The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-07-29


We, the undersigned. protesting our
allegiance to the King, and acknowl-
edglng the constitutional executive power
OF the government, do solemnly profess
and declare that We do absolutely believe
that neither the Parliament OF Great
Britain, nor any member. or any con-
stltuent branch thereof. have a right 10
impose taxes upon these colonies 10
regulate the internal policy thereof; and
that all attempts, by fraud or force, TO
establish and exercise such claims and
powers are violations Of the peace and
security of the people Of this Province,
and stngly and collectively, they are
bound by the acts and resolutions Of the
Continental and Provincial Congress, be-
cause in both they are fully represented
by persons chosen by themselves. And
We do solemnly and sincerely promise
and engage, under the sanctions OF viz
tue, honor, and the sacred love Of liberty
and our country. to maintain and sup
port all the acts and resolutions of the
said Continental and Provincial Con-
gress to the utmost Of our power and
ability"
Where can you find Drawer words
couched in more virilc English? 1t was
| a good model for Jefferson when he came
to pen the great Declaration Of hide
pendence, which was to be the culmina-
tion Of the work of these provincial
heroes.
Betsy Dowdy's ride on Black Bess from
the banks opposite Knots Island to
! General Skinner, of Perquimans, saved
the day at Great Bridge and drove the
British towards Norfolk, which led to
the evacuation of the latter place. This
F., simple act of heroism upon the part Of
I ~no ~ $500 49,
lied in song and story and told to our
children along with the stories OF other
h~eroines of the Revolution. The action
of the gentle women of Edenton at their
famous tea party at which they resolved
to abstain from their favorite beverage
so long as it was tainted with the OdiOuS
stamp tax was heralded throughout all
the province and stirred the hearts and
nerved the hands of the brave men who
were to give up their lives in defense Of
liberty.
AS the first Christian sacrament was
celebrated on Roanoke Island, so was the
first church in North Carolina built in
Chowan county in 1901. While these
people loved liberty, they were also de-
yOut and piOus men and women and they
built their affairs wherever they reared
their homes in the wilderness. | chal-
lenge you to find q more devout and
God-fearing people, who stand by the
religion of the fathers, THAI you will
find along these banks within hearing
of the roar of the mighty ocean, or in
those counties adjacent to these beauti-
full sounds and lovely streams in the
sound counties.
You will permit me, / hope, to leave
this interesting story of the past and
invite your attention for q few moments
to the living present. No visitor to his
section can fail to be impressed with the
opulence with which nature has supplied
our wants. The impression made upon
the colonists which Sir Walter Raleigh
sent out, has been substantially main
tanned TO the present. 1t has been said
TO be a paradise for the poor and i'm
prOvident man. Then what an inviting
field it must be for the thrifty and
provident. Food and wealth are teeming
in these waters. Our forests, in spite
Of ruthless destruction, are still i'm
mense and capable of reproduction. Our
soil only requires the hand of skill and
industry to produce earlier and better
crops than other sections. Our climate
is salubriOus and has outgrown the an
cient superstition that the east is I'M
hcalthful.
- - oi 4blAoDo4 III III |
confronts every commercial people is
solved by the presence of these broad
sounds and of the numerous rivers and
tributaries which extend w~estwardly
through all these counties. But there is
one difficulty. We are comparatively
land-locked. Since the time when the
ships with John Whites colony came
near being wrecked at that dangerous
point which they named Cape Fear. since !
Ralph Lane had some men on the look
out for ships from England, which
originated the name of Cape Lookout, |
since Sir Francis Drake lost one of his
ships in one Of the dangerous storms on
our coast, these sea grit shores have
been the terror of the mariner the world
over and the vortex of its waves have
sung the only requiem for the thousands
of haDless souls who have s~uccumbed
to it's cruel power.
North of the inlet at the mouth of the
Cape Fear river there is not today an
outlet 10 the ocean which affords more
than eight feet of water or which can
accommodate with safety the
of our people. Our only outlet to the
north is through two canals, constructed
by private capital, and necessarily levy
ing tribute upon our shipping which
ought to be free. Thus is this produc-
tive section pent uD and its
curtailed as effectually as was the cul-
prit upon the procrustcan bed. !
The cheapest transportation is water
borne and modern progress has shown
that the very cheapest transportation
by water, with which no rival can com
pete IN the movement of bulky products,
is by the deep draft barge towed by
powerful tugs. Barge transportation is
prohibited on our coast and the
dangers to shipping Of ordinary tonnage
are 50 great and Diamond Shoal is so
in it's greed that all forms Of
transportation are very great
ly affected
The very recital Of conditions suggests
the remedy. 1t is a free inland water
way extending from Elizabeth river at
connecting with our sounds
through a canal owned and maintained
frr I In or W. 49,, -, z,aI -a,1