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, . - - ; , , - - ' . i. " - ' ' , . , ... .... o 1 VOL. XXVII. the the and ' The Old North State. I BI THE HON. WItttl.'iGA3nN. Carolina! caroHnaj!j)eavei'B blessings tend 'meant the establishment of civil, live we win cherish and love and der reious and political liberty, be- WWJndher. v f cau8e it gaye an important, direc- nougMhescornermay sneer at and witlings . --.- 11 rl frlarir.-t.ci Brhftriairai1 ira OUT DfTlS BTTVli - wm4vw v-vy t v- v I nameter. . ? - . TTnrrah! hurrah I tneOWJIorth State foreTer ! Hunah 1 hurrah the goAd Old North 6tat ! -vn.,h ohfl rmvles not others their merited klory. gay, whose name stands ttie foremost in Libe ty'sstory . j I be Thniieh too true to neraeii eerwrnwcnw p- " I tii pression, Who can yiew wjxum, a slon? Hurrah! Ac. rialn and artless her sons, but whose doors open At the knock of the stranger or the tale of disas-1 faster, i i,.. HowUketothe rudeness or their aearsnauve mountains, With rich ore to their bosoms and life In their fountains. Hurrah ! 4c And her daughters, the Queen of the Forest re sembling, So graceful, so constant, yet to genUest breath trembling ; And true llghtwood at heart, let the match be ap plied then : How they kindle and flame ! Oh, none know but who've tried them. Hurrah ! &c Then let all who love us, love the land that we live in As happy a region as on this side of heaven where Plenty and Freedom, Love and Peace. Balse aloud, raise 'together, the heart4hrilllng chorus ! Hurrah ! hurrah ! the Old North State forever ! Hurrah ! hurrah ! the good Old North State ! 1 Day We Mdwte ! Our One Hundred and Seventh Anniversary. That 2f)th mmv CtenMa mm& Oat Once Mow, and tne People Hoa.r ue Declaration - off independence off 1775. wbicb vr&a Born In m Little Ley Court Heave la Cherloue On yesterday was celebrated the One Hundred and Seventh Anni versary of the Mecklenburg Dec- laration of Independence and the events of the day pass into history, tu v. v ii. a.,uia i UB1B llilVe UCCI1 lUUSO WUt UUUUK,u I that such an event' ever took place: others there are who while ac- knowledtrins the eenuineness of the ;nif a t.4. v, alM VClib ItDCiX. UCUV VllO.ll LUO UOVIWIP tion was mad nn th 20th nf Mav. 1 mi Tk0 f rT,i aic uut ucvuio vi iu.cviivu i burg. Here where the circumstan- r.A.s which Af1 nn -tn nnfl th nwMl the Declaration, have come down to us by tradition, it is heresy to dis- . .. : J I believe, not only in its truth but that it took place on the 20th of Mav. 1775. and that from the snark kindled on that occasion o.ivil liber- til 7 I I . i ty was born on the American Con- tinent. It is a fact that the dav andideed were not doubted until !ahout the . . .. . y " , . i yearlnearlvfifVearsafterthe Declaratioifwas : said to have" been - - i mndn J i.L li' '.i Xl i J.Z 4.U I made, and that ; at that time there were still living-many persons who the inherent inalienable rights of had lived at the time, and who wil- man. hngly gave such testimony as ought 2. Resolved, That we, the citizens to have-left -,'no of Mecklenburg county, do hereby ject, hut still there were doubters." dissolve the political bands which Let thenx go. .The people hf Meek- have conneqted us to the mother lenb'rirgjsire 'satisfied, '-.and who else country, and . hereby absolve our should complain?. Year after year selves from all allegiance to the e celebrate;? fhe. day; and pledge British Crown, and abjure all politi anew "our (our-- fortunes, and cal connection, contract; or associa our most ffaCTedlio.nQr,'; to the per- tion - with . that naS&p,. who have petuation of those great principles wantonly trampled on our right ot civil and religious liberty which and liberties, and inhumanly shed mark the civilization and the gov- the blood of American patriots at eminent of the A&erican people.' Lexington. . . We are tolCh eJLrycontirmed 3. Resolved, That we do hereby by long years df tradition, that one declare ourselves -a free and inde hundred . and seveh years ' ago, the pendent people; are, and of right people of. .this-'' county assemble ip ought to be a sovereign, and self a ttle log(cou:rfrVu governing ' association, under the to deliberati on . .the perils lowhich civil and'religfous, iiberty'fere in danger, throuarh the - bhorodciTrieftt of a British King and parliament in enactment of. unjust , laws, and appointment of over exacting unscrupulous crown officers to enforce burdensome and oppressive Cr. himself and singly, to decide and statutes,, The decision at'.wh; ..4 Befotvtd, THt as w nioyr ac- determine all matters of controver they arrived was not a meanjngles's knowledge the existence and' control sy arising within said company, un decree. it meant war, with all that of tne term impnes. t meant more, it meant civil war. than which there ! is nothing more 1 orrible in all the annals of 11 ' But it meant even more. V im successful war it tion to the public mind, and form u- lated a policy which was crowned x I witn victory at njstonc lorKtown. i3 T. . . . , I v-.--& .uv ings of liberty to all the States of this great Union of States cannot overestimated, nor Have these . . , . - , , . vu. vyuuilvu v . T ri n aa nan irx n nan xr t r m 1 - country aione. 4. nrougn me exami pie of our people under. ,9ns system ot government the hand, ot tyranny and oppression has beeri : weakened and paralyzed in almost every ar . .. I uiajr gU.w4iuwuSi m tup ouu. The political condition pf Europe, of far-off Asia, as well as of South has been greatly amelio- . , w W . I 4 ' 1 . A I the progress of civilization. These ideas grow into more and more prominence as the years glide by, but it , is not of these we would speak especially of to-day. The Observer is a newspaper- a journal of to-day, whose manage ment is sensible of the duty imposed upon its Columns, not only to re- cord the events of yesterday as they actually took place, but to publish such facts and incidents in well as historical incidents. of for- mer celebrations, which may not i i i:!, v. IJ111V LD1UVV lltLUV UU tlXV rjUllvvvi U U V I " O of ' , trratifv the public mind as well. It is with that view that we have col lated several articles bearing on the subject, which, if they are not new, he read to-day with interest. The Declaration. As stated elsewhere in this paper this morning the original Declara- tion of Independence as formally declared on the ZUtn ot JMay, mo, woo riARtmvfirt in thA hnmin? ot 1 j r - O I 1 John - McKnitt Alexander's house in the year 1800, twenty-five years after the event took place, but this ia a mfl.tt.Ar nf sma moment, as 1 I Alexander stated to many persons Uftfir ha rAnrdo hnd been burned, u.u ; i that a perfect copy had been furn .. .11 1 . -I M TIT T T i rp L isnea to lien 1 W m. XV. iavie. alius copy we understand is yet preserved among the archives of the State at ... . i . i Kaieign, ana iuny corroDorates me reproduction of the burned original by the venerable Secretary. W - I . the davie COPT. . THE DAVIE COPY I. Resolved, That whosoever, di- I. Resolved, That whosoever, di t-a.W nr indirentlv. abets, or in anv rectly or indirectly, abets, or in any wav. form, or manner countenan- .. j .,'.-. '. ce8 the unchartered and dangerous ininnf nnr rights, as claimed hv Great Britain, is an enemy to j - , . - ,1 i 1 t A J r. n A this, country to America and to control of no power other than that of our. God and the general govqrn- ment of the Congress ; to the main j'tenance of which independence fwej.trat CHARLOTTE, N. G., SUNDAY, MAY 21, 1882. solemnly pledge ib"each other our mutual co -ope'rtion, our liyes, our fortunes and our most sacred ho!n- no hw nr lfvl nffW . .r -- - .-.gj. ..- w o military, wj thin this county, we do jointly and together all; controver hereby ordain and adopt as a rule sies under the sum of forty shillings, of life all, each and every of our 'tiikt laws. -vlu'reii. nevertheless, the Crown of Great Britain never can be considered as holding rights, privileges, immunities or authority therein. , 5. Resolved, That all,' each and Uy A7TAT7 mill QVTT AffinflT in Via rrn n -rr 1 v VlllVVl AAA UlllO VVS U.-U 1 hereby reinstated in his former J ... vuuimuu auu auuiorHy, ne acting conformably to these regulations, And that every member present of this delegation shall henceforth be a . ; " eiyii omcer, nameiy, a justice 01 tne ! aa i r . i 1 Deace. in the charaeter nf a nom- mittee man, to issue process, hear an(j determine ail matters of contro- yersy according 'to said adopted laws. and to nvfiSAi-VA timaa nninn I " r r j ancl harmony in said county ; and t0 uge everv exertion to spread the love of country and fire of freedom t,vmi - Kmit: a r,;i o VA V UC. - V V. V 1UV1 V Ll ft. A M AXAV V I I The Davie cow of the Orioinat be- claration of May 20, 1775. Setting op a New GovernmeDt. T 9 The resolutions of the 20th May, 1775, and known as the Mecklen burg Declaration of Independence, so far as the people of Kecklenburg County could do, had abrogated al established law, leaving nothing but came necessary to institute a new government and this was done in ine aaopuon 01 ine ionowing re- solves" which were formally pro mulgated May 31st, 1775. THE RESOLUTIONS. Whereas, by an address present- ed by His Majesty to both houses of Parliament, in February last, the American colonies are declared to i n . i in De in a state 01 actual reoemon, we conceive that all laws and com mis- sions confirmed by or derived from the authority of the King and Par- namem, are annuueu aim vauaieu ana tne iormer civu constuuuon oi I - .111 these colonies lor the present wnoi- ly suspended, to provide in some de- gree for the exigencies of this coun- tv in tne present aiarminer periou, I.. - i - we deem it proper and necessary to pass the foliowiny resolves, viz. : x o That Rll oommisRions. civil and .. .. military, neretoiore grantea pyme Urown to De exercised m tnese coio- nies are null and void, and the con- r u : i sutunon 01 eaeu paruuuiai uuwujf wholly suspended. . xtiat tne Provincial uongress in i i j i .1 . 01 eacn province, unaer tne uireo- tion of the great Continental Con- gress 18 mvesteu witn an iegwi- tive and executive powers within i.i .. eir respective provinces, ana iu other , legislative or executive power does or can exist at this time in any of these colonies. 3. As all former laws are now suspended in this province, and the Congress has not yet provided oth- ers, we judge it necessary for the i .. a j Detter preservation oi guuu uruer w form certain rules and regulations for the internal government of this county, until laws shall be provided for us by the Congress. 4. That the inhabitants of this county do meet on 'a certain day appointed '."by the committee, and, having formed themselves into nine companies to wit, eight for the county and one' for the town do choose a colonel and other military officers who shall hold and exercise tTioir- several cowers, by virtue of - i ' the choice and independent of ;the Crown of Great Britain and former constitution of. tins province. 5. That, for the better preserva tion of the peai'O and the adrainis- ibn of iustice,- euch of' those companies do choose from ' their own bjody, two discreet freeholders, wno Ml be empowered, each, by der the sum of -fcwentv shillings and yet so as their decision may admit of appeal to the ' Convention of se. lect - men of the county, and also that any one of these men shall have power to examine and commit to confinement persons accused of pet- larceny. fi' Flint, t K rvaA t.TUA afklAf.mATi t.Klia w vj-j. v v v uvivuii;M wu v-j chosen do, jointly and together, '' uw;bo uum iub uouy ui meir ptir- ticular company, two persons te act as constables, who may assist them in the; execution of their office. rr mi j .1 i 1 J.nai, upon tno compiaint;oi any personB to the selectmen, he do issue his warrant, directed to the constable, commanding him to bring the aggressor before him to answer Said COmnlaint. mat these eighteen selectmen thus appointed do meet every third Thursday in January, April, July and fWoW n. tV fiAHTt. TiVmc in I r -v w w m. V V W Ul V VUUJ A I I heeding forty shillings ? also appeals: and in om nf feio in Aff.mit fVol vwv v V j L V VVU4I1A1V IUV 1 persons convicted thereof to lose confinement, until the Provincial Congress shall provide and estab lish laws and modes of proceedings in all such cases. 9. That these eighteen selectmen thus convened, do choose a clerk; to record the transactions of said con- Lenti and thftt gai(i clerk,. upon the application of any von or persons aggrieved, do issue his war rant to any pf the constables of the companto Which the offender be-, " longs, directing said constable to summon and warn said offender to appear before said Convention at their next sittting, to answer the aforesaid complaint, 10. That any person making com- plaint, upon oath to the clerk, or any member of the Convention, that ... ne nas reason to suspect any per- son or persons indebted to him in a sum above a forty shillings, intend clandestinely to withdraw from the uuuuiy wiinout paying me. ueDi, me cierK, or sucn memoer. Bnaii is- . 1 V sue ms warrant to tne consiaDle, commanding him to take said per son or persons into safe custody un- ui tne next, Huuntr oi tne t'onven- I.. tion 11. That when a debtor for a sum above forty shillings shall abscond I , .1 aim iravu iub uuuuty, cue warrant grauieu as aiurcsaiu, euau eiieuu io any goods or cnatteis oi said deotor I ro mo fcimi arA .1 o moj and chattels shall be seized and Held in cusxouy uy tne constaoie xor tne .. . . . i x'jl; i j i - i i: space 01 imrty uayB, m wnien time, if the debtor fail to-return and dis- uuargo uu uul, tu WutaWe suan return the warrant to one of the se jjt-j.ii.i p ji. i il lectmen oi ine eompany, wnere tne goods are found, who shall issue or- ders to the constable to sell such a part of said goods as shaUUEtmount to the sum due. That ; wjhien the debt exceeds forty shillings? the re- turn shall be made to the Couven- tion. who shall issue drdel's for sale, -in mi.L'n- - ; 3 ii iz. anat aii receivers; ana cpiieci- ors of quit-rents, public and County taxes, do pay the same- into the hands of the chairman of this eom- mittee, to be by them .disbursed as the public exigencies. may require, May 20, 1775, in your widely cir -i.i. 1 - f.11.l.-. i "-r i and that such receivers and collec tors proceed no further in their of fice until they be .approved of by, and have given good rand sufficient security for a faithful return of sueh moneys when collected. 13. That the committee be ac countable to the county for the ;ap plication of all moneys received from such public officers. ; 14. That all these, officers hold their commissions during the pleas ure of their several constituents, t 15. That this committee will 6us- tain all damages to all or any of their officers thus appointed, and thus acting, on account of their obedience and conformity to these rules. - 16. That whatever person shall hereafter receive a, commission from the Crown or attempt to exercise any such commission heretofore received, shall be deemed an enemy to his country, and upon confirmation Wing ma 'c to the captain of the company in which he resides, the said company shall cause him to be apprehended and conveyed before two selectmen, who, upon proof of the fact, shall commit, snirJ nflFftrifJAr t.n oafA nnsstn. I dy until the next sitting of the com mittee, who shall deal with him as I prudence may direct. 17. That any person refusing to yield obedience to the above" rules, shall be considered equally criminal, and liable to the same punishment as the offenders above last mention- ed. 18. That these resolves be in full force and virtue until instructions from the Provincial Congress, egu- lating the jurisprudence of the prov- ince sha11 provide otherwise, or the legislative body ot Ureat .Britain ' V I -II.. I 19- That the eight militia compa- nies in this county provide them- selves . with proper arms and ac coutrements, and hold themselves in readiness to execute the com I mands and directions of the Gener al Congress of this province and this committee. 20. That the committee appoint Colonel Thomas Polk, and Dr Jo- 8ePh Kenned7 t0 Pchase three hundred pounds of powder, six hun dred pounds of lead, and one thou sand flints for the use of the militia of this county, and deposit the same ch place as the committee may hereafter direct. Signed by order of the committee. EPHEAIM BEEVAED. Clerk of the Committee. of May, 1175 HISTORIC FACTS. Bearing on the Authenticity of the Dec- " Justly Caesar f corns the poet's lays, It la to history he trusts for praise." un tne zutn may, m tne year 1875, a very large number bf the people of the State of North Caro lina gathered together in Charlotte to celebrate the Centeiinial Anniver- sary oi tne ueciaration oi lnde- Pndenoe as made by the people of Tlf ArVlpnVmTT nnnntw in T77? I " I t&c ueciaration, and tne events r the New York Herald, 1 IlP I IIU Alt! n V UV t )S i ' I T. Tl 1 II I I U ft for the 20th May, 1875, it publishes among others the two letters which follow and which are reproduced I seven years later as a matter of . interest to the general public The first letter is from the pen of Gov. Yance : THE VALIDITY OP THE DECLARATION. Charlotte, N. C, April 30, '75. To the Editor of the Herald : Your letter of a recent date has j reached me. I regret exceedingly il.. . tnat a pressure oi business engage- nients will not permit my taking advantage of the opportunity you offer me to discuss the validity of the Mecklenburg Declaration of culated journal. 1 enclose you an address on that subject recently de livered by Governor .Graham. A summary of this -follows Governor Graham's letter jelserhere. From it you can gather -the. main facts as asserted and believed .here. We be lieve in the vUidity of the 20th of May, because- . ; First It is asserted by tradition j unbroken by a single contradiction. Second Becauseji is .proven : by 4 the positive testimony., of -pye-Wit- nesses, men of mere than ordinary 20th 4,104. intellect ana 01 n ir exaaea nw. 1 11 1 1 - 1 . aona,i cnaracier, v o say tney saw and heard the transaction. Third To this it is objected that they intended to speak of the ac- tl0n ot tne lst 31ay instead of; that of the 20th. Fourth That they may have been mistaken in reproducing from memory the precise words of the "Declaration" on the 20th is proba ble, and is a fair subject of critical inference; but that they should have mistaken absolutely its sub- stance and purport is not fairly to be supposed, and to demand belief in its spurious character , on such frail grounds is an absurdity such as the integrity of history does not require. This is about the substance of the issue, x regret exceeaingiy xnai , j t 1 J " t 1 1 ? J If J xtespeci Vance.. THE DECLARATION DISCUSSED. And Points Bearing on its Antmenlieity are Elaborated from a Historical. Standpoint. BY THK PROPRIETOR OF THE OBSERVES. Charlotte, N. C., May 7, 1875. To the Editor of the Herald : I take pleasure in availing myself ofth rt afforded me, and through me to my people, of offer ing some thoughts touching the va lidity of the Mecklenburg Declara tion pf Independence, which took place in the town of Charlotte, on the 20th day of May, 1775, within stone's throw of the place in which I now write. Born and reared among tne traditions ot the pasv hundred years, it would, indeed, be treason to deny that such a declara tion was made,, and that, too, at the time named above. From that time to the present the universal belief,, with a few isolated exceptions, is that Colonel Thomas Polk, theu of Mecklenburg, called a convention of the people of the county, in con sequence of the generally disturbed condition of society, occasioned by the oppressions of the mother coun try, by and through the illegal ex actions of the officers of the British , , , urown. mat convention assem- in Charlotte on the 19th day of May, 1775, and so great was-tho feeling on the part of the participa- tors in the proceedings of the Cen- ,. . ., vention tnat tne season was pro- longed until the morning of I 20th. Late in the evening of the I w 19th an express messenger arrived with information of the Battle of Lexington, Mass., bringing intelli gence that BLOOD HAD BEEN SPILT in defence, of American freedom-just one month before, and, so great was the feeling of sympathy on the part of the actors of that immortal occa sion, tnat tnose wno had retrained from actually committing themselves to an open declaration of independ ence no longer hesitated, but at once -coincided with such men as Dr. Ephraim Brevard. This is all we claim, except . that immediately after that evenly. and - j long prior to the Declaration of In- '1 1 1 f 1 . dependence, which occurred . at Philadelphia in 1776, the citizens of Mecklenburg county took steps to put themselves on a war footing. and made good their bold Declaration by taking an active and memorable part in the seven years' struggle for independenceswhich followed the --encral declaration of war, on. the .'...-.'-. . part of the, United Colonies. 1 i : The citizens of the Stato of North: Carolina are making considerable preparations to properly celebraio ..;..uch an important epoch in the au-v J1 3t ---:r
