The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-05-26

the principles asserted on the Goth of May,
might continue to exercise their Office I'M
der this temporary arrangement until
whenl--''until (say they) more general
and organized government Is established IN
the province" And having done this. they
appoint committee of delegates to hold
future meetings and arrange the details
which would carry out these general pr:n-
ciPles:..
Well, ten days afterward, these delegates
convene TO promuIgate those details which
they had by that time arranged; and on the
10Th this work was done and sent to Will
nington TO be printed, because it was TO be
"a rule of life" for every man in the coun-
ty, that peace and order might be pre-
served" In arranging these details, the
delegates had no difficulty in declaring for
themselves and all other confirmed wings,
that heyrecOgnised the provincial congress,
and in shaping for themselves ordinances
in harmony with such recOgnition:-but
there were others in the county, who. though
not very numerous, we're still influential,
whose sympathies were not with the Wings,
VIII. rather inclined to the crown. These
men were however to be brought under the
influence of the temporary laws, but they
were not prepared to admit that these laws
should cease upon the action of a prOvin-
cial congress, for they recognized no au-
thority in such a congress. And the exis-
tence and opinions of these men form a
most important historical fact which has
been entirely overlooked by those who have
unde rtak en- to interpret the document of the
Both. What was to be done with those
men ~ was question presented to the
minds of the delegates. To have insisted
OH their obeying the temporary laws and
recognizing the pr0rinciat congress, would,
at once, have produced forcible contest;
civil strife would probably have then com
menccd. Bnt this on every account was
to be avoided, and not the least of the rca-
sons Why it should be avoided was. that
many men who then wavcrcd, woufd (as
events afterwards proved they did) find
that their loyal hopes in the justice of the
crown were duomed to disappointment, and
that they must cast IN their lot with the
mass of their countTymen, or be the victims
of misplaced and umrequited loyalty.
While therefore, it was declared that for
the preservation of peace and order, these
men, like all others, must submit to the
Temporary ordinances of the Both yet for
their SakeS it was ais" inserted that the mo-
ment the British legislature should, and the
language Is remarkably guarded, ''re>ign
it, unjust and arbitrary pretensiOns with
respect to America" that Is revoke their
cdict of a pretended rebellion which multi
fled all law thus rcviving the ancient laws
of the colony; that then, these men mi ht
obey these revived colonial laws, and no
longer consider themselves bound by the
temporary ordinances of the Both of May.
This they could assent To- with their exist
ing loyalty unimpeached, for they did re
cuwniz, the authority of the British legis-
Iaturc; and this the delegates also could
permit in perfect harmony with their own
declaration Of tlGe Goth. because in that
they adopted and ordained" these very
slmc laws ..as Il rule of life in framing
the clause therefore which made the re-
solves of the Both obligatory upon all, eX
ccpt on the happening of one of two contin-
gcucicS, the delegates took care so TO frame
the contingencies as t. suit the prcJudiceS
or con>ciences of both classes in the com
mumity and thus insure peace and order
hv the temporary obedience of all.
A> to the delegates themselves, they had
already declared in the instrument itself
that tile only contingency which should re-
lease them was the action of a Provincial
Congress. The other contingency was in
serted to serve the scruplcs of wavcring and
uncertain wings arowed loyaliStS. If
there had been no friends of the crown in
MccklcnbUrg, it would not have been in
serted at all. Doubtless the delegates cx-
pccted the Provincial Congress to act first.
Doubtless they were not visionary az to
entertain the hope that the British parlia-
ment would ever undo its iniquity or revive
the laws by rcvoking lis wanton decree of
rebellion They saw what the end must
be- and their minds were fully prepared for
it; hut there were. others whose vision az
vet reached not 81 far. and who still thought
IL of plI h,h
and honest loyalty of affection. But these
could be best cured Of their dclusinn by the
progress of fast rirening events; and in the
meantime, they, well a. all others. must
obey the temporary laws made 10 preserve
peace and order.
And this Is the true and simple explana-
ton of this clause in the document of the
2Oth, on which so much stress has been
laid. DIR. III. then stated that without the
previous declaration of the goth, that of the
Both could not be made to appear appro
pirate and sensible. The two must be
studied together as parts of one @esta.
AMI thus studied, that of the Goth, instead
of being contradicted by, or found inconSis-
tent with the Both, receives from it the
strongest Confederation.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIONS.
Dr. III. next proceeded to consider these
!. 1t was said the paper of the Goth was not
printed at the time, nor alluded to i'll the
proceedings of the Both.
Directly alluded to it was not, though its
existence shaped the course of action on |
the ;}uth. But the cause was the same that |
led to no direct allusion, and to not print |
ing. 1t was because the paper of the goth |
asserted great governmental principles, in |
volving great national questions, even in |
dependence and though the men of Neck |
leEburg might entertain and avow what |
principles they liked for themselves on this |
subject, and though they might desire to |
influence the continental congress. if they !
could, to the adoption and expression of
opinions like their own; yet they felt that !
lRdcpeHdeRce was a national, not n county |
nor even colony question. What they
did was for the constitutional congress to
judge Of not for the people of the colonies
at large. Hence, they would not print, for
it might interfere with plans and purposes
Of flRg 4 Il