The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-01-09
Der sat with his hat on except when
addressing the chair.

JOINT meellnS OF the TWO houses IN
the large room; a committee Of three
or fOur gentlemen ven to him, and
together they walked to the House,
~Whereupon all the members rose on
his entering. The usual oaths of al
legiance to the State and OathS OF
office as Governor being by him dis
tinctly repeated and sworn. he re-
tired to his lodgings, there being no
ceremony of proclamation"
Some of the prominent men present
at this assembly were, Judge Will
liams, Col. William r. Davie. Gen.
Thomas Parsons. Major Blount, Doc
tor Williamson, Colone Thomas, and
General Mcdowell, who conyersed Of
his wars with the English, the Indians,
and the bears. He was n of those
commanders who defeated and killed
Colonel Ferguson at Kings Mountain
he is an elderly man, his locks are
beginning to silver over.
Limitations for breakfast, dinner,
and to take a glass of win in the
forenoon, also, to drink tea in the
afternoon were extended II accepted.
December 23, the Assembly men
pushed out Of town in great numbers.
SSfne Of them came to the Assembly
to Marlborough 500 miles, these came
from the settlements about Cumber-
land river. These members encarnp
81 IN MN EbAS
Of the way, the country is settled as
far back as 800 or 400 miles" The
foregoing account is quoted from an
unpublished description Of an eye
witness.
In commo with the other colonies,
North Carolina suffered from unjust
taxation, and other oppressive meas
ures Of@British misruie; but added to
all this, she had the serious and dis
- ctYo11o 1yV2nn of ntnrfararnn wit y
her court laws-particularly as to
jurisdiction INC attachment. Finally
the Crown abolished all our courts
save those Of a single justice of the
peace. No competent tribunal for
criminal or civil issues were left, and
the great ship OF state was free to
drift at the mercy of the passions ana
caDrices Of the multitude.
About this time committees OF cor
~respOndence were formed in the thir-
teen colonies; it has been said that
this was the first link in that chain
that later bound them so closely and
indissolubly- Josiah Quincy, the dis
tinguished New Englander, made g
tour Of the c%Olonie to organize these
committees, and in his diary remarks
upon the peculiar situation in NORTH
Carolina, that there were but five
| provincial laws in force and no court!
at all in being. Offenders escape witt
} impunity; the people are in great con
I SternatiOn about the matter, and Wha'
} will be the consequence is prOblemati
CAL"
1t is true, our ports were not closed
! nor our people butchered as was tn
/ case in New England and other places
: but the grave peril hat menaced thi
4 colony from the adjustment Of it
. fundamental laws was quite as eX
4 treme. And, with this, taken in con
: III nofinn with tho oph;troV1p oats y
Governors Tryon and Martin in ad
! jOurning the assemblies whenever tn
|, votes of the members failed to sui
u the royal pleasure, it will be seen, a
5 history tells us, that conditions wer
d bordering on q state Of anarchy
Then it was that the great laW-abid
: ing element mOn our fOrefather;
e in whose veins pulsed some Of tn
{ best blood Of old England, determine
upon resistance, and from that fer
heat as from a great furnace emerge
the colossal figure Of the America
- patriot.
Events followed quickly in TIL
State as elsewhere; for with GU
courts gone each locality felt the nee
Of protection. District committee
Of safety were duly organized cor
formally to the resolutions of Pre-
, vincial and Continental COngresse
q The freeholders met and appointe
their colonies OF militia and minute
men.
> The splendid and progressive Mile
lie Harvey Chapter of Daughters of til
American Revolution, located in Tai
y borough, and Of which I am proud
have been an original member. he
re been named in honor of Col. Mil,
Harvey, a sterling patriot, who con
re manded the minute-men of the di
1r trict Of Perquimans, and was at tt
Of head of its committee Of safety. +
a was a representative at the two A
re senblieS that met at Halifax in 1T
20 He was a leader Of that section, ar
Of in common with his distinguishe
rs brother, John Harvey, the Moderate
" of the House, Col. Miles Harve
,e helped to kindle the fires Of PATRIOTS
which gav to North Carolina h,
in brilliant recOrd in the war of tt
IF Revolution. This Harvey family
+. PerQuimanS had taken high rank