HJF
								Sept.
								22, 2004

Quoted at: http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/l3_citizen_founding.html
                                    
Franklin was appointed by the Continental Congress to a committee
charged with drafting a formal document to justify the colonies'
decision of severing political ties with Britain. The other members of
the committee included Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Robert Livingston
and Roger Sherman. The committee gave Jefferson the task of writing
the first draft. Franklin, although a talented writer, took a back
seat in drafting the document, blaming his lack of participation on
poor health.
                                    
Jefferson sent his finished draft to Franklin for review. Franklin put
on his editor's hat, but made only a few slight changes to Jefferson's
prose. When the draft was submitted to Congress, however, sentence
after sentence was either deleted or changed, much to the dismay of
Jefferson.

Later, Jefferson recalled a story that Franklin told him as members of
Congress picked away at the draft.
                                         
"I have made a rule, whenever in my power, to avoid becoming the
draughtsman of papers to be reviewed by a public body. I took my
lesson from an incident which I will relate to you. When I was a
journeyman printer, one of my companions, an apprentice hatter, having
served out his time, was about to open shop for himself. His first
concern was to have a handsome signboard, with a proper
inscription. He composed it in these words, 'John Thompson, Hatter,
makes and sells hats for ready money,' with a figure of a hat
subjoined. But thought he would submit it to his friends for their
amendments. The first he showed it to thought the word 'Hatter'
tautologous, because followed by the words 'makes hats,' which showed
he was a hatter. It was struck out. The next observed that the word
'makes' might as well be omitted, because his customers would not care
who made the hats. If good and to their mind, they would buy them, by
whomsoever made. He struck it out. A third said he thought the words
'for ready money' were useless, as it was not the custom of the place
to sell on credit. Every one who purchased expected to pay. They were
parted with, and the inscription now stood, 'John Thompson sells
hats.' 'Sells hats!' says the next friend. 'Why, nobody will expect
you to give them away. What then is the use of that word?' It was
stricken out, and 'hats' followed it, the rather as there was one
painted on the board. So the inscription was reduced ultimately to
'John Thompson,' with the figure of a hat subjoined."