The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-05-05
Governor Graham on the Mecklen-
burg Declaration.


argument Of Governor Graham, Of North
Carolina, in behalf Of tie authenticity OF the
Mecklenburg Declaration Of Independence.
Governor Graham is among the most eminent
/ Of our citizens. lie was not only the Chief
Magistrate Of his native State but Senator in
Congress- the Secretary Of the Navy under
President Fillmore, and the wing candidate
for Vice President on the ticket with General
Scott. Alike by eminent services and distin-
| guished descent, being the son Of General
Graham, of Revolutionary fame, he is quail
/ fed to speak OF the attitude of North Carolina
in the struggle for independence and his
words on behalf of the Mecklenburg Declare
ton will have great weight, even if they fail to
convince those who refuse to put their trust in
that document. The original Of that paper
was in the hands of John McKnitt Alexan-
der, the Secretary of the assumed Conven-
ton Of May 20, IT'S, and was de-
stroyed by fire when his house was burned
in 1900. Mr. Alexander had previously
given copies to different persons, among
them General Davie, of North Carolina. This
copy came into the possession of Governor
Graham, and was published among the State
papers of North Carolina. This may be &C
copied as the authentic version, and all that
Governor Graham has to say about it and its
history receives additional interest from the
fact that he was in part instrumental in its
preservation.
In the present state of the controversy it is
impossible to accept anything as proved. All
that we can do just now is to consider some
of the isolated issues which spring out of the
argument, leaving the main question to be
determined after the whole case is heard.
One of these side issues is incidentally raised
by Governor Graham in his efforts to sustain
the commences of the document. This point
is that either the McKnitt Alexander paper is
forgery or that Jefferson drew from it the
ideas and even some of the phrases of the inn
mortal Declaration of 1776 Ifit was not for
gerry jefferson must have seen il, for it is dis
tinctly averred as part Of the case that it was
sent to the Continental Congress at Philadel-
phia, of which jefferson was q member. If
this Mecklenburg claim can be sustained JEFF
ferson almost inevitably must have been
guilty of prevarication as well as plagiarism.
As Governor Graham shows us, the memory of
the Mecklenburg Declaration had been
allowed to fall into oblivion It was not
revived until 1919, when Joseph McKnitt
Alexander renewed the claim by the publica-
ton of the paper in the Raleigh Register. 1t
was copied into the Essex Register in Massa-
chusetts, and SO came under the notice of
John Adams, by whom it was sent to JEFF
ferson. Both of these eminent men denied
any knowledge of its existence, and from the
lively interest which Adams evinced in the
discovery it is evident it was thing he would
not readily have overlooked or forgotten.
jefferson had even stronger reasons for re-
Numbering it. The language of the resolu-
ton under which he acted was either copied
from it or it was copied from the Dec
laration of Independence, and jefferson not
only incorporated all this remarkable phrase
ology into his immortal State paper, but added
to it that even more remarkable Phrase, to be
found also in tho Mecklenburg Declaration,
which is its concluding sentence. The charge
of plagiarism against jefferson can only be
based on the use of this last phrase, and he
could readily have defended himself against
it when Adams seemed to imply ii, because
the use which Congress had already made of
the Mecklenburg Declaration would have fully
justified him in adopting and using the other
phrase. 1t is plain that neither Adams nor
Jefferson were ever aware of this Mecklenburg
document, and it is inconceivable that they
should not have been aware of it in view Of
the liberal use which Congress has made Of
its peculiar forms Of expression and the
efforts which Governor Graham would have us
imply we're made to suppress the document by
the very body which afterwards adopted it.
both in spirit aud phraseology.
1t viii be observed that Governor Graham
takes up all the points and establishes or an
swers them to his own satisfaction and that
Of the people Of his State, if not to the ac-
ceptance Of historical critics generally. The
claim is a simple but glorious one-namely,
that to Mecklenburg is due the first open
declaration Of the necessity Of separation
from Great Britain. This claim is the proud
est boast Of the people Of North Carolina, and
they have frequently commemorated it by ap-
propriate celebrations and sought to preserve
the memory OF the event by legislative pro-
vision. The historians and scholars of the
State have endeavored to fortiiy the claim by
all the aids Of learning and literature, and
they have succeeded not only in rescuing it
from oblivion, but in strengthening it SO that
it Is not easier 10 overthrow it than to over
come veritable "hornet's nest" Gov
ernor Graham reproduces al the ar
guments, telling its very interesting
history over again, and showing not
only bow the Mecklenburg Declaration was
preserved, but why there is no Congressional
record Of its existence, and why its anthem
ticity was not discussed previous to 1919. lie
makes ont very fair case, bit there is still
ground for controversy. Many things may be