The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-04-10
INDEPENDENCE DECLARATION
Monument 10 Sc Greeted to the Memory Of The sners Of that Famous
Document
Interesting UnVriten History Prepared for The Post bJ Mrs
scns4al Jackson Widow Of the Great Confederate General

In turn In favor OF their adoption. aud as
MI Balch was about closing the final adj
dress messenger arrived with the nsws
that the battle OF Lexington baa heo,
iousht Just one month before. Upon the
announcement OF this event the interest
oil the meeting reached its highest pulnt
ana from that moment the duty of mmc-
diately proclaiming IA declaration OF in.
dependence >ss decidcd-the assembly AZ
with one voice CRYING out;
Let us be independent, Let US declare
our Independence, and defend IL with our
lives and fortunes"
30 intense was the earnestnoss and so
PAINFUL the pressure of feeling that no
note of time was taken Nearly an night
long these patriots sat in the court house.
rocking not of sleep, hunger nor fatigie,
ana AFTER discussing every paragraph o.
the resolutions, declared indepenaonce
against Great Britain about 2 O'Clock
IN inc morning. The convention Their tool
recess until II o'clock Of the same day.
"hen an Immense concourse of peorlr
consisting of gray haired sres and yiro.-
Gus youths, assembled, all anxious 10 know
the result of that memorable occasion.
When The resolutions were read ON the
front steps Of the court house BY Colonel
Ihomas Polk, and they were adopted by
me people amid shouts of applause and
tremendous enthusiasm. The names OF tho
signers were Abraham Alexander Enb
RAIN Brcvard, Thomas Polk. Adam Alex
amer, David Reese, John McKnitt Alex
ander Hezekiah Alexander, John phifer
ROBERT Irwin. Richard Barry William
kennon, Benjamin Patton, John Foard.
John Davidson, William Graham. Iohn
tienniken, Waghtstill Avery. Charles
Aiexander, Henry Downs Richard Harris.
Harris
The venerable Abraham Alexapao, ,,.
chosen chairman and DR.. Brevard n',
John Mcknitt Alexander secrotarjes cou
p p OF the signers were graduates OF
princeton college and were mon Of ,r,t-
henI ABILITY In their different professions
1t Is well known fact that our MooL.
ienburg declaration was repudated nv
Thomas Jefferson, who pronounced il
spurious" and very upiustifiable
quiz" because it came out over vo,r
in advance Of the National declaration
and both documents are wordei in lam
guage so similar that it has caused much
controversy among historians as to the
authenticity of the Meckenhurg,
1t is true that our original document
can not be brought to light ard thus for
ever silence all doubt, but unfortunately
it was burned when the residence of John
Mcknight Alexander. who was its custo
dian, was destroyed by fire in 1900 Mr..
Alexander afterwards prepared a copy
from memory, and in the effort OF dolns
SO, IL is claimed by the opposers OF Nh
Jssersons charge, that he may nave
confused il with the National declaration
that paper However We hope to be able
to produce testimony from such unim-
peachable authority that ought TO be
sufficient to satisfy incredulity itself,
as to the genulneness of our MerklenbufG
declaration, and Of its PRONUNCIATION to
the world on the 10Th of May. 1I7o.
Let us hear some of Americas distin-
guishod historians and writer's upon this
mooted question. LOSING in his Lives
of the Signers of the National Declara-
ton" records that las early as the goth
of May, l77J, at a meeting In Charlotte.
n. c., the committee made declaration
OF independence o. the British crown to
the support Of which they pledged their
lives, their fortunes and their sacred hon
or
Bancroft says: THE people OF the
county of Mecklenburg had carefully OBJ
served the progress of the controversy
with Britain, aud during the winter o.
1774-75. political meetings had repeatedly
been held in Charlotte. That town hah
been chosen for the seat of the Presby-
terian college, which the Legislature OF
North Carolina had chartered, but which
the king had disallowed; and it was the
center of the culture of that part OF the
province. Some time In May news was re-
ceived that botn houses OF parliament.
by an address to the king, had declared
The American colonies to be in state OF
actual rebellion Thus was to them evi-
dence that the crisis in American affairs
was ccme, and the people proposed among
themselves 10 abrogate all dependence OIL
The royal authority, ,.
Hndreth. a very painstaking, accurate
and instructive writer asserts; 'lhat inc
citizens of Mecklenbarg COUNTY North
Carolina. carried their zeal so. Tar as ~
resolve at a public meeting to throw OIL
he british connection and they framed
declaration of independence. But TINS reel
ing was BY no means general.
Washington Irving, the first OF Ameri-
cans who gave to his country character
for literature in Europe, aud appropriately
closed his long and bright career by 81
ogvarhy Of Washington" published in 1891,
says in the fourth volume OF this Work,
gpcaking Of the INVASION OF lSoTu NU.H-
wallis: at was an enterprise in when
much difficulty was 10 be unprecedented
both from the character OF the people and
country. The carly history Of the
colony ahounds with instances Of spirit
Of resistance and rebellion among It's peo-
pic They always behaved insoleDtly to
their governors complains Governor bar
rington in l73l Some they have driven
cut of the countFy--at other times they
set VI a government Of their own choice,
supported by men under arms. 1t was. In
fact. the rpirit OF popular liberty and self
government which stirred within them and
gave birth to the glorious axiom: the
rights Of the many against the exactions
OF n few II was this spirit that
gave rise 10 the ccnfederacy called tho
r. gulation. formed to Withstand the abuses
Of power: and thc first blood shed in cur
country in resistance to arbitrary taxation
was at Alamancc In this province May ~.
l771 In conflict between The regnlniors
nd Governor Tryon. above all, II should
revqr he forgotten trat II NefklensurH,
In tho heart of Ncrth C7rollna WIS ful-
minated ire FIRST declaration Of iniepend-
erca n the British Gown rn%ards Of
wa hsrnro Ike declaration by con-