Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-06-26

"a isaii"ay bunii nave been
heard in Charlotte, then shall beo;n
the era OF our prosperity; and t6an
shall Charlotte and Wilmington cd
vance to the position in rank of cit;aa
to which they are Justly entitled
Then indeed will the mountains H.
down to the sea, and the West viii
salute the East with the kiss of neaoa
and prosperity. When that whistlo
shall have been heard in Charlotte
then will Western North Caroli,o
like Rip Van Wrinkle of old. com,
| down from the mountains and will
bring her treasures of gold and meas
ures of oil and will lay them at tho
| feet OF Wilmington. as tribute for
| the sound of that whistle, nor will She
like that pennywise philosopher If
old, think she has paid too dear for
| her whistle"
| But, gentlemen, at the names of
Wilmington and Charlotte, of New
Hanover and Mecklenburg, there ar,ss
| before me old historic reco!lections
that cannot be repressed even on such
q festive and fleeting occasion as tbe
present The brightest pages in tho
history of the old North State ara
derived from the records Of New Han
over and of Mecklenburg We, as sons
of the Old North State, are all prond
to know that North Carolina, in its
first struggle for independence and
| liberty stand preeminent in the listo,v
! of the American Revolution, and Wi;
shine n beacon for all ages to come f.
light rue heroes along the patti way Of
exalted self sacrifice, SPLENDID .ouraoa
pure patriotism.
And, gentlemen, we as citizens Of
Meek e lburg and New Hanover. should
be prouder still to recall the deeds Of
our own ancestors in those times that
tried the souls of men. 1t can never be
forgotten, it can never be rcfuted.
that, with q devotion to freedom I'M.
Earalelled III all the annals of time.
Il band of patriots heroes On the
Goth May l775, in the County of
Mecklenburg, where now stands
the City OF Charlotte, announced
to Great Britain and all the world
that first and immortal Declaration
OF Independence that startled the
sleepers of the old world with the real
lZatlon that newborn giant had been
born on this continent, called Liberty
But although We are Justly proud of
this deed, and although we cherish it az
the grand achievement of Mecklen-
bnrg-yet the gallant deeds done by
the sons of old New Hanover must not
beforgotten. 1tshould be borne in mind
that this section of country was more
exposed to the attack of the enemy
from the sea than any Other; vet,
nevertheless, as early as July, l774,
New Hanover expressed her sympathy
and sent supplies to the citizens Of
Boston, who were coptending against
the tyranny of Great Britain bnt
search the records of history and where
will you find that Boston has ever ex-
pressed sympathy or afforded aid to
Wilmington In November, i774, she
had already formed her committee OF
safety to resist the aggressions of the
British Government, and in June,
1775, IN convention assembled, the cit
: liens of New Hanover declared in
the words of the resolution that they
were g ready to go forth and be
ready to sacrifice their lives and
fortunes to secure the freedom
and safety of the country" And,
gentlemen, it is a striking coinci-
dence that we stand here to-day as
representatives of the counties OF
Mecklenburg and New Hanover-the
two banner counties of North Caroliua
in her first struggle for independence
and liberty. In view of this fact it is
a memorable occasion when New Han
over and Mechlenburg join hands in
friendship and good will, in commem-
Grafton of our glorious past. 1t is fit
and proper that the land of Ashe, of
Hooper and of Moore, should greet
the land Of Alexander, of Graham and
of Davidson.
The thunder of battle that rolled
down from the craggy heights of
Kings Mountain, across the plains of
Mecklenburg. were re-echoed back
across the plains Of New Hanover from
the pineyi groves Of NI6ore's Greek
And the right of freedom and liberty
that was achieved by the gallant deeds
of our ancestors shOatld not be our her
itage. But, gentlemen, these remin-
sciences Of historic past recall other
memories of later days of days sill
glorious, but alas! of days that afe
no more" We stand in sight
of the beautiful bay of Wilmington
and the glad waves are sparklingin the
light of the sunset, and the waves are
whispering tender tones to the shore.
But to some of us the voices of the sea
recall other memories. For some of
us can remember the thunder of the
guns from Fort Fisher that once
doomed over the waves of this hoy,
and it recalls the TlemO~yo" tt.4e >layE
that are no more" Yet file !i,eliiorss,
of our dead heroes-of Whiting, OF
Duncan Moore, of Meares, of Wright,
and Of all our gallant knights wing
died with the shout of victory in than
ears, these all remind us that though
we live in these latter days, we
are not the degenerate sons of a noble
! ancestry
| In conclusion, gentlemen, i via
| offer this sentiment the Mountain
send tldings of goodwill to the Sea
and as New Hanoyer and ATee,.ienburG
! ere UNIFIED by memories Of a glorious
| past, SO may Charlotte and Whining
ton be banded together by ties of mu-
tual prosperity and realize a glorious
future.
During the speaking the boat had
rounded to a short distance this side
of the Dram Tree, wisely forbearing
from proceeding to that point cor Ia
OF recalling some unpleasant recolle>-
lions connected with the trip by raj,
and passed up the river abreast Of the
CITY. AS CapC. NILS concluded He
was greeted with burst of music
from the bar and then -- ice wafer
and cigars were in order. ana 3FetI
body was st liberty to- cliJivais a
workmanship with everybody else,
1t was wonderful to note what great
auxiliary the ice water and = cigars
proved in this pleasant undertaking,
1T about 6 O'Clock the tug rounded
20 and steamed ;.p with ner bar e r
the whalf where the party ian led an,
two by two and arm IN arm, proceeiea
up Market street to Front, ieadel -
fhe Cornet Band. In this order they
Fear Cinhh, Where Haj. !. 4. lnet,s
hard, on behalf of the Club, in a little
impromptn speech, tenderf d the hos
pitaity Of the rooms to the excursion
lists, during their stay in the city
assuring them that the rooms and all
therein were at their disposal night
and day, and GENTLY intimotine that IT
would he found particularly 3iei'Dan-
to rest there ON their return from the
Sound this afternoon, as he knew that
I, I Al