The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-05-17

litle more than three months alter the date or
May 20, l7T5, when John McKntt Alexander,
Thomas Polk aud others are represented 70 nave
declared INDEPENDENCE we md these
very leaders sitting in the North Carolina
Provincial Congress, aud on the a3d OF August,
1919, we further hnd them signing test or
!oyauy m PROFESSION OF their allegiance 70 tue
King and acknowledging the constitutional execu-
i've power ofgovernmentn Had THESE men de-
clared independence on the 2Oth OF May, 1175i To
suppose 80 ~ 10 load their names and memories
with the most terrible OF lmputations, and know
OF nothing 10 their honorable and manly cnarac-
tiers when can Justlly snch tremendous impeach-
ment OF either their courage or their candOr as
we must allow 70 he against them II they pro-
claimed themselves independent OF Great Britain
on the 20tA OF May, l715 ana pHghted their vows
OF allegiance little more than three months
afterwarul But this Is not all The delegates
sitting in this North Carolina Provincial Cong ress
from Meckenburp, including Jonn McKniEt Alex.
ander, the sponsor or the s0called Declaration or
Independence. joined with their colleagues In 4
unanimous address TO the people OF Great Britain.
john McKnitt Alexander, with all his colleagues
from Meckenburg county, united IN this address;
Tor 10 ID OF record that IL was adopted unGnI
moustv by the members OF the Provincial con-
greSs. list OF aDSentees was Kept by the Secre.
tary OF tine Congress, ana the MecklenDurg dele
gates do not appear 70 have been absent at its
adoption. IL remains, then, Tor me TO say that In
very mercy 10 the patriots or Mecklenburg in 1873,
as well as in simple justice to the truth OF a1-
was nor could have been any such Declaration as
tnat which John McKntt Alexander furoished up
from memory after The lapse Of more than quar-
WAS 1T ALL A MYTHp
Was, then, the Mecklenburg Declaration OF lnde-
petro 2, - ~ 49, 49, S pars nrain Rv
no means. He was honestly trying TO recall the
sacnrd 81 tnasa ouan,s IA cacia~59 ,o,o hsI haan
entirely lost from public sight alter the date OF
hro,,xhr 70 sn, 80 81 t,ta poto Lyca -, 49,
ington, In the year 1898 On the 18TH OF Deem.
"a ron anno15ocad thsir 6sconarH sbran@n RE col
umns OF the National Hgteui0encer, and he recog-
nlzed IN them at once the authentic resolutions
nrnimca hnt ~ Wnich ne Saa IN mating
pniv n feenia travestv Ana m reacning this con-
cinS,on ~ 40 ra 70 tno nraisa of Mr. ForcaSs h,s
toriraI ON gactrv tronad thonGn ne was m sucn re-
eaarrnas tne, ~ tnat ,,Sne In Isash he t,d not
know as we know now, that Aiexander,s version OF
the MecIiennnrg rasoImttnn was confassedIv
drawn from ms s.best recollection and beitel.n
Tnat signieant iact was not sutIered 20 transpire
in Norm uaronna nntil the year ls52 thanen the
committee of lie North Carnnna 'I,eSisstnre.
charged in Inc Var Is9o WIN tho ruhltcarton ~
evidence in suppors of the oenuineness = nd an
thentlc,ty OF the so.callea Declaration OF Nav 20
/ must nave had the .Dayie copvi, az that docu.
/ ment in their hands the certidcate nuonshed
| under the superinle ndence OF Governor swan il
1 A later dare I'M fortnnateiy escaped tnetr notica
1 Otherwise il NIGH nave greatly mouluea tneir
4 conclusIons
Rnt n vii no sa,d ,nat mere are = dozen a.
more OF witnesses no spe aklnr from their recol-
leetions OF what they heard and saw in MeckIen.
burg during the year 1875, have undertaken 20
corroborate the Statements or John McKnItC Alex.
ander with regard TO boz the facts anu dates or
his story All these men gave their testimony are.
4 Ine pupicatlon OF ~ eKnittu mad been MADE IN
| 1919 ana beGol,e the penuine and authenuc
4 RESOLUTIONS al Nav II had been restored ~
var i'm tfvi non nra
uncer TINS disaa VANTAGE Several oi these VIII
nesses make sTatements WHEN nraye undonntedlv
that rhav xvsra th,nsinSr ~ mo rasovas ~ Nav ~
for thew m"Sa afistonS ~ ~ t sT amd
1 tonnn N tnns, rssnivas aIono ma mannr,es ~
sndsr nara s no,n WY raannin. 81 ia ~
/ Inagnantmnns nnn,ic manIcasto watch n ~
i marked an enoch in the annals Of Meesienburg
l Tnat monIfestn a. Soma M thase wtfneSses -
\ memhered no1 notrljv declaraa mar ..an lava
/ and commissiSns conhrmeS ny or derived rom
1 tho anthnrirv ~ tha E1nr NO parioment wara
i annmiaa AN vacatea. maj NJ legisIaiivs or = :
i ecntive nnwers then e'xistsd IN lie coion,es eX
cept rts,,Se M ~. ~. 80 oitrsss !,
aa,n ~ ~ se ,,,ac,,n,' ~ ,ns Srot
i ContinanrJ ,1an~ress. mar any nerson
Ineraarpar ror,t1 anerc,s,ng ceo,
/ mlssIan nom mi. trown was IN hs ..deemsd
| an eneiny Ia ma country u ana thar
| in support OF these deciafattons soldiers
l nad heep raised win nowdar nd al md 1ints
/ To show thnt tne mon n ,hat cr,sis had mi n
! derslandinr OF their times and ..meant bns,ness,
/ in All tnat Inev "a nobly smoke ana nraveIv ala
i In these witnesses iorrol inc nrtle reseryation
/ contained an inc eighteenth resolution OF the
| royal preroratiyes on the Recommendation ny Great
/ Brian al Yer nnu,st ana arbltraTv nretensions
\ with regnect 10 Amerlca-It was simuly because
1 the subseauent course OF events mad never giyen
| ans room Tor fhe occurrence on TINS CONTINGENCY
THESE REsoiuTIoNs OF NAY 81. i775.
were not AZ is true a formal declaration ~ indie
| ne ndence n they had heen the men VINO were
ioremusr Iu giyIng them force and effect could NOT
hava suhsa6uent1v nrnfessed teemselvss 70 ia
To- Al AZ he arr the consttutionaI fights n
| ina Rrttsh Cro,xn Rnr the stand wnicn thev then
ec 1n . s -, We W "n.Sr my sns s
them Ia : nractcai ifnot in Theoretical sttitude
o. zee AZ r r,is the British authoritx
Inc sturdy believer In the Renulneness and all-
| thenticity OF the manifesto OF Mar 90 lT75 may
here interpose with the remark that, nOtwtth-
standing ali these apparently nfalble signs OF lts
| unnstorIcal Character we have the testimony OF
Governor stokes given in 1890, that in the year
1898 DR.. Williamson exhibited TO him, in the city
OF New YORK, a COPY OF the Mecklenburg Declare
tiOn IN the handwriting OF John McKnitt AleNan-
der This statement or Governor stokes IS en-
TREY credible but our NORTH Carolina friends
seem TO forget that the statement does not at All
help the pretensions OF the MecKlenDurg Decara-
tiou OF Independence as now received and held
among them on the authority OF John McKnitt
Alexander. for We nave the confession OF MIR.
Alexander that the existing version or the Meek
enDurg Declare ton of May 20 1875, 1rdS tCren ~
him, from menl0ry IN tie year 1900. H. IN the
year 1898. Governor stokes saw copy OF the
Declaration, 1t could nos have been the
paper subsequently complied by Mr. Alexan-
Ger from his recOliecIons, for at that time
the original RECORDS oil tie Mecklenburg COMMITTED
were stIll in Mr. Alexander's possession. II we
could now recover the actual transcript OF these
oripinat recoras 40 given hV Mr. AIrvanaar Ia NJ