The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-07-05

which crown old North Carolina
with unfading glory, and should in
spire every heart with pride in her
history. They place her even ahead
of her illustrious sisters in the great
struggle for Independence.
First, it was her people who COM
mitted the first overt act in assertion
Of the principles of the Revolution.
There may have been elsewhere a few
instances of mob violence against in
dividuals, but here was the armed and
organized militia of two counties
drawn up in battle array, command
ed by such men as Colonel Waddell
and Colonel Ashe, openly defying the
English Sloop of War Diligence, of
twenty guns, as she came to anchor
off the town of Brunswick on the Cape
Fear They notified the commander
that they would resist the landing of
stamps and would fire on any one at
tempting it. This was on November
goth, 1865.
Here was treason, open, fragrant
and in the broad light of day, treason,
armed and lead by the most distin-
guished soldier of the province and
the Speaker of the Assembly. "This,
says that distinguished North Caro-
linian the Hon. George Davis, was
more than ten years before the Decla-
than nine years before the battle of
Lexington, and nearly eight years be-
fore the Boston Tea Party The de-
struction of the tea was done in the
night by men in disguise. And his
tory blazonS it, and New England
boasts of it, and the fame of it is
world wide. But this other act, more
gallant and daring, done in open day
by well known men, with arms in their
hands and under the Kings iiag-who
remembers, or who tells of it,"
1t is hardly to be credited that this
act, so illustrative of the advance
spirit of liberty in North Carolina, and
which places her far in the advance
of the Revolution should not be blaz-
cned forth to all the world. But SO it
is. AS Mr.. Davis says, "who remem-
bers it, or who tells of it?''
The second great event is the Neck
lenburg Declaration of Independence.
The declaration drawn by Jefferson
and made on the fourth day of July,
1916, was the declaration of the con-
tinental Congress. 1t was on the part
of all the colonies, and the anniversary
of the day of it's adoption is justly a
great day of national celebration 1t
is nevertheless a fact to be proud Of
and of itself places North Carolina in
the foreground, that some months be-
fore, on May 10th, 1775, immediate
ly upon hearing of the battle of Lex
ingtOn, the patriots of Mecklenburg
county made their famous declaration
In the language of Senator Boutwell, in
his address on The Progress of Amer
lean Independence, before the New
York Historical Society, 1.-THE citizens
OF Mecklenburg county, North Caro-
lima bad anticipated the declaration of
Jefferson, and in some respects it's
language, and yet there is no reason
to believe that the substance of the
document was known to any member
of Congress, and there is much evil
dence that neither Mr.. Jefferson or
any one of his colleagues of the COM
nittee was aware of it's existence"
What a glorious record is this which
we can truthfully present to our pos
terity, and how every heart re-echoes
the words of the immortal Lee: God
Bless Old North Carolina" Yes let
her true history be written, and the
CID State will come forth resplendent
with revolutionary glory. Let her true
history be written, and it will be seen
that our revolutionary fathers were
worthy ancestors of the men, who, I'M
der the banners of Lee and Jackson
and other great leaders, filled the
world with wonder and admiration by
their matchleSS deeds of arms and he
role devotion. Let her true history be
written. and there will rise in the
hearts of her children a spirit of pa
triotism which will guard and main
tain the great principles of Republican
government which underlie our Con-
Stitution.
Let us, my friends, as we leave this
consecrated ground, resolve to devote
our minds and hearts to this great
end. Let us Vindicate the canacitv IF
man for self government. and when
we have done this, we shall have fur
nished light and a hope to all nations
to guide them in the ways of peace.
justice and harmony, and we NAV
look forward with confidence to the
time when armies will be disbanded
when the war drums" will throb no
longer, land the battle flags he furled
in the parliament OF man, the fedora