{"character_count": 5799, "word_count": 1015, "ccnet_language_score": [0.9746999740600586], "ccnet_perplexity": [1639.4000244140625], "fasttext_language": ["en"]}
ray the enemies of America. That company
formed part OF Col. Ihompson's regiment, which
received vote Of thanks from The me national
Congress that declared the INDEPENDENCE
OF THE UNITED STATES.-See Congress
Journals 2GM July, l776.


And yet it is pretended that Ezekiel Polk was
a TORY The tories of the revolution did not
carry certificates like this commission, nor win
the special thanks of Congress of l776.


Again: II has not been denied, but, on the con-
trary, admitted to be lruc. that shortly after the
revolution, or Just before its cose-nost certainly
after Lord CornuaAis had left Charlotte, and
Norh Carolina, too, toreuer-E=ekiel Polk was
appointed COLONEL OF MECkLENBURG COUNTY
tie must have received his appointment from th.
legislature, as, by the North Carolina constitution
of l776, that alone had power to elect =. field off,
GERS OF The militia" Now there is no instance
i'll which the North Carolina assembly (soon after
the revolutlon) conferred such appointment upon
one who was suspected of toryism.


The feeling and the practice were so much the
other way, that, without any clear authority for it
under the constitution, the legislators of those
days actually expelled members Of the body from


their seats. If they had been tor les in The rerouiion
as unmor;hy to SIT wHh tie patriots


The journals Of assembly show that this
practice prevailed at all Times up to the beginning
OF the present century. And who cab believe
that the very same men who expelled tories from
their own body would have appointed Ezekiel
Polk '' field officer of the militia, had he been
guilty Of toryIsm or suspected of it, in that day
| Ii cannot be credited!


Again: remember that Mccklenburg county
| received from the British commander the dislin.
guIshed cPthet of the hornets nest - and it is
probable that the '76 wings of Mecklen5urg would
have mustered quietly under the command of a
tory colonel! No-nover! This libel upon the
memory Of Polk is u scandalous impulation upon
The county and the State.


Again the magistrates of Mecklcnburg county
were body of =. '76 whigs' at that period, as
sound as the whole country could produce. A-
pointed by the Legislature, nd holding their office
for life, they were clothed by law with the pow
er of choosing the sheriff; and it is beiev ved that
not long after the had terminated Ezekiel
Polk was chosen sheriff Of Meckl snburg coun-
ly. Those who have ASA lied him. indirectly con-
| less that he Was appointed :. sheriff"


Now, who believes that the whig magistrates
of Mockenburg would have appointed u TORY
! their sheriff! If his competitors for the office
did not then urge their pretensons by reminding
the court that Ezekiel Polk took protection" i" and
was tory, hat becomes of this accusation now
II they did so, then the magistrates of Mcckcn-
burg, like the legislature who had appointed him
colonel, must have known that, under all the cir.
cunlstanccs, his taking protection" formed no
ground OF suspicion against his patriotism, or they
would not nave elected HIM to that station. have
seen II somewhere insnuaied by the uccusers of
| EZEKIEL POLK, that some people objected his
serving" If that be true does it not give strength
to my view of the subject Does it not prove
that the Mccklenburg '76 magistrates, who mus,
have understood this matter then better than we
can possibly understand it nor, deliberately and
upon their own knowledge have once put down
this impu,a.ion The compatriots of Ezekiel
Polk having thus buried the callmny more than
half a century ago, it would have laid in deserv-
ed oblivion still, had not party hostility to his
gradson made the unmanIy effort reproduce it,
| low unsonerous are the devices of party spirit !
How ignobe the means of party warfare


But these views and the proofs already offered
however conclusive of themselves refute this
calumny, fortified and sus,ai med by the tcsti.
moDy of Ezekiel PoIk's compariots.


| The letter Of General Andrew Jackson written


in answer to an inquiry Of a gentleman of No tn
! Carolina


HERMITAGE, July -, 1914.


"SIR: IL have jus, received your letter Of the
3OIh uItimo. informing me that -- re-
Gently declured, 'Mat he travelled through Tfnnes
at ihe time Gorernor Polk mas for The first time
q candidate for Gorernor, and that his opponents
(the uhigs) then brought the charge Of his GRAND
| FATHERS being a tory against him, and that
tie DEMOCRATS of Tennessee met lAe charge
by throwing it upon the North Carolina branch
Of the Polk tamil y--lhat is. Col. Thomas Polk ;
aud you desire me to state for your information,
and that of ihe people, what | know Of the facts.


'ln reply, state with pleasure. that knew
all the old stock of Polks-Colonel Thomas Polk,
father of Colonel William Polk, and Ezekiel Polk
granifati or to Colonel James X. Polk. THEY
| WERE ALL GOOD '76 WHlGS. Old Col.
Thomas Polk was the first mover of independence
in Mecklenburg county. AHthe Polks then gropn
rere good '76 whigs and Colonel Polk, son of
Thomas, was twice wounded in the war of the
revolution, and think he had u brother killed in
battle. never knew one branch Of the family to
be charged with toryism before. If such ra-
NOR was circulated during the canvass referred to,
never heard Of it.


4" am gra:fed thus to be able to give nv tes-
timony to the revolutionary services aud patriot.
ism of the Polk family, with many Of whose mem
bers have been Intimate the greater part of my
life. st.--,


1t seems that in these times no cha racter is
safe against the slanderer, for there never was
less excuse for il than in the case of Mr.. Polk.
have known him since he was a boy. A citizen
more exemplary IN his moral department, more
punctual and oxact in business, more energetic
| and manly in the expression of his opinions and