The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-09-06

~ II.
I'd .fnd-ne Elliott under axes 10 say ma mere
wdS bW one opinion, aud thai that Estki1l RON ~as
Tory" and this upon his recollection OF on OF ~
years back although number Of highly rFspectaole
and intelligent men (as has been seem have declared
IN their statements that "EEtkisl Po was mol toryi'
That he was moi suspected Of II by The ''seVenfysT
whigs" To say the least Of IL, Therefore, M. FL
hohS statement IS entirely TOO ar0ng-proyes too
much. But one opinion 20 when all the surviving
companions OF Colonel Polk have Indignantly pro-
noui ced 1t "FALSEm
3D. He=fkiah .ftrulder who was under 10 years
old, when the declaration Of independence was made
not only recolecis the event. but he acquainted
with The names Of oil The sgners," he "kNOWS
that Ezekiel Polk was not signer.' THIS witness
ahtnS also, llat " The people al that h"ie looked
upon fOk 10 be as ARRAST A TOBY as any IA me
country" How Mr.. Hezekiah Alexander acquired
his " kno,oledge" that Ezekiel Polk was moi,
sgner," he does not tell" His being ac-
acquainted with the names" OF all The signers Ger
tainy does not account Tor II. His youth must have
excluded him from the meeting OF delegates and
among all the witnesses who have beea examined
IN 1919, 1920 1880, and since, no other has
been able TO recoect "Al4L" the sgners, IT, indeed,
there were any "sgnersn the declaration at IL
80 IN regard TO he people at that time looking upon
FOLK as an arrant toryn-as "arrant tory any IN
! the country" Mr.. Alexander excerpts money! ii
"ill suffice to remark that the gro,onup men OF that
Tine have spoken for themselves II may be left 10
me readers decision whether they not likely 10
know their opn opinions Ibeter Dhan lad ten years
OF age no matter how brilliant boy he might have
been
4th. limos .ler 1nder, a brother of Hezekiah, who
was but SIX years old, "disiinetiy reeoects of his
father, who was sgner, telling his mother what he
had done, and Of her crying" about IT, The connec-
lion between Tins "reminiscences OF his youth and Mr..
Folk does not readily strike the mind, yet his state
ment contains ttle else 81 his kno,oedge The
rest OF II Is nothing but alsay-hearsay in The pre-
srnce OF child only SIX years old, and repeated by
HIM not until he has passed the confines Of seventy
years And is this sort Of proof to be seriously re-
lied upon TO damn the reputation of soldier Of the
revolution, lest his grandson may he elevated to the
+ esdency of the United States,
5th John B,oDn, too, says he is now seventy -one
years old, ("in his seventy ~ Lord Com
wallis, we know, MARCHED into Charlotte in 1870,
(October,) sixty years ago. Consequently Nh
Brotcn was at that time a seven-years Old boy But
yet, the prosecutors of the family Of Polk after Ma
Jor Thomas Alexander himself upon whose original
declaration II had been erroDeousy inferred that Eze-
KEEL Folk was tory bad certified that the inference
was Use and catumnious have taken This Mr. Browns
affidavit TO the following statement, "ha all the
Teo consider taking protection rank iorysm IL
he had been found fighting against has counfr" They
| have sanct oned Tins dee araton themselves by IL.
publication Driven from their first accusation ia /
Ezekte P0W was tory, portion of them bad al
mot, If not quite, retracted il but II would now
| seem that this was done only to substitute the mis-
| taken ignorant assumption tIial all thOse VINO
! "iook protection rere consdtr,d tofiesn w eth r
they fortified at all IN this new position by the
! he Up Of John Browns recollection OF how "aH The
people considered IT, when the witness himself was
ony seven years old, can be determined by Others.
B,sdes Mr. Brown aud one two tier lads about
ms age, they have support for lt-none whatever
The answer to all of them, whether witness or pro-
| pagators is this
That The most accurate and distinguished histo-
ms a If nIIrr 10,
did not consider 1t 80, every educated man whv has
read the u knows well
That the MEN OF that age, who were actor, upon
the public theatre and yet live TO tell the tale Of their
own times, have, with once voice, denounced this
arrogant and hDelous assump ion, have seen
and read aud heard-an assumption hch impudent.
ly brands with dishonor one half OF the Wings of the
Revolution IN S,uh Carolina, aud the upper counties
Of our own State!
That iht. General Assembly did not consider it so
IS certain, when they appointed Ezekiel Polk colo
mel ,fthe nhto-nor the other Wings of Mecklen
burg, wien they quietly mustered under him
That the magistrates of the " Hornets nestn coun-
ty did not consider 1t so, more than probable
when they permitted Ezekiel Polk 10 be chosen a
sheriff
That General Jackson did not think So is shown al
ready; for he says that all the Folks were sever y-
six Wings" (Sia ementl
That Major Thomas .7iexander did not think so ap-
pears beyond doubt, when he declared that this
charge efioyi,m false, though he had stated
before that ~ kle Folk had had taken protec t,on
Statement
That Mr.. Reuben Hood did not think so also ap.
pear, when he declared that many Wings were
co PEELED to take protection. Statement y
That Mr.. George .iltrander dll not thuk so also
appears, when lac SAID that Ezekiel PoA nth panu
others, took protection, after he country was over
rum so sare the property, &c )" but thai he ,oas
tory acted ia dnytr,ss Uah he British he considers
ISLANDER against him, and FALSE Estate
meut9
That Nh Daniel .lLrand,r did not think so an
pears aiso for he that u oas considered by
majority Of WINGS as necessary, and not IMPhO-
rEH take protection, &C. thtreb, to save their pro-
perry from destruction" Oils statement IL is full
one)
That Mes John Smith Thomas Grbbif. and
George OF ptr, DID not think SO, ,pears by all OF
Them solennly declaring ne eo"tay Statements
No the spirit Of the mariyred Ha,me, who was
compiled 10 " take prole, tion" cries from his hon
ored tomb to denounce this unchantable PROPOSE
ton TN, unwafraut'd lander.
The chiyalrous Piekens, who left behind him re-
yolutionary fame which no language Of mine could
brighten, and hs men who fought with British
haites around their necks,' had been constrained to
% take prediction and all hs family and hs coun-
trymeu have r gilt 10 eXclaim, he spirit Of Amer
ca herself cries out against THIS modern doctrine Of mo
den Hhgs
The distinguished Major Lie and all HI, rsgiu,nt
look protection the necessities OF an invaded
uniry, oyerrun aud for time conqu red, 10y the
BRITISH
History informs US (see John,on's Life Of Green.
rage 292) nov I've obliged 10 array himself win
his rcslmcnt ~ the enemys lines "Whilst the
British troops hoyer,d near them, aud no American
force was IN view to protect them, the men patiently
submitted l. be morshslled under has Majesty, con-
mission; y but when the opportunity offered Mai,r
Ltt and all his men marched again TO the American
standard. Aud wee they, too, torres and enemies OF
their couhtyi
There several other witnesses to whom al.u
sion ha. teen made but they will not be named be-
cause they speak OF nothing which they pretend TO
kno1. They but repeat, after the lapse of moro
than sixty years, the uogus hsarsa Of other people
the most unsatisfactory aud lucouclusiye Of all kinds