Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-07-01

fortunes and our most sscreiI honor
Fourth.-That we acknowledge the
existence Of no law or public officer.
but readOpt the former laws in so far
as they do not recognize the authority
OF the crown, thus vacating all civil
and military commissions granted by
the crown.
Fjfth.-That all military officers of
the county are retained in their former
commands and that every member of
the convention be hereafter a civil Of
1icer with power TO issue process. hear
and determine all matters of contro-
Tersy, preserve peace and harmony and
tndeavor to spread the love of country
until u more generally organized gov
eminent be maintained in the province.
Although the precise words of this
much disputed document may never be
known, and even though formal dec
laration was never made, nothing can
detract from the patriotic attitude as
sumed by the Old North State during
the period antccedent to the breaking
out of the Revolution and the part tax
en- by her IN that never to be forgotten
struggle. For nearly 200 years before
the severance of the ties which bound
her to the mother country Carolina had
been developing into freedom loving
and despOt hating colony. At an early
day an elaborate scheme of govern
ment had been formulated by the phi
losopber John Locke. 1t provided for
three orders Of nobility and four houses
of parliament. 1t was altogether too
comprehensive for the Carolina plant
ers, and they declined to accept 1t. Not
TO bubble, the population was sturdy
and self reliant and inclined to be
critical of any system of government
which interfered too markedly with its
own ways and wishes. When they
were given a governor who attempted
to be more loyal to the mother country
than TO their interests these undaunted
colonists were in the habit of sending
him home. Many Of the early settlers
were Scotch-Irish ana Germans from
the Palatinate. After the battle of
Culloden 0746) many Scotch families
made homes for themselves on both
sides of the Cape Fear river. and they
were sturdy, independent folk with
ideas OF their own and strong wills to
back them
Many OF the royal governors found
ii no easy task to keep these free
spoken pioneers to their allegiance
Many OF them came into direct CON
/ tiict with the inhabitants. The first
provincial congress of North Carolina
met in defiance of Governor Josiah
Martin IN IT74 and sent delegates to
the Continental congress. The state
q fret tn nth nor InIacraf nS
in congress to vote for independence.
When the Revolution broke out North
Carolina went into the struggle with
all her might. Her troops were in all
the important battles of the early
campaigns, and IN 17s0-S1 the state
was invaded by the British.
The Old North State was decidedly
averse TO leaving the Union at the out
break of the civil war and opposed Sc
cession as matter OF expediency.
When her position seemed no longer
to be tenable. she recOnsidered and
passed the separating ordinance. Once
committed. she threw herself into the
cause with all the energy she could
| command. She furnished over 10000
soldiers to the Confederacy. more than
twice her proportion. She also lost
more men than any other southern
state. and during the last year Of the
war practically fed General Lees army.
There ought not to be patriotic soul
| in all America So ungenerOuS and sc
unmindful OF the past as to refuse to
| join with this dignified old common
wealth in the veneration which she
! maintains for those intrepid militia
men who went boldly into Charlotte
no matter when. less matter how-and
declared themselves absoIved forever
( from further allegiance to the foreign
| oppressor Peace be to their spirits.