The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-08-04
For tie Westcy7 Democrat.
DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE.

Mr. EDITOR: In your paper of the 23d
of May I notice with pleasure an account
of the Celebration of the sd anniversary
of the Meeklenburg Declaration of indie
pendence, and particularly the Address of
DR.. Hawks. Having removed from the
good old North State some 81 year since,
L have not kept up with much of the inter
yening periods of time, but things anterior
to that date Qs20) are as wildly impress
sed, and perhaps more so, on my memory
than many things Ct recent date. The
particular reference l have. however, is to
that portion of DIR. Hawks Address wherein
he very happily refutes the ISLANDERS (which
l had no idea existed at this day. in regard
to there being "no meeting held in Char
lotte on the 10Th and Goth of May, 1775,
and no Declaration of Independence then
and there made"
Now, /, descendant of John McKnitt
Alexander, take the responsibility of say
ing (which l wish you to publish and other
papers to copy that if any of the descend
ants of the .'Old Tories" or anybody else,
presumes to make the assertion, or has
made the assertion, that there was no meet
ing or Declaration of Independence in
Charlotte ON the 10Th and Goth of May,
1775, and that John McKnitt Alexander
was not the Secretary of that meeting, or
that he did not act honorably and honestly
as Custodian of the papers put forth at
said meeting, be he or they in high or low
station, / pronounce all such, Liars and
.SLanderers, being satanically wicked, or
superlatiyely ignorant of the true history
of the country while making such asser-
tons; and if any such wish to join issue,
personally or otherwise, in the premises,
all they have to do is to send his Or their
card TO your paper or to my address, and
they can be accommodated to their salts
faction.
l am old enough, Mr. Editor, to recollect
seeing my father (who was the Rev. James
Wallis, of Providence settlement) stamp
his foot with indignation on q" Williamson's
Book - when it was first brought to his
house, because it did not contain anything
that had been very carefully, fully and
accurately prepared for the forthcoming
work, by John McKnitt Alexander himself;
and am also old enough to recollect well
of his procuring letters or certificates from
old Capt. John Sineson and Capt. Thomas
Downs-the latter, q son Of one of the
Signers,-and some other Of the Revolu-
tionary Soldiers then living, in regard to
the Declaration, which was done for the
purpose of fully satisfying Williamson :"
in the premises, so that it might be put in
his History" l say 1 am old enough to
recollect those and many other incidents
Herewith connected; yet, 1 am young
enough to resent any imputation of dis
honesty from whatever source it may ema-
nate, as regards the memory of my grand
father. And l am desirious that you would
insert this communication in your paper,
for the particular purpose of transmitting
to my children and grandchildren, and
their posterity, for all time to come, the
inefable contempt entertained for the
meanness, prejudice, or ignorance, of all
those persons who would presume to tarn
ish or destroy the memory of one who lived
near a whole century on this Earth, aud
died respected by all who knew him.
JOSEPH WALLIS,
Chapel Hill, Texas.