The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-07-21

grave matters into Confederation 10 IN
qulre what evils existed. and to adopt
methods OF correcting them if any *
isted.
Surely nothing could be more temperate
than tins. Here was no rash ~incendlary.
drunk merely on his unruly passions
Here was an appeal to reason, to common
sense, to facts, TO sane judgment. The
case was not even prejudiced. It was
not dogmatIcally stated that wrongs did
exist. The wrong doors were not ar
raigned by name. No, Herman Hus-
bands merely declared that the people
were complaining OF wrongs. that there
ought not TO be any unjust oppression and
that II there were any it should be re-
dressed. He did not seek to dictate meth
DDS 81 redress. That was to be lett TO the
people in mass meeting.
When the meetings were held. and the
existence Of grievances was established,
the resolutions set no law at defiance. on
the contrary, the regulators pledged them
selves to pay lawful fees and lawful taxes,
and Illegal fees they pledged themselves
not to pay. Bear in mind that the great
mass OF the people III North Carolina were
poor.
Ready money was extremely scarce. The
tewest number owned slaves. They had
no big cities fiourishing on commerce.
They had no mines and manufactures
They lived on small farms, in small houses,
doing their own work, digging a hard Nv
ing out Of the ground, and having no sur
plus crops TO bring money to their peck
cts. North Carolina, like Georgia and
Connecticut, was almost a pure demo
cracy.
Therefore, Illegal taxes and exhorbitant
tees a nd aoIlrt costs a,,a q rool bay3Shin
A new seventy thousand dollar palace for
the British Governor seemed a mOnstrOus
abuse-as, under all the circumstances, it
was. And when Edmund flaming, a roy
alst carpet-bagger, came down adventur-
ouSly INTO their State, became the Gov
elnor's pet, ran the fee for a marriage
license up to SIS, and charged 81 for at
| testing a deed notwithstanding rapidly
; rich upon a system OF plumber OF which
l these two instances are but eXampleS-the
people of North Carolina felt the situation
E to be intolerable. Had there been one
l eXtortloner, had the abuse stopped at Try
I on and Tanning, the burden might have
been patiently borne-so vast is the ca
y pacity of the people to endure official
legaliZed spoilation. But when every of
icer set himself to initiate his chiefs, it
g was as though a sawrm of locusts had
} been sent to deVour the substance OF these
II poor, pitiable people.
Their cause being just. why was theil
failure 50 complete? They were not
~shllfully led. The movement was no
made general. 1t confined itself too
closely to Orange county. It was no
: widely organized. The more violent spirit:
j committed too many excuses. The re
Y bellion put itself in the wrong by it
: %riotous attacks upon individuals. and pr
, vate property. 1t alarmed too many vest
4 ed interests.
d Such men as John Ashe and Colone
- Waddell went in arms to fight under tn
= royal banner, just as the Rardolphs. tn
= Lees, and Washingtons would hav
done IN Virginia had the eH
a tremists there taken up arms to
as soon. 1t was one thing TO ris
sd against Great Britain's stamp distributor
lie it was another to make war upon tn
+ home government. Many and many a pa
6, triotlc Virginian who had gloried in Pat
rick Henry's speeches, disapproved b
st armed march upon williamsburg in III
OF when Dunmor had removed the powder
TO Prudent, slow-but-sure George Washing
de ton refused to have anything to do wit
it, although the men Of Albemarle Assem-
n bled. and called to him to lead them. Pru
of dent Pendleton and cautious Randolp
er frowned upon the reckless audacity {
ct Henry and his men.
u Only when success had crowned the ras
movement did Patrick win praise frol
Is every tongue, and become the uncrowne
TN king Of Virginia.
But although the regulators manage
tx badly and failed, 1T must be owned thu
,;r they were actuated by the true spirit
11(nS{, -, -. {I~- l..- H.
ton which drives men to resist oppre
sion. No private grudge inflamed then
- no sordid motive of any sort appears
80 their speeches, their resolutions, or the
- conduct. They stood for principle, f,
right, for honest government-that muc
nothing more. Their cause was not tt
quarrel of an hour-it was the strugg
80 of the ages, the effort of the weak AZ
~ the doWntrodden to throw off the vol
and break the chain.
All remonstrance proving null, all pet
10 tons for relief going to nought, they stoC
ad at Alamance to fight, as the Anglo Sake
ay loving just treatment, has always done
as Hampden did, as Cromwell did.
~ "Disperse. We rebels" cries Royal c
.ad ficer Pitcairn at Lexington; and becau
the brave militia of the north stood the
ground history makes heroes of them
tar most properly.
iSh "Disperse, or I'll fire shouts Roy
I'd Tryon at Alamance four years prior
Lexington.
TX Fire and be damned!'' the rebels a
es- swer back.
0ul Was not the spirit the same? Shou
not the historian immortalize these M,
nts also? Would he be much in error if
of declared the patriots who were shot dov
lat there, and those who We're hanged
to trees and gibbets there, were the fiji
M hero-martyrs of American independence.
uc- "Surrender! brave men. surrender
cried the English to the old guard at W
lat terloo.
of "Go to hell" Cor words more unprir
able shouts the dauntless CambrOnT
to while the old guard draws back its IT.
of squares, muskets blazing along its eve