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PAGE TWELVE
TZLE SPIRIT OT THE PUBLIC PRESS
JACKSON’S BIRTHPLACE, AGAIN.
(The Charlotte Observer.)
The argument as to the birthplace
of Andrew Jackson has been revived
and is again in full swing. It is not
denied by anybody that he was born
at the house of George McKemey, his
mother’s brother-in-law, in the Wax
haws, and deeds on record in the court
house of Mecklenburg prove that
McKemey’s house was in that part, of
Mecklenburg that is now Union county.
Nothing could be more conclusive than
this, but if other evidence is wanted
the disputants would better refer to
the most exhaustive Life of Jackson,
that of James Parton, the distinguished
historian. Mr. Parton, before begin
ning his history, visited the Waxhaw
settlement, spent quite a while there
and in Monroe, personally investigat
ing the facts, and lays down the posi
tive proposition, supporting it by the
testimony of credible persons and by
affidavits, that Jackson was born in
Mecklenburg, now Union county, N. C.
This is the testimony also of Apple
ton’s Cyclopedia, and Col. Colyer, of
Nashville, Tenn., near which he lived
and died, his latest biographer, agrees
with the conclusion. When a thing is
settled it is not worth while to argue
about it and this is a case in point. Os
course, when The Charleston News and
Courier takes hold of a thing it holds
on until it thunders, as in the case of
the “Mecklenburg myth," though all of
its arguments against the authenticity
of the Mecklenburg Declaration of In
dependence are abundantly answered
in an address by its editor delivered
at Due West, S. C., and reproduced
in The Observer a year ago. But one
moment while we present a striking
paragraph from The Petersburg Index-
Appeal:
“It is quite immaterial to us where
Andrew Jackson was born, and the
place of his birth was certainly not ma
terial to his career in after life. But
we attach very little importance, as
shedding light on the subject, to the
claim in his nullification proclamation
that he was a native of South Caro
lina. ‘Old Hickory,’ besides being a
hard old case, was one of the most
diplomatic of men as well as one of
the shrewdest of politicians, and had
the exigencies of the occasion made
it necessary—that is to say, had North
Carolina been the nullifying state —we
have not a doubt that he would have
been born in the Old North State as
readily as he was born in the Pal
metto State. There was nothing im
possible to Old Hickory when his pol
icy required it, as innumerable in
stances in his life, public and private,
serve to prove. There was just enough
doubt as to the place of his birth to
enable him to claim either of these
states, and he gave himself the benefit
of the doubt in a trying crisis, and ap
parently dismissed the matter from
further attention.”
This is exceedingly clever, and the
theory advanced is the best explana
tion that has yet been offered of Jack
son's exclamation in his nullification
proclamation: “Fellow-citizens of my
native state!”
WELL-PAID MAIL CARRIERS.
(The Marietta Journal.)
If this thing continues the rural mail
carriers will get to be such bloated
capitalists that they won’t speak to
common people. An order was issued
Monday by the postmaster-general, in
creasing salaries as follows: Twenty
four or more miles, $900; 22 to 24
miles, $864; 20 to 22 miles, $810; 18
to 20 miles, $720; 16 to 18 miles, $630;
14 to 16 miles, $540; 12 to 14 miles,
$504; 10 to 12 miles, $469; 8 to 12
miles, $432; 6 to 8 miles, $396.
WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN.
iIppBLSX,! wushu 1
—
H;*
HARRY ORCHARD AND ADA COUNTY COURTHOUSE, WHERE
HAYWOOD IS BEING TRIED.
Miner Haywood to the Bar.
In the Ada county courthouse at
Boise City, Ida., May 9 William D.
Haywood, secretary and treasurer of
the Western Federation of Miners, was
placed on trial as one of the three fed
eration men charged with having con-
f r
W. D. Haywood.
tions and delays. Representatives of
the press were on hand from every
part of the nation, and the city was
filling up with people attracted out of
curiosity to the scene of the trial. In
anticipation of possible trouble the au
thorities had surrounded all those con
nected with the trial with special
guards, while the militia aud two
troops of regulars were held In readi
ness for the least sign of a disturb
ance. This was probably due to the
numerous threats received by Govern-
spired to cause
the murder of
the late ex-Gov
ernor Frank
Steunenberg of
Idaho Dec. 30,
1905, Judge
Wood presiding,
noted counsel
contending on
both sides and
the entire coun
try alive to the
critical nature
of the legal con
test thus defi
nitely begun aft
er numerous
preliminary mo-
or Gooding from sympathizers with
the accused. Special quarters had been
taken for the jury, so as to keep it
under constant guard, and a special
order was issued by the mayor against
street speaking during the progress of
the trial.
Judge Wood on the previous day had
denied the petition of counsel for the
defense for a bill of particulars con
cerning the evidence to be advanced
by the state in support of its charge
of conspiracy. Lawyers Darrow, Rich
ardson and Wilson, associated in the
defense with Murphy, the official coun
sel of the Federation of Miners, ar
gued for the petition on the ground
that the defendant had a right to know
before the trial what the nature of the
evidence against him was, so that he
might have an opportunity to prepare
the evidence in rebuttal. The petition
was opposed for the state by United
States Senator Borah and Lawyers
Fawley and Van Duyn. Commenting
on the judge’s decision after the first
session of the court, Haywood said:
“What does it matter? I am only a
circumstance in the case anyhow. The
cause at stake in this trial goes beyond
me or a hundred like me; it is the fight
of the laboring man against oppres
sion.” It was expected that the choos
Ing of a jury would occupy many days,
as it would be difficult to find men
whom one side or the other could not
successfully challenge on the score of
having formed an opinion about the
case.
THE GREAT BIGNESS OF TEXAS.
(Elbert Hubbard in the Philistine.)
Texas is the biggest state in the
Union—don’t talk back to me; I know.
The upper part of the Pan Handle of
Texas is nearer to Chicago than it is
to Galveston. Texas is as wide as the
distance from Chicago to Boston, or
from St. Louis to New York City. That
is to say, that from Texarkana to El
Paso it is 1,100 miles. Texas has
3,000,000 folks, 10,000,000 cattle, 12,-
000,000 sheep and 3,000,000 horses. One
horse, you see, for every man, woman
and child in the state. .People who
have not seen the Southwest during
the past five years cannot by any de
scription realize its progress. What
is known as “the Santa Fe country”
can feed the world. Six years ago you
could buy in Texas 1,000 sheep for
SI,OOO. Now 1,000 sheep will cost you
SB,OOO. The real crop in Texas, how
ever, is not wool, but cotton. The cot
ton crop in Texas for the year 1906
was worth over $200,000,000 in cold
cash. They raise a bale of cotton on
an acre, and a bale of cotton is worth
S6O.
Texas has the second most import
ant shipping port in America, and if
things continue going as they have
for the past five years, in ten years
more the shipments from Galveston
will exceed in value the combined ex
ports of Boston and New York.
THE SOUTHERN EXPRESS.
(The Fitzgerald Enterprise.)
It may be some years yet before the
Southern Express Company receives
the proper attention from a regulat
ing commission. In the meantime they
will pile up millions of profits, delib
erately purloined from the pockets of
the shippers who are forced, by rea
son of the great monopoly, to patron
ize the robber company.
Peace in the Orient.
The new Franco-Japanese treaty and
that forming between Japan and Rus
sia, coupled as they are with the ex
isting alliances between England and
Japan and between France and Rus
sia, will unite those four great powers
in a pact to preserve the peace and
respect each other’s possessions and
rights in the Orient.
This interlocking system of treaties
is a good stroke for all the parties con
cerned. It heads off, as well, the prob
ability of China becoming a bumptious
freebooter in the East. The effect
upon our American interests ought,
also, to be good. There is no reason
why any of the high contractors in the
quadruple alliance should covet our
possessions in the Orient, or combine
to violate the open door policy in trade
matters. Wo certainly want none of
their holdings—we are overloaded as
things now are!
The Irish Convention.
On May 21 a convention of the
Irish party will be held in Dublin,
when the home rulers will decide
whether the Irish members shall sup
port in Parliament the bill that Mr.
Birrell, Chief Secretary for Ireland,
proposes. The bill is one that gives
a large measure of local control over
communal matters, and sets up an
Irish council of liberal, yet limited,
powers to deal with questions of gen
eral and peculiar moment to the Irish
people. To some extent, government
under it in Ireland would be autonom
ous, but the safeguards against Irish
independence of too broad an order
are plainly exposed. John Redmond,
the groat Irish leader in Parliament, is
disposed to accept the bill.