The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-09-05

lfOmAS BEE,
CHARLES C. PINCKNEY. :"
The first blood shed in the southern of the
revolution, flowed from the veins of the Folks in the
battle where Captain Ezekiel Polk and the late Col
William Polk, officer under him, with their Meek
lenburg volunteers, met hostile array the enemies
Of Am'rica. That company formed part OF Col
Ih0mpsons regiment, waich received a vote of
thanks from the same national Congress that de-
clared tie INDEPENDENCE OF The UNITED
! STATES.-See Congress journals 20h july 1916.
And We, il is pretended that EZEKIEL Polk was
TORY The tries OF the revolution did not carry
certificates like this commission, win the special
thanks of the Congress Of l776.
Again II has not been denied but, on the con-
trary, admitted to be true, that shortly after the
revolution, or Just before its close-most certainly
after Lord Cornioaiiis had In Charlotte, and .NorA
| Cpoiina, too Jortrr-Esekiei Polk appointed
COLONEL OF MECkLENBURG COUNTY. He must
have receives his appointment from the legislature
as, Ivy the North Carolina constitution Of l776, that
body alone had Iower TO elect field ofie rs Of c
militia" Now, there is no instance IN which the
North Caro- ina assembly (soon after the revoluon)
conferred such an appointment upon one who was
! SUSPECTED or ToRrIsM.
The feeling and the practice were so much the
oher way, that without any clear authority for it
under the constitution, the Legislators Of those days
actually erped mtnbers Of The body from heir SEATS If
they had been tore, IN the reroi,iion, corfhy 10 M
uitl pat riots!
NC JOulnais OF our assembly snow mat TINS praC-
tice prevailed at all times up 10 the beginning Of he
present century. And who can believe that the very
same men who expelled tories from heir own body
would have appointed Ezekiel Polk field officer
of the militia had he been guilty of torysm or ss
pected Of 1t, in that day. 1t cannot be credited
Again remember that Mcckenburg county re-
cei',d from the British commander the distinguish
ing epithe of the hornets nest and Is 1t pruba Die
that the 76 wings Of MeckIenburg would have mus
iued quietly under the command of tory ooiOnei?
No-neyer This libel upon the memory Of Polk is
scsndalous imputation upon the county and the
State
Ag in the magistrates Of Mecklenburg county
we're body Of "76 wings at that perioj as sound
| a. tie whole country could produce. Appointed hy
the legislature, and holding their office for fe they
were clothed by law with the power Of choosing the
sheriff; aud IS believed that not long after the war
bad terminated, Ezekiel Polk was chosen a sheriff
of Mecklenburg county. Those who have assailed
him, indirect y confess that he appoin ed she
rd u"
Now who believes that the whig magistrates Of
Mecklenburg would have appointed TORY their
sheriff. If his competitors for the office did not
then urge their pretensoDs by reminding the court
that Ezekiel Pc took protection and was torg
what becomes of this accusation now II they did
| so, then the magistrates Of Meckenburg, like the
leg 'lsturo who had appointed him colonel must have
known that under all the circumstances his "taking
! protection" formed no ground OF suspicion against
! his patriotism, they would not have elected him
to the station have seen it somewhere insinuated
/ by the accusers of EZEKIEL POLK that some
people objected TO his serving" II that be true,
does II not give strength TO my view Of the subjects
! Does II not prove that TIE Mecklenburg rs whig
magistrates, who must have understood this matter
then better than possibly understand it nor,
deliberately and upon their knowledge have put
down their mputatoni The compstrIots of Ezekiel
Polk having thus bur ed the oaumDy more tbap half
century ago, II wou have lsn in deserved oblivion
uftn had -. L
unmsnly efioit to reproduce it. How uogenerous are
the devices OF party spirit! How ignoble the means
/ Of party warfare!
But these views, and the proofs ALREADY offered,
howe err conclusive Of themselves TO refute this ca
lumny, are fortified and sustained by the TESTIMONY
Of Ezekiel Folks compatrior, to which allusion has
been made; and II is here presesed in the words Of
| those good old patriots themselves.
! /. The letter of General Andrew Jackson, writ
ten IN answer TO an inquiry Of gentleman of North
| Carolina
HIRMr,er, July ~ ls4l
STA have just received your letter Of the Both
! ulumo, informing me that recently de.
clared hoth irapeiied through Tennessee al The time
Governor Polk wa' fr the first tine candidate for Co
vernon and thai his opponents (he Uhigs) then brought
hs charge Of his GR.8.NDE9THER'S bang tom
against him and that the DEMOCRATS If Ttnneses
mei The charge by throwing 1t up the North Carroll
branch of tie Polk family that is Colonel Thornas
Polk-abd you desire me TO state for your informa
ton, and that of the people, what ! know Of the
facts
4" In reply, state, with pleasure, that knee oil
The old s'o,k Of The PoLs-Colonel homss Polk, ia.
iher OF Colonel William Pok, and Ezekiel Pok
grandfather Of Colonel James h. Polk. THEY
WERE ALL GOOD 76 WINGS. Old Colonel
Thomas Polk was the first mover OF Independence 10
MecklenDurg county. .9l The Pols then groom p,rt
good 7s Wh,gs and Colonel William Polk, son Of
Thomas, was twice wounded IN the war Of the Re-