The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1857-06-03

thought We Mlght saiely auopl tWo SVhCtu
sions, viz: LIST, il there was 4 large meeting
in Charlotte &c the Mecklenburg men on the
10Th and Goth days Of May, IT'S; il they
were then and there greatly excited by the
news OF the affair at Lexington just received
if they resolved upon public expression o.
their opposition to tyranny aud called Tor
independence 60 nomine, and it they caused
any paper at all to be prepared at the meet
ing land these things he submitted must be
believed, or we must relinquish all faith 40
human testimony then il must follow that
the attempt to make the documcntof the 30th
If May the Mecklenburg declaration Of inde-
prudence utterly fails; and ID. that all the
particulars above named having occurred
here on the 9th aud goth daysof May, l115,
the document we now produce Of that date
is the declaration Of independence that was
then promulgated in this town.
THE DOCUMENT OF S0TH OF MAY.
The speaker then. returning to this, sub
liectel it toa minute, searching analy sis and
conciusiyely showed that il was no more than
a temporary body Of laws. or. as they expires,
sed il in the instrument, " certain rules and
regulations for the internal government Of
this county," necessarily as they judged. "tnr
the better preservation Of good order" lie
showed from nne of the witnesses Of the
meeting Of the 10th, thar. at that meeting, a
committee was appointed for that very pur-
j pusc r,iat t,,r mss.:~s e the 3Oth was com
posed Of the members of that committee
that they supposed themselves to be without
laws, courts, Or civil officers. because par-
lament in the proceeding February had
. IL th..n -. h.. ltol hay
proceeded. therefore, under the name Of
resoires to mike laws. The meeting Of
i May Goth had done no more than assert,
as general principle. their voluntary
adoption OF the existing laws II the col.
I ony "as a rule of llie.' with an ea-
press disclaimer Of any recognition there
| by &c the Crown or any Of its officers
. The CO nmttee was now to prescribe in detail
measures which would carry out the genera
, principle. with its disclaImrr. Accordlngl,
they passed twenty resolves. When WI
examine them We find that from the Sd to III,
10Th. they relate entirely to matters pnrel,
/ Girl, in the administration Of justice in III,
+ county and in the 18th and 20ih they pu
! The military in III state for service. an,
) provide proper authority over them. Thus
= they extcmporize species 81 court IN eaei
j military company's district, fix the extent Q
. jurisdiction. provide officers to execute pru
cess. established an appellate tribunal, tegu
late the duties Of tax collectors and 0ihr
accounting officers. and Incidentally, 10 lnsur
Z the working Of the system thus devised. ant
1 to prevent a conflict Of authorities, the,
i ,lisa low the powers IL the Turner crew.
officials If the county, and pledge them.else
10 save harmless their avn officers whom
/. they now appoint. As 70 the meeting. the.
e had by their action on the Goth, con
! tiuued in command all officers lwhu wou
. cunfnrm to the prinples Of the ,leclar
9 aiionj and they nov give directions 70
, providing the men with arms and an
]. lnunition, with Instructions 10 hnld them
i selves 10 readiness 10 execute the or,Ier
/ received frnm them Or The provincial Con
If gress. This sketch embniirs all the Law
L they made, and constitutes nearly the ~hnl
. document uf the 30th. The only oihe
!. .-fisfi.r nsss y.t ---.--l. - shs dsSt@fatIv
!. that these laws are Ia be IN force no longe
{ than necessity absolutely demands; and ID,
1 IS made 10 these words. that these resolse
1 be 10 full foree aud virtue until instruc tipn
: from the Provincial Congress. regulating III
' Jurisprudence 81 the province. shall prpsid
!, otherwise nr the legislative body of Grea
: Britain resign its unjust AMI arbitrary pre-
/ tens,ons with respect TO America" Th
: latter clause Of iht, passage has been ursr,
1 as prooi that they never made Presiou
II declaration renounelng allegiance, or the
Il never would, ashore, have Implitd willing
ness 70 submit themselves again 10 BIRTHS
Z legislation.
DIR. II. remarked that had those who hav
/ thus interpreted this clause, been as We
: acquainted as Mceklenburg men are. wit
i the then existing facts, they would scarcel
3 have committed themselves to such con
/ clusion. But without this knowledge ,
i facts, they might have seen the lallacy I
1 their inference. Very slight critical acu
: men might have shown them that men i
!. their senses would never have male iii
/. cessation of their laws depend upon I'll
4 happening 1T afher one ~ two cOntingen
!. cies, 80 utterly irrrcOncilable aud incnnsi.
i tent a. legislative action by the provincia
4 Congress, Or similar action BY the BIRTHS
!. Parliament. For this would be, IN effect, /
!, make them say, aUur action shall ceas
! when either Of two bodies now IN state
!, open antagonism and hostility shall act wit
i reference to ns; and Il we are Indifferent
b on the subject, We will yield At once 10 tia
+ body which acts first i and this declaration
/ too. must be made ID the face Of their ow
]. positive assertion IN the second resolve 3
i the very same instrument. that the rigM |
act was then in one Of those antagonist
: bodie. only, viz. the provincial Congress.
!. and further, that they meant their resoly,
Il 70 be q mere Temporal, substitute for law
i only until that Congress did act.
Il II might have been seen too, without an
!. extraordinary sagacity. that hi. snPpose
/. state OF indifference as to which body shOul
i rule them, (contradictcd a. We knuw il |
have been by all concurrent history even
- - 1870 ~