Newspapers / The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, … / Jan. 6, 1907, edition 1 / Page 20
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A COMriULIIIINSIVE WtlHTir , , laiAH , , i - r What is known ' in North Caro lina m the "Wm of ths Regulation" lias been a subject of dispute among historians and, tha -,, general public ever since the time, ante-dating tha the revolution, at which It occurred, and tkr thera .are two facttona, hold lnir exactly opposite oplnlona on thla subject; tha one .! declaring that it was a more Insurrection of peasants; that it waa due . to . what may be r A?LAN of tht Camp f Afmnc from fht li'tofhe Tcfof 77y 777. Composed Vrovinci&ls ? iVo rK. Ca ro n a, , Crnaiclel y Jis Excellency Covtrnor TRYON termed the agrarian fi-i-llng and that If realy had no lerlMK uiion the great revolutionary nn.viiicnt whlih began four yeera lai-r und IIihI It Involved entlr-ly dlfliTenl prlmlplcs ahd had a dlff'Tfii' ihii'ii,hc Kurh Is the view-point or ,1 nunii,. r ,,f .r. on who hav rum"' u Miurtv of ihu trouble, with all thn wenlth of rnutfr- i lal before them afforded bv the Brent publication known hh ihe Nurih Carolina (colonial lienndK. uni Other who have inmle (he ..ine Study take the view of thn majority f the people of tha Slate, that Ihe Regulator movement wa tho prurur rOf the revolution anil that the battle of the AlHintni- hut ai much ' bearing upon that war m did the firing upon Fort Bumpier upon the great civil war moM-mmi of into. 1." Others again n-xard the Hegu : I tOT movement uk important In Kit .bearing on the revolution i,.n r,.ni. Ills as blng perhnp prai- t0 thu , vviih omwM imu a leading to th Chfil war. Thun. In brief, ihe varloun Views are given. The earlier ac iunt. none written until many year after the Regulator movement, wr very largely ba.cd upon tra dltlon, and the hiu-rneiui of the spirit again! anything British la very clearly manifested In many of these writings, that spirit having continued . high until far along Into the laat century. . .The fact 1 thai not until now, and I , 1Ui the colonial recordi before a jrriter, Could the colonial hlMtory of North Carolina b accurately written Th war of tho regulation haa been treated by many local historian aa a ; Movement for Independence, the writer who beat the popular mind most In favor of the Regulator being '. Joseph fteawl Joneg, who In hu , "Defence of North Carolina" Ideal ' d thera and their movement. , There were two contemporary storle : f the movement, one of tha being, and It seem Justly, attributed to Ilermon Huabnd and covering th first part of the truggl, containing ' a number of documents, and being generally considered accurate, Th other account, i eelUved to have been written by a Uaptlat minister from New England, who lived In Or ng county, North Carolina, In 1TT1, when ths crUl was reached, (hi being not regarded aa nearly so accurate. The colonial record con tnin all the documents of th Regu 1 'or well s th record of the ' !a - Assembly, th report sent 1 i ngiand ' by : Oovernor Wllllsm t.-yon, th court record 0 Orange -:.r,iy, th scat of the dtaturbann, ' t many - tr 4oomcssmIs x Lv. . . r a iiaasett, wh has glvea ths ' mmmmmmmmmmmm . . OF OM5 Of T1IK MOST IXTEXUXTIN'O AND IMPORTANT IX NORTH CAKOUNA HISTORY. BY OOIi FRED A. OLtlH. - ' movement of the Regulator a most critical etudy, declare that it waa not attempted a a revolution, but waa more of an uprising a( peaaanta; in other word, a popular upheaval and at the time when it waa oruahed had not reached the tag of a rev olution, though, had it been more successful, it might have become one. Dr. Baasett declare further that ts regulation waa not rellgloua , in v rhuructer. but wum icomomli: nnd political, und In- xupportn llilM view by a Htateim-iit thai at 1um( four of the fi v.- lioidlriK il -n 1 1 in t ri a 1 1 1 n h In the dlnaffcrtpit illntrlct oppoHvd It, In cludlnR the Kpiticopnl, i'riinbyterlan, HaptlM and Quaker. Thern wan then no Methodlut orsanlxutlon In that region Yet among lhone who defend tho .tfii..n, i ... t. . . ,. iiRUHiui'ii niiu WIIU IliilU IIIHI II WUn I a movement which had a vital effect , anil there It waa tliut early move upon the tragic and far-reai hlng ( nients for organised renlatanco be events thut noon followed, there la a,gnn The people who had poured deep-seated belief that It was a key- Into the middle section of the State note to th Amerlcun Revolution, j had additional grievances of a local This view Is combated by tho other nature and tho early historian de- 1 ; :-r 'ft . " - , t V I Cot Edmund Fanning, I Id, who urg upon th evidence that it wa entirely a rebellion against the colonial government and not against Great Britain; In other word, a defiance In greater or lee degree of tbe law of the Colony of North Carolina, mad by the North Caro lina Aasemblby, composed of repre sentatives elected by th people them selves. It was an Insurrection gainst North Csrollna law and North Carolina official and not against th law for Parliament or the act of British efflolak and In th forces which raarthad against the Regulators and pot them down there wir no British troop, but on ly 1 ths Miosis) saliaia, Osverner Tryon, whs commands In person, waa really the only British aoldler of them: ail, and yet ho might bo said to be, , constructively, a North Car ollnlan. Of oourae the movement waa atylcd treasonable; and atl the Indictment against the Regulator ran In the King' nam, according to the usage In the colonial courta. The discontent among the colonies dated from the end of the French war, when the Brltiah ministry, he. 3 gan to Impoae burden on the colon lulu and. the French being put down, all fear from that aource was ended and tin- people were left free to con alder what they regarded aa the op preaftlon of the Rngllah government The oppressions were felt mot keen ly hy the people who had long be fore nettled In the eastern third of the Htate, along the mate of sounds and rivers which mark that section. clarn that there were grievous Impo sition 11 nd extortions practiced upon them by these local officials. The movement of the people Into that section had begun on a large scale about 1 7 40, great number of Hcotch- 1 Irish and Germans going there from I'enns) Ivanla. These lived In a great degree in th fashion of frontier life, firactlcaly all being farmer. Horn Ived - BOO mile from any market where they could sell their produce, and they could not get ready money to pay their taxes, and the sheriffs would ael their property and op prena them. There were two central figures In the Regulator movement, on th re spective sides, on of these being Col. Kdmund Fanning, nstlv of New York Htate, who graduated at Tain University In 1 77. He haa gono down Into history until th past few year a th personification of cruelly, fraud and vllenesa, and It I : certain that the Regulators regarded him as the head-centre of all to ; which they were opposed, let on the Sftth of January. 1771, the Colo nial Assembly, composed of th rep resentative of th people, at New bern, declared the charge mads against Fanning to be both malloleu and false. His courage has been questioned; but whew Oovernor Try on, after his departure from North Carolina and when Oovernor ot New York, appointed Fanning te a wry responsible position, h saldsthat thl wa largely because of th good be havior of Fanning under fir during the battle with the Regulator en the Alamance In 1171. Fanning was the colonel of the Orange county rest ment and had 1(0. men ndr him at th ball and Oovernor Tryon stated thai by hfc brav example he tied much contributed to the urcs of th day, Fanning must not b con founded with the notorious Tory ati outlaw David Fanning. H w man of Iteming and was ths recip ient U a very remarkable degree of honors from pollgs in this country and in After tins revolu tion he' J.teutennnt Governor of Nova Bcotiii and he roue to the hlpii rank of full general In the ' BrUMi army in 180 unci died In London In 1111, enjoying the esteem and admir ation of the higheet authoritle. On the Hide of the Regulator tha leader who win moat prominent wa Harmon Huslvnd, or Husband, who had come to North Carolina from Pennsylvania and who had been bred a Quaker. - While hi principle, , he declared, did not permit him to be lighting man. yet they permitted htm to foment disaffection- and to do a wonderful amount of 1 work. Very recently there ha been ' found at Raleigh ' an rlginat v, document, pot heretofore published, which throw new light on Husbands' career. It la an account of an Interview by the late Dr.. Kir ha Mitchell.' . of New V ; . " 1 ' f i.ii-V f 3 jij si. 1 j 1 11 n ii 11 ii" " tv';. '$A ' - f v I' ' r V 'Y v " 'C e Vfr v i:. k V i: T'tra'ce Jj'roni the Court ifecorcts at-Hiiliaboro, J ' . . I. V, ' I .1 t , : :,:.,. li: l tJ ll ft I'lri. -T I" - !" UmvernUy, with Jone h !' I ;;, win waa present St iha t:it,i vl A'.f miuii e, unj who said that, in;, l i iiiff on the-Regulator aide, and iimumed, wlineHtu'd the entire actlnn. . Mc Phernon informed Jr. Mll ' !l that RUHbauda. wu a lire-brand u uoug tne peope, inciting them to rr ilntarir.e. and that he had a project for paying all taxi's- in kind and for thla pur poe wareheuaea were to bo built In each county to whlCn the .produce wm to be brought and delivered to the KlngX. fflcer. by which phrae he meant the colonial official, eherlft. etc. This plan gave Huband ,reat popularity among ,th country-folk. Some such ayatem had once prevailed in the colony IB' regard to the pay ment of rent, and in year gone by there 'nad been aeverai uch ware house, where the produce waa deliv ered and stored. Aa the payments were often on of the grlevou oppreeaiona complained of by the Regulator, thla la probably correct. - McPnron ia also authority fot the statement that the - learned and lamoua , , Benjamin Franklin and Husbands were intimate and perhaps ' distinctly related; and that. they exchanged menage . by means of friends -' passing between Pennyhra.nl4 ani Nona Carolina, Prahklin aendlng by them ! to Hue bands pamphlets, whloh were distrib uted by the latter, who sometimes had. shem renrlnted over Vila own name, one of these being Franklin's aummnai n ' Affair i ,- MrPhnnnn is authority for the further - state ment that bofa, Franklin and-.. Hus band had In mind at the time of the Regulator movement, say 1770-Tl, the separation- of the colonies from Eng land, though Husbands did not com municate this project to his , North Carolina associate so far as known. During the war of the revolution, Mc Pherson states, ' Husbands . visited some N.orth Carolinians at Staunton, Vs., and told them -that the revolu tionary struggle was what he intend ed at the time of the Regulation. But to be sure this reference to Franklin I an error, for after 1757, until 1775. Franklin waa in England, except only about two years, 17 3 and 17(4 and Franklin was not in favor of opera tion even in 1775. , . . It - Is notworthy that North Caro lina waa the. scene of events of such Importance to America; for the- Reg ulator movement must in the nature of things be given a place of Importance, 'io matter whether K be taken as a rebellion against colonial or British authority. After It came the Meck lenburg Declaration of . Independence, made in Charlotte, In May , 1775; toe Settle of Moore's Creek, the first sue esa of the American arms, when the oeople were Imbued with the spirit of 'ndependence; the battle of King'a Mountain, which had a decialve el ect upon American success, and last he battle of Oullford. Court House, vhich, claimed a a British victory, va nevertheless a fatal success, and vhich was the swift and aure pre cursor of the surrender at Yorktown, s it was really the last struggle of '.ord Cornwallls this battle having occurred within but a trifling dls mee of the spot where the Regula or were crushed, and dispersed. So t came about that the British troop fter leaving Guilford Court (House m their march, one may well say re treat, to Wilmington, passed along the King's highway almost In sight of the trees from which the bodies of 'aptured Regulators had been hang ed ten years before. The town of HHlsboro had been es tablished In 175 and it became a few years later the center of the dis affection and the Regulator move ment. This movement really originat ed in the county of Anson, according to the reports made by Col. Fan ning to Governor Try on, and it spread to other counties. As early as 1756 Col. John Ashe, of Wilmington, and his followers had Sfiown their con tempt for the British officials by throwing Into the Cape Fea'r river an ox roasted whole, which the then Oovernor had provided for a feast and for the purpose of cajoling the mili tia after they had risen aaglnst the government in stamp act times. Tots movement of CoU Ashe was on a dif ferent line from that of the Regula tors and was aimed at resistance to British measures direct Oother bold spirits, who, like Ashe, became so prominent during the war of the rev olution, were associated wltn Mm In his efforts to secure self-government by the colonists. But Ashe and the others were to line with the Colo nial Aaaembly; and o It came about that they were In tne force which were embodied by order of Oovernor Tryon and which marched upon the Regulators. The Regulators claimed that the sheriff went abroad through the country, practlslnf all sorts of extor tion and cruelty upon the people, and that in one case at least a sheriff had stripped tne drees from a woman-la part payment of her husband' taxee, then slapping her In the face and tell ing her to make another dres. They 'I 1 J1- mil m 1 i l- ,1 A .' P " t . t. 14 ' T ..... v ' J- 1 . 4 The Court IXouso declared fhat th weoole would pay i no taxes and -wonld not let the aher I ins , come among . mew. - iuvj rw ! claimed thai the county officers prao- Itloed extortion. -Fanning, the clerk r of the court, of Orange ceunty, - at Hlllsboro, was cnarged witn gross ex tortion; and . finally a number of the people combined and raised a fund to Droaecnta him. there betas- conviction in six cases at a' term of court at which Governor Tryon was present. In 17i Fanning declared J; that he charged Only Wiiat the fee bill allow ed. These cases went to England for review by the highest court there. At the wicked intent was lacking, only a small fine waa imposed on Fanning and the people were led to believe that the judges connived at the acU of Fanning and that there would be no relief. In England the suthoritiea sustained Fanning" , contention and be went scot tree. , xne negwator and their sympathisers were in fact awaiting the result of thee ults and had the latter been ucoessfuli the same course would have been taken in other counties. , - t - Some year before, In 775. pro teats were sent to the Legislature and the Council of the Colony, by tne ten ants of Lord Granville' territory- In the counties next to Virginia, and the results not being satlafactory to the people who made the protests, a num ber of persons went from the up country to Bdenton, near tne coast, and there seised, In hi own house, Francis Corbln, th land , agent of Earl Granville or Lord Granville, who wa the only one of the Lord Proprietor who 'nad not surrender ed to the crown his rlghta to lands in North Carolina, The people who thus went to Edenton and aelsed Corbln gave him hi liberty only upon hi giving bond for 1,600 pounds, with eight sureties, for his good behavior In the future. The Governor did not take official notice of this act; It is said because one MoCulloh, who waa one of the friends, was engaged in its commission. The Immunity of the ptob In this and other proceeding of a dmllar nature emboldened the peo ple to act for themselves In 171 tne western part of tne province was divided Into four great counties, An son, Mecklenburg , Rowan and Orange; and about that time affair In Orange and in Anson became se rious. In Anson a mob,, assembled and broke up the county court, driv ing out the lawyers, Oovernor Tryon soon Issuing a proclamation com manding th rioters to -desist, and promising that any officer guilty of dishonest practices should be held to account for the same. , Tne Regula tor had a strong association In An son, each member being required to swear that he would pay no taxes and that If the property of any of his fellows was taken for non-payment of taxes it should be forcibly re-taken; tnat there should be a res cue of any Regulator held a prisoner, and that fines of other expenses put by the government uptja any Regu lator should be shared By all the as sociation. In April, 17(8, the situa tion In Orange county likewise besajne so alarming that the council met, urg ed the Governor to put the militia on duty and issue a proclamation against the unlawful gatherings of Regula tors, and Governor Tryon prepared this proclamation and sent It in to the county of Orange by hi aide, Capt. Isaac Edwards. On the Ith of April the rioters, as the Governor termed them, about 100 strong, went to Hlllsboro and took the sheriff a hone which 'ne had telxed tor taxes, tied the sheriff, beat several persons and fired several shots Into the house of Col. Fanning, who was out of town. The next day tne lieutenant colonel of the Orange militia called a council of his officers, st which It was decid ed to assemble the militia to guard the town against any further attack. Of the militia only 120 would appear, mkaftm :; 1 n i., v."'. "-V. bhowing 'i'.Mppant Entries Made by- the . ,1 i t" Illlkboro. , ov uimii v ' uaiiisT in RviiiiiBinv wilu lub j Regulators, but all the-officers were present .and ; determined. V Fanning hurried lto Hllboro, to take command, v 1 sod tent. ft special messenger to the. , Governor, then at Wilmington,. whom 1 he told that the Regulators had' jnw " w 111111:11 hi. l,BVV . iiiou , to- Hlllsboro, May- 8rdeand bun the t place if , their . demands were not i . granted- ' He notified th -Governor v that he had.'plannefli to arrest ktfl . ringleader at night, , though ho ad- () i , imnea mat mis might hasten the denouement,- In the proceedings of ths council of the Regulators, April 25thv ' Itvis found that they were visited by , ? Minister who persuaded v them to ' promise not to enter Hlllsboro before , Ulv 11th lintAUf tit ahHP ulwArf ' - some ' of , their property meanwhile. ' Fanning told' the Oovernor he could ot.Jlls owtt country and .that be would consider it disgraceful to ask ' for aid from the outside, but , the'- . council of the' province took ft dlf- ferent view and Oovernor Tryon r- dered the militia officers 'of eight counties to be ready with their troops and notified Fanning that It bi' pre- . enca were needed he would person ally go to the scene ot isorder, this no doubt having been his plan ffom' ' the very first, as he was a soiller. by breeding, and though quite a, dip ' lomat and gont-rally very tactfui In managing the. people, was alwav ready, as a last resort to employ troops. On the night ot May 1st, with a lew of the militia, a, captain went to the home of Herman Husbands, whom he found in bed and carried back to town before any alarm was f raised, William Butler, another Regu lator of prominence, being sbo 14k en. Order were issued that Hua band should b sent to jail at New bern, as it was feared his followers would free him if kept at Hlllsboro,' , the charge aaglnst trm, lam befjra a justice of the peace, being riot Hus bands was politic .and by making rair promises inaucea tne omcutis 10 allow him to give bail, and Butler was released under the same arrange ment. Governor Tryon, went to Hllls boro In July, 17(1, In an endeavor to settle the discontent, but failed and returned to Newborn. A month later Fanning notified him that many Reg- to burn Hlllsboro if their demand were nvi B ' ni'ivta. jaw iinuiaumiviy called out the militia and over two hunred appeared in Orange, but th Rgalaters Id not make the attck. The . A Governor marched to the weetward, ' . gathering recruit, the joining him frnm Rncin nil Vt rlrlnhiirr iuiih. lie, ana on ma aoin 01 August neiu a review at Salisbury, not far from ; wnicn ne iaau uvu m special court to try Husband and othere concerned in the recent trouble had been or- out ne wouia iax.e oniy volunteer to be accepted for thla service. A ' o., I, ,. flu- unn.illn, l-ll If should always carry into and bring , out of the field the King color. The : company which ihu volunteered was commanded by Alexander Dobbin, who later served on tne revolutionary . I ...... ' v ,1m In tts ' rtvolutionary army. TlVnffi wer of Huaband the Regulator roe In great numbers. They had no mili tary training and an old Scotchman of seventy years, who nad been In the Knariian trmr. waa cnoaen mcir ieaa - er. They went to HUUboro In great force and their claim was that tne ' official there became frightened and set the prisoners, Hunter and Hua band, free while the Regulators were In a few mile ot the town and that Fanning went out to meet the Regu lators, laKirvg wiin mm rum anu wiiio und wading the End liver, in the su- j r-T ' ' .'V . ( e 1 ' ' 1 ltcguiatura. . V r. .
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 6, 1907, edition 1
20
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