The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-05-29
United States IN THE 10th century.
Address of Hon. Champ Clark, Delivered at Charlotte
During the Celebration of the Signing of the Neck
lenburg Declaration of Independence--The
Marvellous Growth of the Century Since 1900
Shown and an Optimistic View
of the Future Expressed.

declaration celebration last week. he
was heard by a vast and enthusiastic
audience.
Following is his speech:
1t is in keeping with the eternal fit
ness of things that a Missourian should
speak at a celebration of the anniyer-
a of North Cardinals splendid pre-
lude to the drama of the American
Revolution, for upon the soil Of North
Carolina was born the greatest Mis-
sourian hat ever lived, indeed, one or
the greatest of American statement
Col. Thomas Hart Benton, who sat at
the feet of that illustrious North Caro-
linian, Nathaniel Macon, to learn wis
dom. even as Paul sat at the feet of
GamOliel. Though the sO-called his
tories, in mentioning the immortal
Senatorial quartette, Benton, Calhoun
Clay and Webster" usually place The
Great Missourian' last he is richly de-
serves to stand at the head Of the
list as any of the rest. Because OF
Benton all Missourians owe North Car
DINA a perpetual and heavy debt Of
gratitude. His high career shed i'm
%perishable lustre upon themagnifcient
State which gave him birth as well as
upon the Imperial Commonwealth I'M
dor whose commission he served with
commanding influence 80 years in the
Congress of the United States-3O
years in the Senate and two in the
House.
THE ANNIVERSARY.
North Carolina does we'll to cele-
brate the anniversary OF the Meek
lenburg community in every Southern
and thereby sets an example Whlrh
every Community in every Southern
and Southwestern State should fol-
low. Our ancestors in the South and
West were a masterful race, eager
to accomplish things, but careless
about recording them, and we have
been far too negligent about celebrat-
ing them and their achievements. IN
New England it is different. 1here
every performance is carefully noted,
and in due time not only appears IN
print but is greatly magnlhed. 10
walk the streets of Boston and to read
the inscriptions upon her monuments,
statues and public buildings is a I'D
eraI education in patriotism. where
an inhabitant of another planet con-
yersant with both English and Lat
in, and without knowledge OF our
history, to descend on that devoted
city and study those inscriptions, tax
ing them at their face value, he would
inevitably, but enormously, conclude
that s~ingle-handed and alone, Massa-
.chusetts inaugurated and achieved the
Revolution and had conducted the FED
deraI government ever since. l am not
blaming Massachusetts for exploiting
or even O~ver-exploiting ner acrleVments
and her worthless; l am placing the
blame where it properly belongs
uDon ourselves for not doing for our
forbearsw what she does for hers. Every
bodv knows the story of the landing
of the Pilgrims, of the destruction OF
the tea in Boston harbOr, of Lexington,
of Paul Revere's ride, and OF Bunker
Hill. These nave been chrOnicled IN
history. chanted in song, and woven
into romance until they have almost
crowed out of human REMEMBRANCE
h natriotic words and deeds OF every
body else and every other portion Oh
fhe Republic. New England never
had any monopoly on brains, patrlo,
tism or heroism. Wat she has mac
in large degree is a monopoly on tne
making of books which by courtesy ar
called histories and biographies. 81
Waller Scott said that a wise man SAID
d, get me write the songs Of a country
and 7 care not who writes the laws.
His ideal also extends to the writing 0
what ~purports to be histories and pl
ceramics. These fix the opinions 0
the youth OF succeering generations
and finally the statements containe'
therein are accepted as the truth.
IF Sir Walter Raleigh had plante
the first white child seron In III
satts instead of in North Carolina, ]
the first whild had been born In u
western world had loked form upo
the stern and rock-bound coast OF Ne'
ENGLAND instead of under the sunni
skies of he Old North State, II IN
Mecklenburg Declaration nao pee
made in Essex county, Massachusett
and if the battles of Kings Mounta
Cuilford Court House and Cowpens na
been fought in New England, lnstea
of the Carolinias, the world would nav
scarcely contained the books "ritle
about them by the Ne" Enslan
scribes These monementous event
these splendid feats OF arms. "ou
have stirred the hearts and nreu !. =
= lamentations of the historians, d
oeraphers. essayists, orators, poets al
artists until the world knew tnem l
heart. AS it is they ana not mentions
at all or are slurred over with a 1e
words in what are advertised as stan
ard histories of the country; yet,
there had been no Kings Mountain,
Cuilford Court House. there YOU'D
all human probability have been
Yorktown and no republic.
THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR HIS
TORY.
What 1 am driving at is not
arouse any jealousy Of New Engia
or Of New England writer's, but
arouse our own people to a realizi1