The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-07-28

for five years past he had administered
it in his church at least SIX Tunes a year"
A recent historian Of South Carolina
says. q these measures. when caused
20 much contention and discussion at
home and in England, the first, that re
curing conformity with the church OF
England on the part ot the electors OF
the Commons, was a measure originating
III the politics OF the mother country, but
readily adopted by the churchmen in
Carolina to Wrest and secure control OF
the province from the di.senters- During
the last fifteen years there i little doubt
but that the d~issenters had been a ma
joTity in the colony, and were the richest
and soberest among them
The Lords Proprietors ratified the act,
or rather Lord Granville did. he repre-
senting four of the proprletors at the
time and being in control. He refused
to hear counsel, though it was requested
by Mr.. Boon, the representative Of the
d%issenters, succeeding Mr.. Ash, who had
died. Mr.. Boon now appealed TO the
House OF Lords, who voted an address to
the Queen, stating that the act rs found
ed upon talsIty III matter OF fact, Is re-
pugnant TO the laws Of England, contrary
to the charter granted TO tire PrOprietors
OF That colony, Is an encouragement to
Atheism and Irrelgion, destructive to
trade and tends to the depopulatlng and
running Of the Province The Queen and
her counsellors concurred in this view. de-
clared the acts null and void. and the
Lords ProprIetors were required to re
peal the same, and did SO, glad to escape
50 well. for both the Attorney General
and Solicitor General had advised that the
act was such Il violation OF the law Of
England as worked a forfeiture Of the
charter
The South Carolina act has been dis
cussed at such length because the North
Carolina act passed about the same time
Is not preserved. Both were the out
come OF the same policy and indeed of the
same instructions. Governor Daniel, OF
North Carolina, was but the deputy of Sir
Nathaniel Johnson, who exercised the Gov
eInorshlp IN person IN South Carolina, and
i known to have been in close sympathy
with his church views. Occasional refer
ences to the North Carolina act Indicate
It's conformity with the South Carolina
acts. Pollock speaks of the law made
IN Colonel Daniels time before mention
ed, winch requires all persons in any place
OF trust or profit to qualify themselves
- LIZ IdN 1oquiIcS. IlONcT III Il letter
to the Bishop of London sends "a copy
OF the act passed here relating to the
church IN which he says: There is one
great error, which was not in my power
to prevent, viz: the subjecting the clergy
tc be judged by laymen.' This apology
follows the condemnation of a like pro
VISION IN one of the South Carolina acts,
which SO seriously involved the proprie-
tors.
The movement had begun IN North Car
DINA under Governor Henderson Walker
IN 170l, when as Mr.. Gordon wrote the
Secretary At last after many attempts,
the churchmen carried an act, but by
one or two votes, called. The Vestry Act,
by which twelve vestrymen are to be cho-
sen IN every precinct, who, lave power
to build Il church IN each, and to raise
, money from the inhabitants for that pur-
pose, with a sum not exceeding thirty
pounds for a minister. You will bear in
mind that at this time the population
did not exceed 5000, not moro than a
third of them adherentS of the Church OF
England. There were seven precincts and
one small town of twelve houses. The
province IN population and wealth would
not equal one OF our thrifty towns OF to-
day, say Statesyllle or Rocky Mount. This
law which would be hard and oppressive
now, was by no means agreeable to the
struggling settlers of that early day, and
two years later we find Governor Walker
railing against the Quakers, saying they
have declared their design Of making
void the act for establishing the church
J AS Uncle Remus might say, Both sides
I put on their spurrers.'
Mr.. Gordon writes: The church party
thought they had now made a good step
and therefore designed to improve it to
the advantage Of religion and setting such
a regular church discipline as the lords
proprletors were obliged by their charter
to countenance and encourage; but herein
they met with constant opposition from
the Quakers; who, still being powerful IN
the council, numerous in the assembly.
and restless in their endeavors spared
neither pains nor expense to have the act
repealed OF altered
The first step in the designed improve
ment was to eliminate the chief opposi-
ton, to-wit, the Quakers. After the dis
approval Of the South Carolina acts, that
OF North Carolina IS lost to sight. 1t IS
not even brought forward in the records,
and Il new contrlvance was needed. An
excuse was found in the new oaths coming
in place of those abrogated upon the ac-
ceSSlOn OIL queen AHIlc. Inc QudhcIS DIS
always before declined to take the oath.
Two results followed. They were dismissed
from office IN the Council, the Assembly
and the Courts of Justice. 2. A law
was passed by the General Assembly so
eApurgated, that none should have any
office or place of trust without taking
the said Oaths.'' In other words the law
was put IN operation against the Quakers
before It's enactment, and then 1t was
enacted into a law, when they could not
vote and defeat it.
The charter provided that the laws be
enacted "of and With the advice, assent
and appreciation of the freeman of the
said province, or of the greater part OF
them, or of their delegates or Deputies"
It next provided that the colonists and
their children shall "be IN all things held.
treated and reputed as the leigc faithful
subjects of us and our heirs and successors.
born within this our kingdom
The Lord Proprietors IN their call for set
tiers had declared I'VE will grant in as
ample manner a. the undertakers shall
desire liberty of conscience in all religious