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V ( . " f 1 UNION, THE CONSTITUTION AND THE L4WS-TI1E Q01RDUNS OP OUR LIB ERTY. Vol. XXXI. fi nr 11 I f P i 1 II Ell if no. ii! la iiilkil VOOATION Or THE TAEHEH. O .iiiM.n if rn iit 'ht rllirj iJ the farmrr frmue It low and vul fr. an I be hunned by all ree- ibiurdl Srli wiM-fite not ion evident lr rmso' ff",n nrro v mind. IVbal tWaVnt ihe heart more than the tigtttofa well ruaiteJ farm, decorated with Fu1Mtaitel duelling and Mit-lHiild-ii:g, nl " an ebMidwre of fruil an J orns'nrnt-d trees t N better evMenre do we fltrd tt le rontinred of tke itnluuy .; ami thrift f tlit owner. Surh scenes orver fail t imprr one f:tvorlIr. , OiVn ilo wa ler the inquiry. liow do rou ip.m ee rie surh abundant crops i-f rw such delic ftuil keep surh f beuii'iil stork and bp surrouinb-d hy , to many of the real limine of life! Jmh-ed eveiydiing 'about, too looks so miliiisly. Htfrjho'y Hcknowlpdjjpalhat I am g"od farmrr, but somehow oroih- " fr!amalvraywn.l'ra j)WMure; my pro due never W for a u.urli at your.' . Foi in'inrf. turn l the rccwhnre of the speak" r. A heart tirkeiMiig srcne pe- trnt itself t-Mlflf of ordT., Evrry ' lhin U l f plare, looking shahity ! enough; ilia oi'ttl you iH find in ht " fort keeping .with the rest.' Inmre if they suWrhe for a newspaper, au l they . will tell you that they cannot afford to wifta iiioney forVurh u-less arurles. JS'mr this U no vain illusion, hut a f !, and I am sorry io nay, of almost every day mvtirrriirp. It requires two tilings to mate a survesiifid fanner intelhgenre in agiieoltund matter sufficient l m ka iheenmnd pn.ife frpely.and dial know lrdgp in rpg"d t( ihpfUt of ihf pnluo markH, mAary insur anlea at ihe bwt ! priefi. To injure tirre. aome tliinst beyond hnrd ork ia needed; ihe hea t niuat gtiid ihe hand, and in order to d thi, the head mutt be properly tn- lightened. , Thiif . it appear that a mind well atored with ueful knowleilge, i a vuluahle da iiJer.ituin, and requisite in onler to be come prospermia and happy , Our fanner are heroin in? the moat in depemleut riiaa of rnizen. vn-inj in in , Ulligenre with thoe ho oeeujiylh op. per enrle of aoeiety. a they term it. .The , high r!aed litentiire ia besrinniiiil to find ila way upon their table'. It ia n beauii-' fid ieene to heh'dd their family, xfter the liU of Ihe dnr are oter, gnhered around the prIo t-ble enjaed in readiuu i and certainly -a tntirh wiser eouie than to fre quent the tavern har-rmiin, a loo iimiv limea it the rate, ihua eqiuindrriiijr iheir evening $ for time is money. " Their daughter are an ornament both to the kitchen and drawing room, exreeding in bi'.nity and intellect ihoae "fancy 4rti de,"" loidetl with aurh an ahundanre of empty air and external hnw that we do an often meet with. Diminution of hor is indeed neeesary, but if more of ottr voun men would give their attention to afiridtnrRl pnriiia, depend upon it.ihev would rie to aflluenre and influence nmrh aooner than ihey now do. Great alien lion hould be given to d-mestic erono-' my. Our farmer are lo give our nation a aianding auxin? nations. This branch, iierieultttre, ahould receive our undivided aitemioti. :- R- B pavrniMtt, Centre, New Yotk, 1850. Th8 Tel Flint Junius Smith, of South Carolina, ha demonstrated thai ihe ira plant may be mccea.-ftilly cultivated in the United States He states that the tea nuts received by him from I'hina in Mav wrie planted in June, and 'that on Ihe Sth of the present month of Septem ber, mrdiy of them were from one to three , jnehe in height "Slron?, heal hy, beau tiful plants from the original China seed, germinating ro r to lift themselves abve piound in less than three momhs from the time of plan in the nut." II adds : "Anybody can are these plant, and the seed in which they were planted, and are now growing. No one can deny the fact that ihe tea plant imported from China will make itelf agreeable in this cliimtN and gr.w with great luxuriance. Titers- they stand those imported and planted in 1818. and those from China planted "he first week f June last, both in a strong, heuliby. growing condition. Although the plants last imported -all of the ftm quality of the green tea specie were of equal size when planted in June in one, field, all contiguous, having the same sod, aspect, atmosphere and cultiva tion ; yet it. i a curious and remarkable fact, and difficult to account for, that the growth is, exeeetlinfily various. I have one plant, and only one, three limes the size ol -any other in the plantation. Both plants and nuts are congenial to the cli mate, and I make no doubt will grow and flourish in any latitude and climate bni'veen Florida and the-Siate of Maine. Si far as I have gone, I flatter myself filial eery step demonstrates the truth of tLe .Wliraiions with which I started in IS IS." . - ADDaSSS" ScIIrmd hUn fitt Tifsi tsd I)BBtt!i Iprbj Diriiloti tt t&e Sees ef Taspfraief, At H;a.bwoaiB. ea its d of J!j !8i3. st saxczi. r. riexm. Young n cn can only hope to be re spected b. oiheri when they respect UetusclvcV, Fxmw Crmtxi i It aSbrds me a Terr sincere pleasure to make one of so large as assemblage of American Freemen, cr gaged ia commemorating the birth -day of their country. It was thus, , twenty-five hundred years ago, that the citilent of republi- can Home joined in sacrifice and purification and congrata- latioa upon the TWEvrr-najT bat or Aran, to wbicn tradi " tioa assigned the honor of giving origin to their city. 'With increasing ferror, year after year, dia ther continne to recall the memory of their early heroes, and of the foundation of - their free institutions, until, after nine hundred years of pros-, perity, a monster of cruelty and degradation ruled their fallen fortunes, and haying insulted their renown by electing his horse to fill their proudest magistracy, decreed that his own birth-day should thereafter be celebrated in the stead of that of the Imperial City. With the best auspices of race and of religion, we hare renewed the solemn custom under these '. western skies ; with a worship o pure, a liberty so well ba lanced and so rich a heritage of Heroic Memories, that, were it not for this poor human nature which sometimes breaks down within us, we might trust it shall continue until nine ; times nine hundred years hare rolled this Karth, and all that it inherit, upon the Tery latest time- ' in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works thereof shall be burnt up." , 1 . ' I cannot but esteem it a happy omen for us all that the Fourth Day or J civ is so firmly fixed in the affections of the PccriE. I cannot believe that so long as they remember with pleasure the words and deeds of their fathers, they will , bring themselves to throw away or to undervalue the great legacy which these have bequeathed. I cannot believe that so long as the proud memories of this day are equally che- ri shed in Massachusetts and North Carolina, in Georgia and Pennsylvania, that Massachusetts and North Carolina, 'Georgia and Pennsylvania are willing to sever the bonds which have enclosed them to their joint prosperity and glo ry without interruption for two generations. I believe that whatever extravagance may pervade the world of politicians j however aspirants from the North, and aspirants from the South mry vie in slander and detraction ; even had the great men of the country been as false to the Republic as they have been true j even had not the illustrious Senator from Ken tucky, the brave and good man from Michigan, and the wise and eloquent son of Massachusetts come shoulder to shoul der to the rescue ; tlte People,' claiming this as exclusively their government, and recognizing the tact that the sun in his revolutions of six thousand years has never looked down upon twenty millions so happy and o free, would not have failed the institutions to, which they have given existence and strength. It is a day of experiment, and political ad venturers are dinning into our eara that this liberty we enjoy ia not necessarily connected with any part of this system of "States; that its life does not reside exclusively inthearmsf the heart or the head, and that they will insure us against any bad consequences threatened by the separation of these parts. That luck for which a certain class of the community is pro verbial, may prevent their madness from depriving our liberty cf its existence, but we are sure that the country can lose no . members no hand, nor foot, nor eye, without being essentially weakened and deformed. Some excitement prevails, some " well-grounded apprehension exists, but the feeling is general that we are sure to do worse by any change which we may "make; that it is one thing to pull down, and altogether anoth er to build up ; and that however readily we may put out the lio-ht we have, no one can tell whence we shall get the Pro methean heat which shall that light relume. A wanton child with a hatchet may in a few moments destroy the oak which required the rain and sun of two centuries to bring to its pres ent perfection t A thousand years scares serve to form a State, An hour may Uy it in tha diwt sad when t'sn man iu shattered splendor renovate, Recti! its virtues back, and vanquish tim and Ute J I am conscious, fellow citizens, that there glows within me but little of that eloquence whose spell is wont to detain you upon such occasions as this. I have no power to summon those gorgeous sentences in which we have heard the past his tory ofour country described, or to catch that spirit of pro phecy which exalts her future career to a height and splendour hardly of this world. In the absence of ability to attempt hi"her things, I hope I shall have your consent to consider some of the facta which made the American Revolution, li we would arrive at the perfect stature of admiration for our fathers, we musfrbetter acquaint ourselves with the detail or their deeds and designs; and in the mean time, we shall be lefreshed by a contemplation of true sublimity the sublimity and eloquence of lives of labour, of conquered disappointment, subdued despair, of a moderated ambition, and a self-government better than taking a city. We very much deceive our selves by calculating the height to which our fathers glory reaches, from the eminence upon which we are standing. V e do them injustice by looking around upon .this continent of States, these unsurpassed political mst.tutions, tins noble re ligious liberty, this name-we have made us like to the name of the creat men which be in the earth ; and then imagining, that with all this in view they entered upon that fearlul con test. Read their history ; and learn that they were blessed with no such prospect I Deprived "tf Freemen; their humble prayers to the British Throne un heard ; repulsed from every hone ; encompassed with tox s, with division in their ranks, and despair m their hearts; in suited, trampled upon, betrayed.-thcy set their lives m pledge for their liberty, and resol ved that they mu . It was only after that fight had considerably progressed, that they TteSed to striked higher blow for ndependence ;-only after that fight had ended, that they ooked toward to a per rnanent Union. 'Through the dark, dark night they j struggled bthat deep morass to escape dangers which lay behind ; ftej lost their foothold, wounded their feet, plunged almost hope essly into bottomless gulfs; still they struggled onwards. But ft was only after the mire had been feft behind ; after they hTd surmoun befj. hem and the morning mist and cloud had broken away, that their eyes were rejoiced by the magnificent prospect of hill, valley ana plain bathed in the golden light of the Sun of reedom. Ah . that long lowering day, which passed over Washington and Adams, from September 177 A to June 1790 ; how sjid it alter nate hope and deep despair I Happily, we haye voluminous records oflts events ; but much that is of the highest interest has been lost forever. That which remains covers so much ground that fow will go ovqr it, and thosa few will closa thair researches ita an impression that the half hai not been toll theau They will return with a most exalted pinion of tha Intrepidity and selMeaial of our fathers, acd with a most solemn impression of the value cf their labours. They will know, that with the. Pilgrim of Banyan' Progress, the Patri ots of the American Revolution had to pans the Slough of Despond, to defy the Lions in the way, overcome the Devil, break from the enchantment of Doubting Castle, and pass a Valley dark as that of the Shadow of Death, before-they stood upon the Delectable Mountains, or looked np into the Celestial City. The war of the American Revolution did not propose as its object the establishment of our present Union, or even the settling of our Government opon a Republican plan. Both of these questions were left cjen, and so far as the issue of -that struggle was concerned, its authors might have been sa tisfied wuh the formation of thirteen separate States, each based upon tl e principle of Monarchy. I do not mean to wy that those who engaged in this War were not deeply imbued w ith republican doctrines, or that they did not prefer a Con- ' federation of the. States'. The event indeed shows the contra- ry. What I assert is, that the immediate issue of the contest was nothing farther than a separation from, or, in the language of the dan an Independence of Great Britain. So it may be remarked that the Resolution which makes this day memorable, was limited ti the attainment of the same separation. It is true - fiat a ti resolution the Untied Colonics are mentioned ; but by Untied is meant nothing more than united for the War, as in 1.77 G not even the old and imperfect Confederation was in being., They were united, as History informs us that many weak states have united in all ages of the world, solely to carry on war with better chances of success; as the States of Greece united against the power of Persia; but so soon as peace returned, separated, and engaged in warwith one another. Indeed, the first battles in the war of our libera tion were fought not even for our Independence S and when that had been resolved upon, it was more than doubtful if the Confederacy could be maintained after the immediate result of it had been effected. If we would have a correct notion of the grounds upon which this Union. 6tands, it is necessary to extend our study of the revolutionary era beyond the Peace of 1783. Much doubtless was done for it onlhe heights of Bun ker, on the banks of the Hudson, and on the plains of York town ; " the battles, sieges, fortunes" which the Colonies had passed together, produced a unity of suffering and sympathy which went far towards rendering them one ptople. But much remained to conquer still, and the era from 1783 to 1799 proved that " Teace hath her victories not less renowned than War. Bear with me, fellow citizens, whilst by a cursory review of these events I endeavor to refresh your memory of this important truth. Since the year 1207 it has been a leading principle in the English Constitution that the People are not to be taxed un less by consent of their representatives in Parliament assem bled. The benefits of this provision extended, of course, to all subjects of the British Empire. By a series of acta pass ed by the Parliament, and extending over several years, we were deprived of it I instance especially, the Stamp Act ' and the famous Tea Bill. Our fathers remonstrated, and ap pealed tohe King, and to the people of Great Britain, for a restoration of their undoubted birth-right. George the Third, with that peculiar and unsound obstinacy which distinguish ed him through life, refused to interfere; and, although we succeeded in raising up eloquent defenders in Parliament and among the people, yet the large majority continued to sup port the madness of the Prime" Minister. It was for this rea son that in September 1774 a Congress of Delegates from all the Colonies, except Georgia, met at Philadelphia. This was, as you bear in mind, not quite two years before the Declara tion of our Independence. We may well imagine that this Congress contained some bold spirits even then ripe for se paration; but such was not the general disposition of the mem bers, nor iudeed of the people, especially in the Middle and Southern States. A petition to the King was drawn up ; al so an address to the People of Great Britain ; a Declaration of their Rights as British subjects was framed; and the odious acts of Parliament were enumerated and protested against. The most important movement was the formation of the Ame rican Association, the members of which pledged themselves to commercial non-intercourse with the Mother Country, and to abandon all use of British productions. I call attention to this step as the first united endeavor of the Colonies to secure their independence. It may be true that the large majority of those yao entered into.tha obligation did not so intend it. If so, it is another example under the proverb' Man pro poses, but God disposes ;" or it may be regarded as shrewdly designed by the few bold men who were looking forward to separation from England, as the sure entering wedge between the counties. In whatever light we regard it, there can be no , doubt that it served an admirable purpose as a commencement of the struggle. After a session of -eight weeks the Conven tion adjourned. Delegates from the same Colonies re-assembled at Philadelphia on the 10th of May, 1775. In the mean time the battle of Lexington had been fought, and a tremen dous excitement pervaded the country ; an excitement which a few days later resulted in the adoption by the citizens of Mecklenburg county, in this State, of the memorable resolu tions of the 20th of May, 1775. Notwithstanding, no murmur in favor of Independence escaped the Convention. Oil the contrary, although they resolved to defend their colonial rights ' against the sword of the Government, they actually disclaim ed all intention of throwing off their allegiance, and expressed an anxious desire for peace. Another petition to the King was drafted, and again the people of England were memorial ized. As a set oft', on the 17th of June, George Washington was chosen Commander-in-chief of the Army of Defence ; on the same, auspicious day the lamented Warren fell fighting for the Colonies on Bunker Hill, and the last Royal Governor of North Carolina made a precipitate retreat before a body of militia, and escaped on board of an English ship in the Cape Fear. On the 4th of Jury, 1775, Georgia acceded to the Un- Whaterer may have been the sentiments ot the county ion. of Mecklenburg upon the question of Independence at this particular period of our Revolutionary History, it is but fair to remark in this place, upon the directly contrary action of a Convention of the State held in Hillsborough in August, 1775, . three months after the meeting in Charlotte. In this Con vention Mecklenburg was represented by six gentlemen, four of whom had been concerned in the resolutions of May. Un der date of the 4th of September, 1775, William Hooper laid before the House an Address to the Inhabitants of the British Empire1, and the same having been read, was unanimously re ceived. I make the following extracts from this Address out of the original published journal of its proceedings. Trai tors, rebels, and every harsh appellation that malice can dic tate, or the violence of language express, are the returns which we receive to the most humble petitions and earnest suppli cations. Wq havebeen. told that Independence ia our object ; that we seek to shake ST all connexion with the Parent State. Crsel suggestion ! Do not all our professions, 1 1! our actiusa uniformly contradict this I We again declare, aul we invoke pat Almidity Being who searches the recesses of the hamai heart, and knows our most secret intentions, that it is our most earnest wuh and prayer to be restored wiih the other Unit ed Colonies to the state in which we and they were p'aced before the year 1763. This declaration we hold forth as a testimony ot loyalty to our Sovereign, and afilction to our Parent State, and as a sincere earnest of our preeat and fu ture intention." A test, ia which the subscribers protested their allegiance to the King, was also proposed end entered upon the records, and received the signatures of eery mem ber of the Convention. The last day of the year 1775 was mailed by the death of the brave and accomplished Montgo mery auder the walls of Quebec. Early in 1776, the battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, near Wilmington, gained by General Caswell, eave strength to the Whig Party iu North Carolina ; and in March, General Washington infpfritcd the whole country by driving the British from Boston. t I hare been thus particular, and I fear tedious, in order to draw your attention to the fact that much of the fighting in the Revolutionary War was done without any desire upon the part of many who were engaged in it to sever their ct n nexion with England. In the Spring of 1776, however, other sentiments were heard; and Common Seine, i pamphlet by Thomas Paine, showing the absurdity of longer endeavor u maintain our old. relations, produced a decided impression upon the people. On motion of John Adams, Congress in May recommended to the several colonies to establish Gt -vernments adequate to their present exigencies. On the 7th of June, Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, introduced his fa mous resolution for Independence into Congress. It wss de bated for two days. Being opposed by some of the most dis tinguished members as premature, it was at length passed by a vote of seven States to six; New Hampshire, Massachu setts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Virginij, North Carolina and Georgia voting in the affirmative, aainst New Yurk, Pennsylvania, Maryland, South Carolina, Delaware and New Jersey. The resolution was then postponed until the 1st day of July, in order to insure a greater unanimity. The resuft is well known. Together with Mr. Jefferson's eloquent manifesto, it has this day been read in your hearing ; and in wl850, after seventy-four years, thirty great Sutes hail with loud acclaim the anniversary cf that day on which our fathers resolved that these United Colonics arc, and of right ought to be, Free ao Independent States." Hence forward the struggle was for separation. Our own State bora , the brunt of the War in 1780 and 1781 j Lord Cornwallis surrendered on the 19th of October, 1781; and our Indepen dence was formally acknowledged by Great Britain ou the 3d of September, 1783. I have already said that the renown of the Fourth of July is not necessarily connected with that of our glorious Union. The struggle for the Iatt;r, though in some sense growing out, and a part of the former, was yet, on the whole, collateral, and for some time a sort of bye play to it A committee was . appointed to draw up Articles cf Confederation as early as 1776. As soon as these could be matured, four States, of which I am proud to say that North Carolina was one, enter- : tered into its bonds. It was not, however, until March, 1781 the same month in which the battle of Guilford was fought, and but seven months before the virtual close of the" war, that it was completed by the accession of Maryland, I need not put you in mind that this Confederation was very de fective, and but ill calculated for permanence. A struggle for a more perfect Union commenced upon the part of some mem bers of this Confederacy even before the signature of the treaty of Peace. It was carried on with real, bat with doubt ful hopes, for several years afterwards. In 1789 our present Constitution was adopted, and this Republic commenced its high mission upon earth. . . ? t I trust, fellow citizens, that what I have said will con- ' vince you of the threefold character of our Revolutionary Era. For the first twenty-two months the contest was only for our rights as subjects of Great Britain ; and in that we had the sympathy and co-operation of many distinguished citi zens of the mother country. Lord Chatham, Lord Camden, ; Edmund Burke, General Conway, Colonel Barre, Mr. Hart ley and Mr. Wilkes insisted upon Our rights with a zeal and boldness which did them infinite credit, and gave them an extensive popularity throughout the Colonies. In commem oration of their services, counties and towns were named of-" ter them from Maine to Georgia. North Carolina has in this way perpetuated the gallantry of Chatham, Camden, Burke and Wilkes ; the three latter at the same session of the Leg islature in which the merits of two of her own patriotic sons, General Nash and Governor Caswell, were similarly honor ed ; and in Pennsylvania the names of two of these disinte rested advocates have, been remembered in the town of Wilkesbarrc; The aid of these generous Englishmen, how ever, we had no right to expect, and did not receive after the Fourth of July, 1776. We all recollect the thunders of Chat ham as he blasted the ministerial policy of taxing America, in 17C6 : " The gentleman tells us," exclaimed he, " that America is obstinate ; America is almost in open rebellion. Sir, I rejoice that America has resisted ! Three millions of people so dead to all the feelings of liberty as voluntarily to submit to be made slaves, would have been fit instruments t make slaves of all th rest. I come not here armed at all poiuts with law cases and Acts of Parliament, with the Sta tute Book turned down into dogs' ears to defend the cause of Liberty. .Bat for the defence of liberty. upon a general prin ciple, opon a constitutional principle, it isa ground upon which 1 stand firm, on which I dare meet any man. Upon" the whole, I will beg leave to tell the House what is my opin ion. It is that the Stamp Act be repealed, absolutely, total ly, immediately.' How changed were the tones in which he addressed the House of Lords some twelve years later ! In April 1778, the Duke of Richmond having moved an Address . to the Throne, advising the recognition ot the unqualified In- . dependence of the American Colonies, Lord Chatham, whom age and infirmity had prevented for some time previously from an active interference with affairs of Government, tot tered down to his seat, and gave the last remains of his strength and abilities to its defeat. " I have this day," he be gan, " made an effort beyond the powers of my constitution, to come down to this House, perhaps the last time I shall en ter its walls, to express my indignation against the proposi tion of yielding the sovereignty to America. My Lords, I rejoice that the grave has not closed upon me, that I am still alive to lift up my voice against the dismemberment of this ancient and noble monarchy. Pressed down as I am by the load of infirmity; I am but little able to assist my country in this most perilous conjuncture ; but, my Lords, while I have sense and memory, I will never consent to tarnish the lustre of this nation by an ignominious surrender of its rights and fairest posssssioBs." Indeed, history is oompellsd to reccxd . .... t J : . '. o H
The Durham Recorder (Durham, N.C.)
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Oct. 2, 1850, edition 1
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