The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1891-1893, 1892-05-21
void, and the constitution of each partic-

void, and the constitution of each partic
ular colony wholly suspended.''
''The provincial Congress of eacl
Province under the direction of the grea
Continental Congress invested with al
legislative and executive powers withir
their respective provinces, and that nc
other Legislative or executive power doe.
or can exist at this time in any of These
colonies''
Such was the large, strict logical deri
vation from the wrong. of parliament
then follows, what?
A temporary grant of power by the in
habltants of this county, to be held an9
exercised by virtue of their choice.
Is that all? No-''shall hold and ex.
erclse their several powers by virtue OF
their choice, and independent of the
crown OF Great Britain and former con.
stitution of this province"
The exercise of old or new commits.
sions from the-crown to mark an enemy
of his conntry.
Preservation of the peace and admin.
istration of justice provided for and the
tenure of their office who bore the purse
or sat In judgment to be 'during the
pleasure OF their several constituents.
And they who bore the sword of powe,
were bldden to arm and hold 'them-
selves in readiness to execute the com,
mands of the General Congress of this
Province and this Committee"
Such was, indeed. that ''clear and log.
ical conception" which the Mecklenburo
patriots of l775 were foremost to form
''of the civil status created for the
American colonies by the address of
both Houses of Parliament to the Crown,
adopted February 7, IT'S, declaring the
colony of Massachusetts in state OF
actual rebellion,'" and constructively
passing the same sentence of outlawry on
all the other colonies which were giving
her aid and comfort.
Fellow citizens, it is not quite enough
to say that the Mecklenburg patriots OF
1775 won and wear the unique fame OF
the precursors of American Independence
The North Carolina Koh-i-noor blazes
from broader facet with finer i!thes
The Mecklenburg patriots of 1775 a.sd
carried onward the very evangel OF
Democracy!
peruse these authentic, unquestioned
resolutions, the text undisputed, the
record contemporary and continuous and
clear, and [ care not what went before
or came after, for l say, Severance from
and Independence If the Parent State
are here
But also every mark of the highest
style of self government is here.
Severance, because of encroachments
upon self, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
| resumption of power by the self govern
ed to the end of its redistribution upor
the servants of their choice-the TEN.
porary character of the grant affirmed,
subject to termination by the termina
ton Of its necessity, or by the awaited
exercise of authority on the part of the
larger social structure to which thei1
union and voluntary Difference was af
tirmed through the Provincial or the
Continental Congress.
Shall we find in the immortal Declara
ton of Independence which jefferson
penned surer, tirmer grasp of the gov.
eminent by the people, of the people, fol
the people than that
1t will never be found, except by those
forefathers never made-the mistakino
of Mecklenburg county for North Caro-
lima, the mistaking of North Carolina
for the United Colonies of North
America
But the dignity and self-restraint OF
men capable of self government, order.
ing the spirit and the structures of thei,
society, are here.
Nothing for aggression is here; but
everything for defence.
But the substantials of self-govern
ment were denied, and so ''the old order
changed, giving place to the new"
They had understood their epoch.
They had hewed to the very line, and
then they waited for twelve month the
fateful issue.
But resolute then for self government
they we're, at the hazard of their for
tunes and their lives.
A long renown to the Mecklenbure
patriots of 1775, the precursors ol
American independence!
But a deathless renown to self-respect
ing, self governing freemen, capable tc
rend asunder and destroy that unser
viceable body of government which ne
longer fifty houses and serves the soul O.
liberty!
This great decision of the Mecklen
burg forefathers, l say, bears ever,
mark of the highest style of self-gov.
ernment.
OF pure democracy there is no fine,
type.
No orders came laundering down from
the seat of centralized power. They
conversed with one another and deter
mined their course in this county O.
Mecklenburg, and then staked the for
tunes and the lives of freemen as O
less value than their liberty.
Liberty to do what?
Liberty to establish justice and main.
tain it; liberty to surround and guard
their own social order with all theil
united force; liberty to keep off the en-
croachments of the officers of govern
ment, by keeping in hand the sum ant
methods of taxation, and holding tn,
tenure of the officer at the pleasure O
his constituents.
Such is the attitude of freemen. Sucl
is the mind of the democrat -democra
in the broadest sense, I mean. Anc
then, what courage of the patriot!
Can you conceive of servility in soul
like theirs Can you conceive of
demagogue making headway in tina