Newspapers / The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, … / May 21, 1882, edition 1 / Page 2
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nals of their history on the occasion of the Centennial anniversary, which takes place on the 20th inst, and it is due to us and the words of .truth to say, that while there may ibe some who doubt the genuineness of the Declaration, there exists no disbelief among our people. Inas much as there have been at differ--ent periods since 1820 occasional discussions as to the authenticity of he Mecklenburg Dearcon, it Day not be out of place for me to notice in extenso some of the argu nents which have been brought for ward in order that fthqy may be properly and duly answered to the satisfaction of any unprejudiced mind. WHEN THE DOUBTS AROSE. The first time the authenticity of "Ihis Declaration was ever doubted was in 1819. In that year, as a matter of information and interest, some Massachusetts paper the Spy, 1 think published the Declaration, with an intimation on the part of the editor that he believed it to be genuine. Mr. John Adams, in a Tprivate correspondence with Mr 'Thomas Jefferson, forwarded that gentleman a copy of the paper con taining the Declaration, at the same time stating that he (Mr. Adams) believed it to be genuine. In Mr . Jefferson's reply he treated the whole matter as an "unjustifiable quiz." The publication of this let ter at that time created considers ble excitement in North Carolina particularly among the descendants of the patriots of the Eevolution then living in Mecklenburg county, and measures were taken by the Legislature of North Carolina (as it had become a State matter) to collect and arrange the documents relative to the Mecklenburg Dec laration, which were published in 1831, and by these and other publi -cations which have subsequently ap peared, the authenticity of the Dec laration is established beyond cavil . ot doubt. ill is unnecessary for us, at this late day, to calumniate the charac ter ot Mr. Jenerson, resting as it oes on a more ec& OEid enduring undation than tfcc n3caie writing f the Americau J2.- .fiUBfition of In- icpendence at L:h:.jJulphia, but at lie same time it if 7 oth necessary tirid proper for us to vindicate and defend the honors which justly and .truly belong to MECKLENBURG AND HER SONS. At the time of which we write 'nearly half a century had passed since the Declaration had been made. Mr. Jefferson, from being a prominent member of the Continen tal Congress, had gone on step by step in the path of fame, until he had reached, so to speak, the acme of human greatness. To have ac knowledged that he had copied an' i m - n i i t i . - portion oi nis immortal declaration, which was so solemnly and formal- ly adopted and signed at Philadel phia on the 4th day of July, 1776, from a set of "resolves" adopted thirteen months before by the pa triots (who were mostly farmers, .and men then unknown to fame,) of Mecklenburg, would be to rob at least one jewel from the diadem that had been awarded him by the whole American people. Ho accordingly denounced the whole thing as a "hoax," and did what he could to -make other people as incredulous as he himself was ; but such an abun dant array of evidence was pre sented as to no longer leave any - doubt about the whole matter. So great was the feeling that in 1825 . an immense celebration was held in Charlotte, and in the procession which took plaoe were not less than seventy-five old men, none of them less than seventy -five years of age, each of whom wore a badge, on which was printed, "20th May, -1775," thus giving, at one time, seventy-five living witnesses of the truth of the Mecklenburg Declara tion. Here were living, truthful witnesses, uncontradicted, and men whose vords could not be contra dicted, .giving plain, unmistakable evidence, which could not be set aside. In addition to these wit nesses, I may state that the com :mon traditions of the whole country sustain the 20th of May Declara n. rich, have cosoc dVnQ fc 3 on the es of. history, faaiai as broad the earth iteetij wiaaj, when ifj - proof is demanded, are not suscepti ble of demonstration. Dr. "Whately wrote a book to prove that no such person as Napoleon Bonaparte ever existed, and Mr. Jefferson himself doubted the , existence of - Jesus Christ, and yet can any sano mind deny the existence of either, not making any reference to the reli gious belief held by many on this subject. I am not able at this day to produce stronger testimony than the traditions of a hundred years, among an intelligent people, and no stronger proofs should be called f6r. A part of the evidence which we are able to submit, in addition to the cloud of testimony which can be obtained, is the despatch of Grov ernor Martin to his government, in which he declares that "the resolves of the people styling themselves a committee for the county of Meek lenburg, most traitorously declaring the entire dissolution of the laws, government and constitution of this country, setting up a system of rule and regulation repugnant to the laws and subversive of His Majesty's governmen t." Equally positive should be the fact that on the tomb stone of the Rev. Hezekiah J. Balch one of the signers of the Mecklen burg Declaration, at Poplar Tent Churchyard, near this place, is in scribed that he was a member of that glorious band that met at Charlotte on the 20th day of May, 1775, rind declared independence Also the tombstone of Eev. Hum phrey Hunter, buried at Steel Creek, hear here, which bears the same in scnption. JNo one ot the pious people who frequent these churches of God to pay their devotions to the Deity ever presumed to doubt that these silent memorials were any thing but the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. To sup pose anything else would stamp their memory dear to the people of the State, with infamy and disgrace WHERE IS THE ORIGINAL ? There are those who will be ready to exclaim, "If the Declaration took place as is now asserted, why is it that the original copy has not been preserved ?" Tradition informs us that there were a series of meetings held by the citizens of the county both anterior and subsequent to the 20th of May, and some have even claimed that a set . of resolutions, adopted on the 31st of May of he same year, and which were more conciliatory in their character than those denounced by Governor Mar tin, was the only declaration ever made. In answer to the query I will state that the Secretary, John McKnitt Alexander, kept the only record of the proceedings which were known to be in existence in 1800, and that in April of that year his mansion was destroyed by fire, and the book containing the impor tant document was burned. The Declaration was printed in the Cape Fear Mercury, one of the two papers then puDiisnea in JNortn Carolina, a copy of which was sent to his government by Governor Martin on the 30th of Juno of the same year, then a refugee on one of His Majesty's ships of war in the Lower Cape Fear, and denounced by him as above quoted. In the year 1863 Colonel John H. Wheeler, North Carolina's most able histo rian, visited London, carrying with him a letter of introduction from the Hon. Z. B. Yance, then Govern or of North Carolina, to the Hon. James Mason, then Commissioner of the Confederate States in Eng- and, with a view of gathering up such evidence as might be attaina ble in regard to the colonial history of North Carolina. He found many documents relating to the early his tory of North Carolina, both as a colony and as a State, of which he took copies, with a view of publish ing them in a second edition of his "Historical Sketches of North Caro lina." He found the despatch of Governor Martin relating to the Declaration, but the copy of the Cape Fear Mercury, which was said to have contained the Declaration referred to, was hot to be found, and its absence left room to doubt either that it never existed or that it did not contain the Declaration, as claimed by our people. A note in pencil stated that it had been taken out of the office by Governor An drew Stevenson, of Kentucky, then Minister of the United States to the Court of St. James, and that it had never been returned. Upon the re turn of Colonel Wheeler to the Uni ted StateW he addressed, a letter to the Hon. John W. Stevenson, now United 'Sjatea Senator from Ken tucky,, and the son of the gentle man referred tO,nrjformiiig him that the missing paper had been lost and requesting his aid in finding it if it should be among any of his father's papers. Mr. Stevenson answered tbatrifter flue iind. diligent search among his father's papers (his fath er being dead) the missing copy of the Cape Fear Mercury could not be found, but that despatches and oth er memoranda had been found which indicated that the paper had been in the possession of his father. THE LOST LINK. Had this little newspaper- slip been found either in the possession of the British Historical Society or in the hands of Mr. Stevenson or his heirs there would have been no pos sible grounds for any controversy, or had not the original copy in Dossession of Mr. Alexander, the secretary of the meeting, been de stroyed, Mr. Goodloe and other doubters would not have come to the front with their peculiar and unnatural arguments to deny the Mecklembnrer Declaration of the 20th of May. But after all the ef fort to obtain this paper and the failure to do so, in its absence we naturally inquire for other evidence, and we turn to that unerring tradi tion which can be substantiated in a hundred families in the county of Mecklenburg to-day. Does the world doubt that Julius Csar lived, and yet who could prove it to the satis faction of a court of justice ? Meck lenburg has produced two Presi- C7 dents of the United States, Andrew Jackson a,nd James K. Polk, both men of learning and eminence, and both of whom in their lives gave un hesitating belief in the Declaration of Independence which was declared at Charlotte on the 20th May, 1775, and yet the existence of a few court records, land deeds, &c, which may be destroyed by fire within the next twenty-four hours, are the only evi dence, legal of course, that we have that they ever formed part of our community, and, with these papers destroyed, a hundred years hence the world might 6afely doubt that either gentleman ever lived at all. I may conclude this letter by say ing that whatever doubts may exist on the part of the world at large in regard to the Declaration which we claim, there exists none whatever on the part of the people of Meck lenburg, and although there is no substantial grounds for disbelief, in the name of my people I thank the Herald, the greatest news paper of the age, for its effort to unveil the truth of history, however obscure it may appear, satisfied as I am that the people of Mecklenburg, the de scendants of the patriots of the Eevolution, have nothing to fear from the closest investigation into the truth or falsity of our claims. The name of Mecklenburg will ever adorn the pages of the history of our great country. Her action in the days of '76 was all that her most loving son to-day would have de sired. But that is not enough; she sent forth her sons in the war of 1812 as well as in the days of the Eevolution in answer to her coun try's call ; and again in the war with Mexico there were no truer defenders of the Stars and Stripes than the sons of Mecklenburg, and ast, though not least, when the tocsin rung throughout this country in 1861 th Charlotte "Hornets" made one company of the first regi ment which met the federals at "Bethel," the troops on the Confed erate side being commanded by Gen. D. H. Hill, a citizen of Charlotte, and of the 115,000 troops from this State who went to the front under Lee, in the further struggle of that bitter contest who met McDowell at Manassas and Bull Eun and who surrendered to Grant at Appomat tox four years later Mecklenburg furnished considerably more than her quota ; and, knowing them as I do, I have no hesitation in saying that they would be just as quick to answer a call of the government to day as they were in 1776, in 1812, in 1846 or in 1861. Pardon me for this digression from the main subject, and allow me only, to add that the time at my command will not allow me to col late such facts as I might be able to do had I time ; but I will take pleasure in referring you and your readers to "Jones' Defence of North Carolina," "Foote's, Sketches of North" Carolina,"-Wheeler's Histori cal Sketches of h North Carolina:" Governor : Graham's Memoirs," "Lossine's Pictorial Field Book of the Eevolution," and other works that I could mention. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Charles E. Jones. Patting Off the Old AND Putting On the New. Our forefathers, by the adoption of the 20th of May Declaration, as far as they could, uprooted all form of government and left matters in chaos. By the adoption of the resolutions of the 31st of May, they set up a provisional or temporary government, by investing previous magistrates and crown officers, with authority under this provisions government. But the fires kindled in Mecklenburg began to grow un til the same sentiments actuated ; very large majority of the people o North Carolina, and it then became necessary for the preservation o society that the government de facto set up in Mecklenburg, should be superceded by a government dejure, in which the people of other coun ties in the State should share. A Convention was called to meet at Hillsboro in August, and another in Halifax in the succeeding April, and she had representatives at a pre liminary meeting at Newbern. Mecklenburg sent as delegate to the meeting: at Newbern, 25th August, 1774, Benjamin Patton ; and to the meeting at Hillsboro', 21st August, 17fl5, Thomas Polk, John Phifer, Waisrhtstill Avery, Samuel Martin. James Houston, and John McKnitt Alexander. To the meeting at Halifax, 4th April, 1776, she sent John Phifer, Robt. Irwin, and John McKnitt Alexander. The following instructions were given to the delegates irom the peo pie, extracted from a Charlotte news paper in 1837. It was found among the old surviving papers ot John McKnit Alexander, and he is the author of them. They are dated 1st beptember, 1775: Instructions for the Delegates of Meck lenburg County, proposed to the con sideration of the County, viz : 1. You are instructed to vote that the late province of North Carolina is and of right ought to be, a free and independent State, invested with all the power of Legislation, capable of making Laws to regulate all its internal policy, subject only in its external connections and foreign commerce, to a negative of a con tinental Senate. 2. You are instructed to vote for the Execution of a civil Government under the authority of the People for the future security of all the Eights, Privileges and Prerogatives of the State, and the private, natur al and unalienable Eights of the con stituting members thereof, either as Men or Christians. If this should not be confirmed in Congress or Convention pro test. 6. You are instructed to vote that an equal Kepresentation be estab lished, and that the qualifications be required to enable any person or persons to have a voice in Legisla tion, may not be secured too high, but that every Freeman who shall be called upon to support Govern ment either in person or property, may be admitted thereto. If this should not be confirmed, protest and remonstrate. 4. You are instructed to vote that Legislation be not divided right, and that no man, or body of men be in vested with a negative on the voice ot the .People duly collected, and that no honors or dignities be conferred, or lite, or made hereditary, on any person or persons, either legislative or executive. If this should not be confirmed protest and remonstrate. 5. You are instructed to vote that all and every person or persons, seized or possessed of any estate, real or personal, agreeable to the ast establishment, be confirmed in their seizure and possession, to all intents and purposes in law, who have not forfeited their right to the protection of the State by their criminal practices towards the same. If this should not be confirmed ' protest. 6. You are instructed to vote that Deputies to represent this State in a Continental Congress be appointed in and by the supreme Legislative body of the State, the form of nomi nation to be submitted to, it tree, and also that all officers the influ ence of whose office is equally to ex tend to every part of the State, be appointed in the same manner and form likewise give your consent to the establishing the old political divisions, if it should be voted in ' convention, or to new ones if similar. On such establishments taking place I you are instructed to vote, in the general, that all officers, who are,to exercise their authority in any of the said districts, pe recommended to the trust only by the freemen of said division to be subject, howev er, to the general laws and regula- tionsxi the 'tate. It this should not be" substantially confirmed protest. 7. You are instructed to move and insist that the people you immedi ately represent be acknowledged to be a distinct county ot this State as formerly of the late province, with the additional privilege of annually electing in their own officers both civil and military, together with the election of Clerks and Sheriffs, by the freemen of the same. The choice to be confirmed by the sov ereign authority of the State, and the officers so invested to be under the jurisdiction of the State and liable to its cognizaifce and inflic tions, in case of malpractice. If this should not be confirmed, protest and remonstrate. 8. You are instructed to vote that no chief iustice, no secretary of State, no auditor-general , no sur- veyor-general, no practicing lawyer, no clerk of any court of record, no Bheriff, and no person holding a military office in this State, shall be a representative of the people in Congress or Conventions If this should not be confirmed contend for it. 9. You are instructed to vote that all claims against the public, except such as accruo upon attendance of Congress or Convention, bo first submitted to the inspection of a committee of nine or more men, in habitants of the county where said claimant is a resident, and without the approbation of said committee, it shall not be accepted by the pub lic, for which purpose you are to move and insist that a law b,e enac ted to impower the freemen of each county to choose a committee of not less than nine men, oi whom none are to be military officers. If this should not be confirmed protest and remonstrate. 10. You are instructed to refuse to enter into any combinations of secrecy as.members of Congress or Convention, and also to refuse to subscribe any ensnaring jests bind ing you to an unlimited subjection to the determination of Congress or Convention. ll. lou are instructed to move and insist that the public accounts fairly stated shall be regularly kept in proper books, opento the inspec tion of all persons whom it may concern. If this should not be con firmed contend for it. 12. You are instructed to move and insist that the power of County Courts be much more extensive than under the former constitution, both with respect to matters of property and breaches of the peace. If not confirmed contend lor it. 13. You are instructed to assent and consent to the establishment of the Christian Eeligion as contained . n , l s ii l in the scriptures or. trie via ana New Testaments, and more briefly comprised in the 39 Articles of the (Jaurch ot England, excluding tne 37th Article, together with all the Articles excepted and not to be im- Dosed on dissenters by the act of toleration ; and clearly held forth in the confession of faith compiled by the assembly of divines at West minster, to be the Eeligion of the State, to the utter exclusion forever of all and every other (falsely so called) Eeligion, whether Pagan or Papal, and that the full, free and peaceable enjoyment thereof be se cured to all and every constituent member of the State as their una- ienable right as Freemen, without the imposition of rites and ceremo nies, whether claiming civil or ec clesiastic power for their source, and that a confession and profession of the Eeligion so established shall be necessary in qualifying any person for public trust in the State. If this should not be confirmed pro test and remonstrate. 14. You are instructed to oppose to the utmost any particular church or set of clergymen being invested with power to decree rites and cere monies and to decide in controver sies of faith to be submitted to un der the influence of penal laws you are aiao to oppose the estaD- lshment oi any mode of worship to be supported to the opposition of the rights of conscience, together with the destruction of private property. You are to understand that under modes of worship are comprehended the different forms of swearing by law required. You are moreover to oppose the establishing i xl. an ecclesiastic supremacy in xne sovereign authority of the State. You are to oppose the toleration of the popish idolatrous worship. If this should not be confirmed pro test and remonstrate. 15. You are instructed to move and insist that not less than four fifths of the body of which you are members, shall, in voting, be deem ed a majority. It this should not De confirmed contend for it. 16. You are instructed to give your voices to and for every motion and bill made or brought into the Congress or Convention, where they appear to be for public utility and in no ways repugnant to the above instructions. 17. Gentlemen, the foregoing in structions, you are not only to look Qn as instructions, but as char-. to w'lich you are desired to tal special heed as the general rule your conduct as our EepreseJ tives, and we expect you will ese yourselves to the utmost of Vr. ability to obtain the purposes giVe you in charge, and wherein you fa ciiuoi iu uutaiuiug or opposing vn are hereby ordered to enter y0t protest against the vote of the Coi gress or Convention as is point, out to you in the above instruction BZDIORD AUJV AHD lBOB fcttUH8 WATu Mass. The great tonic and altered lwlce as much Iron and fffty rar cent. morS tnum than any "alum and Iron -maaa" t Just the thing for the "spring wnknftr E- -- wa f.. VI fUJJ I i uroa nxiucou one utui. mftTll tf medical L Never -railing Cup for Burns, ooaias, Bruises, Cuts. Sores. After forty years of trial, Pem Davis' Pain KlLler Btds njiTaW? It Is safe I It acts immediately I i, Sdltof of the St. John (W. B. Hewi. V. iiinesa wounds, aches, pains, sore&etf.' It 13 the most effectual remedywe Saw w TJn family ohnnin mirY.7i . Jrir1" w. for a Bincrle hour. It From, the Cincinnati msnatch We have seen tn mn It to be a good article. g effects, ana bvJ en pSSsW 8-C0MBl &t H Aiier long years or use, I am satlsflwi tt I is positively efficient asa heaUiglSr V. W. Sharper, Valdosta. Ga., sari From K. W. Adams. Baco. If a. It gave me Immediate relief. E. Lewis sava: w w1? f ItyJ,: W ranedme.1 " .umui luwuuYuio, a. i., says: relieves pain and soreness, and teak todiM J. W. Dee says: For scalds and burns it has no equal xiianijja.u- XJllJi JVJLLXJSK Is not a new untried remedy. For forty yean It has been in constant use ; and those who naye used it the longest are iU bestriendt Its success is entirely because of its merit Since the Pain Killer was first introduced, hundreds of new medicines have come and gone, while to-day this medicine is mow extensively used and more highly valued than ever before. Every fondly should have a bottle ready for use. Much pain and hearr lliuitniuf kill. 1. T I . u v x n ijt of a child. Try it once thoroughly, and it will prove Its value. Your druggist hai it I snerfed. oue. anu bx.uu per Dome. PERRY DAVIS & SON, Proprietors, Provider, R, , sept d tw sept A ocL BLESSIING TO WOMANKIND, Relieve all diseases of women jwif liaf to the appearance and QejsiUoi Dr. Clarke's Periodical Pills. ..UI1UUIU0WWIK. iorp,dity of functions, with lewf also In melancholia and other mm uu aerangemeiits. Afinrd promJ relief to thoxa (l1strsliio huaHni down p l'is so peculiar to women trice fctf per dox bent ire by mail ou receipt of price. ir (Ml Medicine Company, New York fltyj Pon Scrofula or any Blood Dtkorderl Dr. Clarke' Fill. In either stage, whether prlmanj condaD or tertlji, are an Iwalo aDle remedy, i ney never fall cut- when directions are followed Price $2 Sper box Five b xesSlffl Sent by mail prepaid, on receipt o price Aderess Dr Jlarke Medicld company, New Yoik City. Tf l!VtLlIAULG HEitlEUY. For weakness f the Kidneys an bladder. A quick and com plete cun in 4 to 8 diys f all u'lnaryaflec tious. smarting, frequent or dlfflcu'i uri'iHtlon, niucuus discharges ac nr. Clsrki-'k Gortnorrhea Kill. srdiin-nts inihe urine from wbai ever cause induced wither of re cent or long standi ri nw tn thre Doxes usually humewnu trice ti per box. Thre boxes lor $5J M died free on receipt of price. iH dres Dr 01 tike Medicine Cowpaiu J iNew York CI y. 1'H 5UK lf A HALM iTi iiL,lvl. vor ;ill c-ises nf SprmatonlKEa' and imnut'iirT. as the remit Of selfH abuse in vouth s xml ecessW mntur-r years r other causes, m nnrftnpln antne of the foU'Wl"! -Sec'.H: Nervousness, seminal eml ions (night emissions by dr-.amsi n.mimss nf -ii?lit Detective Hew ory I'hsI.Ml rtrc-y. Pi "pies o Kflc, a vr rstnM to -oce'y ot mnm-: 'fii.flllinn of nH8 L08J Of Eflfll Pow r. . reudeilng marriage imj Invlg' ntl ig i.ropr r u-ihaiipy Are h posw cur-. In two to h weeks, "new Vhwm MHHllV BIlRICiGtlt- f-TlCeili) iwrhux Four D'ttr-s So .em wi " -- " . . k-1 Pill-. mull frDald on receipt -oi pre address Dr lrke Medicine uhm pxny, wimrKUuy feblfld ISw TOTPPS A DISORDERED LIVER TURRANE of the present generation. It la fqrfr n Ji vt- AiZ.mA tA it: attend"" Vim VTA vm - ilCK-HAJACHE. hliiOUSHiQi EEP8IA. COWSTIgATIOir. giusa, frlTT'S PTlAfl bava gained a worSg reputation, go Remedy has eyer aiaoovered that acta eo ouUj!oa3 digestive organs giving them vi p&lot fond. As a natural vEU. Swtem fa traced, the MgjgS IWAlnfatL and the Body hobujl HTVAlk a Planter at Baron Sara,. My plantation la in a malarial "JL.( MvirSl year. I eonld not make half orop 5 nearly dlaeouraged Whan I began "T, TUTT PILLS. The remit was my laoorera aoon neoame ofjr ana i n t riw i no lunaw wm ima, IU fl m Miieitri UveT. de Um Mood from iaonoM nuwor mas the bowels to act naturally, w eat wmen no one r jy"v mr TrytntercmcxiT uunj, fi Price, US Bloe. TUTT'S HAIR D! Black "SoTOSorfeavw 'sent by express o or une uouar. T Offioe,85Mumy&ireeOTi TVTTS XA.NVA.Ii 1 I reformation and reetol Hon ana caey sJedTFKEB on i yTERRlf -MIM DAV,$J
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
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May 21, 1882, edition 1
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