Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-05-07
CHARLOTTE'S GALA DAY
Preparations for the Centennial
on the Goth Inst.

A Crowd of $4,000 EXpeeted-Letter
from Senator Polk, Of Tennessee
Programme OF n Holiday Radical
ISLANDERS Refuted-The MeckIenburg
Girls Of I776-SIJ for q Marriage Ii
eense.
Charlotte Correspondence New York Herald.
1 find the worthy people Of this pleasant
North Carolina city excited over the ap-
preaching commemoration Of the one hun
dredth anniversary of the MecklenbUrg
Declaration of Independence. l am now
convinced that the M~ecklenburg Centen-
NAL will attract a numerous attendance.
Il is claimed that a tremendous crowd will
be here IN the 10Th: in fact, n enthusiast
tic gentleman goes so far as to predict the
attendance $4,000 people, if not more.
Where they are all to be slowed away at
night sUTpasseS my skill in solving conun-
drums. The Central hotel is enla.ging its
accommodations by aR addition of 100
rooms, aud there are several other hotels,
besides the boarding houses. The citizens,
l am told, will very generally open their
hOspitable doors to the influx Of pilgrims
to this new Mecca. But even then l am
unable to see how this expected swarm
Of visitors, numbering five or six
times the resident population Of the
city, is TO be lodged, unless tWO-thirds Of
them take it on the floor. The visiting
military companies will bring their tents,
and the civilian corners may catch the idea
and camp out also, a. least a part Of them.
If Barnum would only loan his big a
vass for the occasion a solution Of the
problem might be arrived at. Or LeXing-
ton might send along the monster tent I'm
der whose wide-spreading canopy the Cen
tennial dinner wa discussed.
The Charlotte OJSerUer, the BulletiHa and
Gen. D. II. Hills Southern Home take a
lively interest in the coming celebration, as
do the journal and the Star, published at
Wilmington, the Raleigh Sentinel and
nearly all tie other papers in the State.
The impeacherS Of the authenticity OF the
Mecklenburg Declaration have no news
paper organ, at least not just at this time.
They maiLtain a discreet silence, and we
hear nothing from them.
A LETTER FROM SENATOR POLK, OF HAIR
DEMAN
By the waF, l find the following para
graph in the Southern Home, which sup
plies an important piece Of information
touching the mOOted matter:
We learn by aprivate letter from Bolivar,
Tenn, that the distinguished grandson Of
Col. Thomas Polk CCOl. Horace NJ. POLK
Of Revolutionary fame, has sOme important
facts in regard TO the MeCslenburg Declare
ton. Among other things, an extract from
a Raleigh paper of 1909, giving a speech
delivered at Chapel Hill, in which there is
an eloquent alluSiOn to the great event of
the 2Oth Of May, 100. The silly notOriety
hunters object that not until 1919 did the
Declaration attract public attention. But
Colonel Polk can show by the record that
ten years before that, and in the lifetime
Of the actors n that grand movement, a
speaker at the University Of the State
claimed for old M~ecklenburg the honor Of
FIRST proclaiming independence.
GENERAL HOLIDAY.
The press of the State Join heartily in the
suggestion that the 20th Of May be gener-
ally observed as aholiday throughout North
Carolina. In the event it is so observed,
there will be any number Of little centen-
malls, all taking place simultaneously in
every part Of the State. Why isn't the
Twentieth of May as good as the Fourth Of
july? 1t never was though necessary to 90
to any particular place to celebrate the
Fourth. The day is the main thing-nOt
the lOcality-which reflection ought 10 con-
sole the stay-athOmes. The great fire at
Charlotte OF the 10th inst. will not in any
way interrupt or interfere with the centen-
NAL preparations
THE SPEAKERS.
Gen. Joseph Z. Johnston, who surren-
dered to Gen. Sherman ID this very city
ten wears ago, will act as Chief Marshal on
the occasion of the celebration; and John
Kerr, one of the very best public speakers
i'm the State, will be orator Of the day. II
is proposed 70 erect a monument 10 the
memory of the immortal twenty six-sOme
accounts say neutrality-suspicious. Of the
Declaration. To have a certain amount
for this monument, and TO properly carry
out the programme at the Centennial the
sum Of $4,000 is considered necessary by
the Committee Of a-rangements. OF this
amouu $4,000 is assigned for Charlotte TO
make up. and the balance is expected from
the remainder of the State. The money is
duiv. coming in. A few days ago Mrs.
Cicero W. Harris, of Wilmington, forward
ell SOD she had collected in that city, and
the ladies Of H~illsboroUgh, in Orange
county, are to give a festival in that old
historic town during court week, the pro-
ceeds Of which will be applied tO.the same
object.
II MILITARY.
Raleigh Will send her artillery company
to the celebration with two. guns, and the
Raleigh Light Infantry expects to bring
hither some forty members. The steam
| fire engine company Of Wilmington will
attend. This class of organizations will
undoubtedly be largely represented. Sol
der boys and "boys who run with the
machine" are also expected from Virginia
! and South Carolina. The procession will
/ 10 doubt foim an imposing street pageant,
such as is rarely witnessed in this section
| of the country. There will be visitors
here from Canada. Twenty Canadians,
! residing al Ball7ille, Ontario, will accom-
pans Or. Palmer, Of that place, formerly
! of Raleigh, who has accepted an invitation
70 be present.
PRESENTATION OF A FLAG.
The ladies of Charlotte are TO present Z
fac TO the Hornet Fire Company il
season for the Centennial. One Of Gen