressed by your excellency this fresh proof of their approbation cannot fall of making a deep imbres flon upon me and my study ahall be to deserve a nuance of tt in the meantime before hashing ton became the first president under the constitution tha united states had throe other presidents under the articles cf confederation in no member 1782 retired from this presidency and died the following year on november 4 bou donot of new jersey who had served as a delegate to congress from 1778 to 1779 and had again been chosen in was president of the united states in congress Assembled 1 and became the chief of the nation As such he issued th proclamation the end of the revolution on april 19 1783 and another announcing alie signing of the treaty of peace on september 3 rilas boudinot has also bon ailed the first president of the united states his right to that title heln based the fact that tt was not until angland had signed the tre icv of peace and thus acknowledged the independence of her former colonies that the free and independent united states of american actually existed in 1785 the seat of government was changed to new york city and john of massachusetts was elect ed president owing to health however be did not serve in that position and en may 29 1780 he resigned so another president was chosen nathaniel gorham of massa 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 a new constitution I 1 provided for a new method of choosing j president and under its provisions an election was held in which george washington of virginia was unanimously elected president from contemporary docu ments it la evident that the chief executive of the nation was referred to then as the president of the unit cd states under the new alon whereas before that official and been called the president of the united states in congress assembled I 1 ater eliat portion of 1 I e title under the new constitution was omitted na being too cumbersome and there after he was referred to as the pres ident of the united states in view of these facts it seems that jolin alanson allag boudinot john and nathaniel are as mud entitled to being called pros ident of the united as sire any of the men from george washington to herbert hoover who have borne that title and that in listing our ires identa we should divide them into two classes those who held office under the articles of confederation and who hse held office under the constitution the right of david B atchason Atch lson of missouri to be included in our list of presidents Is a fertile subject for als he Is called president for a nay and the whole question of whether or not he actually ans pros ident depends upon whether or not a man can be president without taking the oath of office or actively adman isterling affairs of the atlon presidency came about in tills way march 4 1849 came oil sunday technically president james K folks term of office expired march 3 1849 and his successor zachiary taylor should have been inaugurated on march 4 but manh 4 1819 came on sunday and taylor did not talc the anth of office until monday march 5 1849 on march 3 george M dallas ace president under polac announced in the senate over which he was presiding the close of my caal term being near at hand I 1 con form to nn established and convenient practice by withdrawing from the deliberations libe rations of this bov on alie motion of senator benton of missouri his colleague senator david B atcha son was appointed president of the senate pro tern since the terms of president polk and vice president dallas expired on march 3 and the term of president taylor did not begin until march 5 when he wag inaugurated it Is contended that david B atchason Atch lson was president of the united for one day sunday march 4 1849 een though he neer took the oath of office the biographical congles directory 1774 1911 nn official senate document backs up that ahlm although some historians contend tant taylor was president de facto on sunday even though he was not sworn la and that was not sworn in as president and never pretended to exercise any duty or prerogative of the office but the state of missouri honors him as the only who hus so far served as president of the united states and on october 27 of last year it paid tribute to its president for a day when a memorial statue 0 atchason Atch lson was dedicated at platts burg mo with impressive ceremonies at which the governor of missouri was the principal speaker he la further remembered in his home state by a county which Is named for him and missouri a sister state kansas has a city which beara his name although it Is more famous because it Is the home ton of a famous country editor lid howo of the globe than it Is it was named for a dent tor a day |