The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-06-09
first Declaration of
independence.
BY Gustavus Myers.

else the powers Of a Justice Of the
peace, issue process, hear and deter
mine controversies according 20 law, +
preserve peace, union and harmony IN
The county, and use every eNertiOn to
spread the love of liberty and country
until q more general and better organ
izeG system Of government be estaio-
lisned.
VI Resolved, That a copy of these
resolutions be transmitted by express
to the president of the continental
congress embIed in Philadelphia, to-
be laid before that body.
There was some discussion and after
sitting in the court house all night,
neither sleepy, hungry nor fat1gued.
the delegates adopted the resolutions
about o'clock on the morning Of May
20. and led by Abraham Alexander,
chairman, appended their signatures to
the document
A few days later Captain James
Jack of Charlotte was dispatched with
The account of the proceedings to the
continental congress at Philadelphia.
According to the Charlotte version the
president of congress returned a Do
lite answer TO the address which aC-
companied the resolutions, in which ne
highly approved Of the measures
adopted by the delegates Of Mecklen-
burg. but deemed the subject prema-
ture TO be laid before congress- At this
identical time congress was preparing
a petition 10 the king, which was
signed by every member on July s.
I775. stating in part. I'VE have not
raised armies with the ambitious de-
sign of separating from Great Britain
and establishing independent states"
The original MecklenbUrg Declara-
zion of Independence is not now in eX-
istence That, together with all the
records of the general committee
which signed it, was burned in April,
1900, in the fire which destroyed the
house of John Mcknitt Alexander the
secretary Of the general committee,
h. a Of oil r-afa riEs
After the FIRE ne prepared a copy of the
9feckIenburg declaration for his friend,
/ General William r. DaEie. This copy,
which is now in the archives Of the
4 University of North Carolina, has ad-
mittedly errors in the text and omits
/ the sixth resolution. Mr.. Alexander
added q certificate VOuChing for its
( substantial accuracy. but qualifying
/ has statement with the provisO: That
( the foregoing statement though funda-
/ mentally correct, may not literally cor
( respond with the original record Of the
; transactions of said delegations >
! That there We're those in North Car
DINA who did not symDathize with
/ the work of the convention is attested
! by a curious poem in THE MecElen-
] burg Censor which was printed about
] that time.
J When MecIdenburg's fantastic rabble,
I Renowned for censure, scOld and CAB
BILE,
IN Charlotte met in giddy council.
. 10 lay the CONSTITUTION BEOQnQ-Sllls
. BY choosing men both learned and
wise,
Who clearly could with half-closed
! eyes
: See mill stones through a spy or plot
/ Whether existed such OF not;
4 Who always could at noon define
/ Whether the sun or moon did shine,
And by philosophy tell whether
[ Tt was dark or sunny weather;
I And sometimes when their wits were
4 nice.
! Gould we'll distinguish men from mice,
! First to withdraw from British trust,
+ In congress they the very first,
/ Their independence did declare"
T.. When the royal governor of North
Carolina heard of the resolutions
! adopted May 20, 1878, he addressed the
I executive council uDOn the late most
reasonable publication by-a committee
/ in the county of bTeckIenburg, explicit
! " renOunCinE obedience to his maies-
tvs government, and all lawful au-
thOrity whatsoever Five days after
this address the governor wrote to
Earl Dartmouth: THE resolves Of the
committee Of AIecltlenburg 80 sur
pass all the horrid and reasonable
T publications. that the inflammatOrv
i spirit Of this country has yet pro-
duced-"
j.. Although the original document IS
lost, there is abundance of proof of its
n formulation and adoption in personal
statements and writings preserved
from the early years Of the nineteenth
century