1776 Page #9

We dance.

Dance?

Dance? Incredible!

One, two, three.

One, two, three!

Who's playing the violin?

John, really?

John, you can dance.

We still do a few

things in Boston, Franklin.

Hi-hi-hi

Hi

When heaven calls to me

Sing me no sad elegy

Say I died

Loving bride

Loving wife, loving life

For it was

hi-hi-hi-diddle diddle

'Twixt my heart,

Tom and his fiddle

And ever 'twill be

Hi-hi-hi

Hi

Through eternity

He plays the violin

He plays the violin

Look! Look, Franklin,

he's done it. He's written it.

"Dear Mr. Adams, I am

taking my wife back to bed.

"Kindly go away. Your obedient, T.

Jefferson."

Incredible!

You know, perhaps

I should have written

the declaration after all.

At my age, there's little doubt

the pen is mightier

than the sword.

For it's

hi-hi-hi-diddle diddle

And God bless

a man who can fiddle

And independency

Hi-hi-hi

Hi-hi-hi

Hi Hi

Ya-da-da-da-da

Ya-da-da-da-da

Through eternity

Through eternity

He plays the violin

He plays the violin

Violin Violin

Violin Violin

Pennsylvania, Delaware,

Maryland, Virginia's absent,

and North Carolina,

South Carolina and Georgia.

And what follows is a

complete and up-to-date list

of all the committees

of this Congress,

now sitting, about to

sit or just having sat.

"A committee formed to investigate

a complaint made against

"the quality of yeast manufactured by Mr.

Henry Pendleton's mill

"designated as

the Yeast Committee."

"A committee formed to consider

the most effective method

"of dealing with spies

"designated as

the Spies Committee."

"A committee formed to

think, perhaps to do,

"but in any case, to gather,

to meet, to confer, to talk,

"and perhaps even to resolve

that each rifle regiment

"be allowed at least one drum and

one fire attached to each company,

"designated as the

Drum and Fife Committee."

"A committee formed to..."

Where is that committee?

What do you think of it,

Doctor? Democracy?

What Plato called

"a charming form of government

"full of variety

and disorder."

I never knew Plato had been

to Philadelphia.

Ben, I want you

to see some cards

I've gone and had printed up.

Ought to save everybody here

a lot of time and effort,

considering the epidemic

of bad disposition

that's been going

on around here lately

"Dear sir, you are, without

any doubt, a rogue, a rascal,

"a villain, a thief, a

scoundrel and a mean, dirty,

"stinking, sniveling, sneaking,

pimping, pocket-picking,

"thrice double-damned

no-good son-of-a-b*tch."

And you sign your name.

What do you think?

I'll take a dozen right now.

A-ha! Here it is.

"A committee formed to answer all

congressional correspondence,

"designated as the Congressional

Correspondence Committee."

All right, Franklin, enough socializing.

There's work to be done.

Good morning, John.

What?

Good morning.

Oh. Good morning,

good morning.

Now then, let's get to it.

Get to what?

Unanimity, of course.

Look at that board.

Six nays to win over

in little more than a week.

"A committee formed to consider

the problem of counterfeit money

"designated as the Counterfeit

Money Committee."

Oh, God! What...

All right, John, all right.

Where shall we start?

Well, what about Delaware?

Sad thing to see them on the

wrong side after all this time.

Any news of Rodney?

Yes. McKean's back.

Thomas!

"A committee formed

to study the causes

"of our military

defeat in Canada."

Thomas,

how did you leave Caesar?

Is he still alive?

Aye, but the journey to Dover

was fearful hard on him.

He never complained,

but I could see

the poor man was

suffering terrible.

But you got him safely home.

I did,

but I doubt he'll ever

set foot out of it again.

That leaves you and Read split down

the middle. Will he come over?

I don't know. He's a

stubborn ignoramus.

Work on him. Keep after him

till you wear him down.

Look, John,

face facts, will you?

If it were just Read

standing in our way,

it wouldn't be so bad,

but look for yourself, man.

Maryland, Pennsylvania and the

entire South. It's impossible!

Well, it's impossible if we all

stand around complaining about it.

To work, McKean! One foot

in front of the other!

I believe I put it a better way.

Never leave off

until tomorrow...

Shut up, Franklin.

But what good will it do?

You know Dickinson.

He'll never give in.

And you haven't heard the

last of Rutledge either.

Never mind about them.

Your job is George Read.

Talk him deaf if you have to,

but bring us back Delaware.

There's a simpler way.

What?

This'll break the tie.

All right, John, who's next?

"A committee

formed to keep secrets

"designated as

the Secrets Committee."

Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Now, I suggest you try to get

your own house into order

and I'll take a crack

at old vacant-face.

Lord, look at him stuff himself.

Ah, Mr. Chase!

How about it, Chase? When are

you coming to your senses, man?

Please, Mr. Adams,

not while I'm eating.

Mr. Wilson, sir?

It's time to assert yourself.

Tell me something.

When you were a judge,

how in hell did you

ever make a decision?

The decisions I made were all

based on legality and precedence.

But there is no legality here

and certainly no precedent.

Because it's a

new idea, you clot!

We'll be setting

our own precedent!

No, Mr. McKean.

No, no, no!

Damn your eyes, Read!

You come into this

world screaming "no,"

and you're determined to leave

it the same way, you slimy worm!

The Congress is

waiting on you, Chase!

America is waiting!

The whole world is waiting!

What's that? Kidney?

Leave me alone,

Mr. Adams!

You're wasting your time.

If I thought we

could win this war,

I'd be at the front

of your ranks.

But you must know

it's impossible.

You've heard General

Washington's dispatches.

His army has fallen to pieces.

Washington is exaggerating

the situation

in order to arouse this

torpid Congress into action.

Why, as chairman of

the War Committee,

I can state for a fact

that the army has never

been in better shape.

Never have troops

been more cheerful.

Never have soldiers

been more resolute.

Never have training and

discipline been more spirited.

Oh, good God.

May we have

your ears, gentlemen?

Mr. Thomson

has a dispatch.

"From the Commander, army of the

United Colonies in New York,

"dispatch number 1, 157,

"to the Honorable Congress,

John Hancock, president.

"Dear sir, it is with the utmost

despair that I must report to you

"the disorder and confusion

"that reign in

every department."

Oh, sweet Jesus!

"The Continental soldier

is as nothing ever seen

"in this or any other century.

"He is a misfit,

ignorant of hygiene,

"destructive, disorderly

"and totally

disrespectful of rank.

"Only this last

is understandable,

"as there is an incredible reek of

stupidity amongst the officers.

"The situation is most desperate

"at the New Jersey training

ground in New Brunswick

"where every able-bodied

whore in the..."

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