Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1858-10-27
CONTINUED FROM FORTH rAGE.)

of his times, his accomplishments a courtier his
lofty spirit, fully mbued with the tone of that de-
n,rting chivarly which would lend even to error it.
self halo of glory, his high courage and daring,
and generous and noble traits in private life, Sir
walter Raleigh was by all odds, the first man Of his
d,v in England, bright as that day was. After the
settlement of the colony of North Carolina, its in
b,btants were remarkable for their love Of ndepen-
dence and their capacity to govern themselves. As
our character frank and candid. quiet and welt
ordered and Industrious community is so fully
t,blished we can without any feelings Of uneasiness
or senstveness recur to such statements as these.
In the year 1871 the colonial governor Burlington,
in an official dispatch to his home government says:
"The people of North Carolina neither to be
c.oled or outwitted. Whenever governor attempts
to effect anything by this means, he will lose his
labor and show his ignorance. .~ ...f
"The inhabitants Of North. Carolina are not in
dustrious but subtle and crafty; always behaved
insolenty to their Governors; some they have i'm
prsoned others they have drove out Of the country,
and at other times set up Governor of their own
choice, supported by men and arms"
When the dividing line run between Virginia
and North Carolina one of the commissioners ap-
pointed by the former State William Byrd, in his
''lIistory Of the Dividing Line" says 1.-The b"r-
derers laid it to heart if their land taken in Vir
gnia they chose much rather to belong to Carolina
where they pay no tribute to God or to Caesar"
As he may have felt pque against the borderers
and jealousy towards State preferred to his own,
bis words ought probably to be accepted with grains
of allowance We will therefore take only half the
statement to be true, the latter half for those who
are readiest to resist the demands Of usurping
despot are the most likely to render the homage
due the Creator and the Governor Of the Universe
We should naturally expect such people to be
au,ong the first and boldest to resist those aggres.
sons of Great Britain which led to the Revolution.
Accordingly in the year 1765, the passage of the
stamp act, Col John Ashe, Speaker of the House of
Commons of North Carolina informed Gov Tryon
&boft tbo la he ted tn I'm
the arrival of the British Sloop-of war Diligence in
the Cape Fear, he and Col. Wadde at the head of
body os the citizens of the counties of New Han
over and Brunswick, marched down in body,
frightened the Captain Of the ship that he did not
attempt to land the stamp paper, seized her boat,
and carried it. with flag flying, to Wilmington, and
the whole town was illuminated that night. On the
next day they marched to the Governors House,
and demanded that Gov Tryon should desist from
all attempts to execute the Stamp Act, and obliged
him to deliver up Houston, the Stamp Master for
North. Carolina. Having seized upon him, they
red him to the public market house and compelled
him to take oath never to attempt to execute his
Office as Stamp Master.
Boston tea party assembled, when a number Of the
citizens disguised as Indians, went on board ship
and threw overheard the tea imported in her. This
latter act was done in the night time. by in dis
guise and was directed against defenseless ship
But the North Carolina movement ten years earlier
in point of time, occurred in open day, and was
made against the Governor himself ensconced in
his palace and by men who scorned all disguise.
While both deeds were meritorious on account of
their daring and also the motives of the actors that
at Boston partook Of the stealthy manner of the
cautious fox, while the North Carolina act resem-
bled the lofty bearing of the lordly lon whose def
ant roar sends challenge loud to all that oppose his
way. And yet the one occurrence has been lauded
unsparngly, while the other is scarcely known out
Of the limits of our State Historians, whose main
IL. L. L., Ill. L.
it. because of its brilliancy. 1t has been suggested
however. by way of excuse for this, that the tea
movement led Immediately to collision of arms.
But will any man pretend that blow which merely
irrates an adversary and causes him to make an
attack, is more meritorious than so decided as
to overawe him and compel him 20 retreat?
The same spirit continued to animate our people,
and led to the uprising of the Regulators resis,
the oppressive taxation and exactions Of the colonial
government. 1t was on the 18th day of May, 177l
that the battle of the Aamance fought, in which
more than three thousand men were engaged. Here
occurred the first collision Of arms between Great
Britain and her rebellous colonies and here shed
the first blood of the American Revolution. Though
superiority Of arms and discipline enabled Governor
Tryon to win the victory, yet such was the terror
inspired by the movement, that he required the peo
pie, in all the middle and upper parts of the State
to be drawn out in batallons and to take an oath o
allegian to the British government, In addition
to this, the prominent men were most suspected
were notified from time to time to appear at each
court, and renew the oath to sustain the govern
men As the contest waxed warmer and warmer
between the colonies and the mother country, the
spirit Of our people continued 10 rise. And on tht
Goth of May, l775 the citizens of Mecklenburg
more than year in advance of the general Declara
ton, proclaimed Independence, and, at kubsequen
meeting, perfected their system Of government
The conduct Of her sons throughout the who'll
struggle, vindcated the opinion expressed by Lore
CORVALLIS and Col. Tarlton, that Meck!enburg wa
the most rebellious county in America. Such
county was fitting birth place for Andrew Jack
son.
As the first blood of the Revolutionary contes
had been shed in State, in it the first victor,
was won in the well fought battle Of Moores Creek
on the 9th Of February. 1776. Nor were the exer
tons Of our citizens confined to their own territory
Gen. Francis Nash and Col. Edward Buncombe CAV
up their lives on the soil of Pennsylvania, and a
the battle of Eutaw the North Carolina militia main
tanned the fight, in the open field, against great
superior force of British regulars, so long, and S
oostInately refused to retire. when ordered by thei
officers, that the commander in chief declared tha
their conduct would have done honor to Prussia
veterans. And when the gloomy cloud Of British
domination was moving steadily from the north
east like the dark shadow Of an eclipse. it pause
before it reached our western border. The tide Q
our enemies success recoiled from the base of thos
unknown mountains, and became ref1uent whe
ferguson fell. Soon after, in the bloody battle d
Gullford, the power of CORVALLIS, The ablest an
most dangerous of our enemies, was broken. and h
retired. with dropping spirits to the side to be
f. come captive. ..
That North Carolina declined, for nearly two wear
alter its formation, to become member Of pre-
sent Union, is in respect to her dscredit. Hav
ing prodted by her own experience, she was slow
part with the right Of absolute self government,
nnaiy, only adopted the Federal Constitution, afte
important amendments had been made. And shoul
it. from any cause fail to afford her that protectio
70 which she is entitled the spirit which animate