Goldsboro semi-weekly argus., 1909-05-26
TAFT At CHARLOTTE.
He Settles the Mooted Cues.
ton of the Mecken-
burg Beclafatien.
Announces a Southern Policy That
Has Precedent and That Is
LOmmcEdable In linn and
wholesome TO ESAll
From riday's Daily.


From Fridays Daily.
Interest in President Taft's visit tt
Charlotte yesterday centred in the
attitude he would take toward the
Meck1enburg Declaration of Indepen.
dence, the anniversary of the signing
OF which is celebrated Throughout
North Carolina, the Goth of each May.
Mr.. Taft took the position that re.
CARELESS of the exact language of the
declaration made in May, 1775, a full
year before the signing of h Jeffer-
son declaration at Philadelphia, July
was a declaration of independence on
the part of the citizens of North Car
DINA.
The Mecklenburg Declaration long
has been a subject of stubborn con-
troversy. 1t is declared by it's sup
porters to have ante-dated the famous
declaration of July 4, 1875, and has
been denounced as a myth"
The differences between the uphold
). ers of the Mecklenburg document and
l. it's critics long nave been considered
irreconcilable. 1t was with great Ella
{ ton, however, that the people of
kNorth Carolina secured the acceptance
gof President Taft to attend the festiv-
tiles of the closing day Of the celebra-
ton of 1909, and the great regret of
Charlotteans-and shared in by the
entire State, is that b weather was
so unfavorable as to greatly retard
the deliberately arranged program n
destroy many of the beautiful indus
trial floats.
It was a great day. however, and
Charlotte has every reason to be hap
by over the general roundup.
Among the guests OF the platform
at the auditorium when the President
was speaking of his belief in the
Mecklenburg Declaration regardless
, of the exact language in which the
resolutions were accepted was Major
J. C. Hemphill, the distinguished edi-
tor, of Charleston, S. c., who recently,
{ in paying his compliments to Speaker
/. Cannon, declared:
"He was born in North Carolina.
I the home of the Mecklenburg myth,
7 which President Taft is to celebrate,
j ] am sorry to say"
Ii MI. Taft TMits Hemphill.
With a twinkle in his eye, after be-
ing introduced by Governor Kitchin,
the President told a story at the ex-
spense of Major Hemphill, which
drought a shout of laughter from the
audience, and was enjoyed by none
more thai the editor himself.
1--WE are here said the President.
ito celebrate a Declaration Of indie
fpendence, regardless of the fact that
there are some ~unregenerate persons
lin South Carolina, and elsewhere, that
Sfor various motives, lay cast doubt
&upon the claim"
The President declared that the man
i who came to Charlotte and was not
4willing to accept the M~ecklenburg
Declaration in full reminded him of
Bthe Tipperary Irishman who was tried
Nor murder after he had hit his oppo-
fnent a fatal blow with a blackthorn.
L 1t developed at the trial that the vic
b tim had a paper, or very thin, skull.
Consequently the defendant vas con
. victed only of manslaughter. When
sentence came to be passed the con-
7 victed man was asked il he had any
/ thing TO say
z mo, your honor" he replied, ac-
cording to Mr.. Taft, "but, your honor,
{ 1 would like to s wan QUESTION:
What the diyil was a man with a head
like that doing in Tipperary?
The President declared that the i'm
portance of the Mecklenbnrg Declare
ton rs viewed from h standpoint of
practical patriotism and practical
craftsmanship, was not the general
declarations as to the rights of man,
but the practical vision for a govern
ment which was to succeed that of
+! Great Britain.
b The declaration, the President said,
showed wisdom, ~self-reliance and a
! willingness to accept the responsible
ity of maintaining a government of
Law and order.
Mr.. Taft turned from a discussion
of Revolutionary days to more mod
ern times.
The Sting of War.
He spoke of the Wa between the
States, and said:
"You in the Southland had the
troubles, the suffering, the sad losses
burned into your hearts with much
more emphasis than we in b North
land, because here was the centre OF
the war, and it is entirely natural that
in b forty year, which have sue
ceeded the war, there should continue
a bitterness of feeling that time and
long time could only erase, but Wher
we look back / think we must con
graduate ourselves that the feeling
has so largely disappeared, and tina
we are now a more united country
than ever since a decade before The
war.
eft is true that political division.
have continued in such a way as t.
at times seem TO perpetuate h lines
which were made at the time of tn,