Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 13.djvu/283

* MECKLENBURG DECLARATION. 2c proluililu that uiily one iiieuliiii; was hcUl, al- thoii^li this has alwaj's been a deljatal)le <iut'stion auci lia-i given rise to a detailed and prulouged contioveisy. The copy of the resolutions made by the secretary of the meeting is said to have bei'n destroyed by fire, but on April 30. 1819, what purported to be a copy, made jirobaldy from recollection, was ])ublished in the Raleigh ( N. C.) Heyistcr. The use of phrases in the published cojiy similar to certain passages in the real Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776, cau-.td doubt to arise as to the authenticity of the Mecklenburg Declaration. The Legislature of Xorth Carolina in 1831, after an investigation of the subject, declared Jlay 20th a legal holiday. The weight of authority at present is overwhelm- ingly against the authenticity of the Declaration, and favors the opinion that only one meeting was held — the one of May 31st — and that the reso- lutions there adopted, bearing no resemblance to Jetl'erson's Declaration, constitute the nearest- approach there was to a Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. The resolutions, as published in the Raleigh lienistcr in 1819, are five in number. They declare: ( 1 ) that whoever aids or abets the invasion of American rights is "an enemy to this country — to America — and to the inherent and in- alicnaole rights of man;" (2) that all political bands between those passing the resolutions and the mother country are dissolved, the allegiance of the citizens of ilecklenburg County to the British Crown being absolved and all political connec- tion with that nation broken off ; ( 3 ) that "we do hereby declare ourselves a free and independent people: are. and of a right ought to be, a self- governing association, under the control of no power other than that of our God and the gen- eral government of the Congress; to the main- tenance of which independence we solemnly pledge to each other our mutual cooperation, our lives, our fortunes, and our most sacred honor:" (4) tliat those passing the resohitions acknowledge the existence of no law or public officer, but re- adopt their former laws in so far as these laws do not recognize the authority of the Crown, thus vacating all civil and military commissions granted by the Crown; and (5) that all military officers in the county are retained in their former connnand and that every member of the conven- tion be henceforth a civil officer with power to issue process, hear and determine all matters of controversy, preserve peace and harmony, and endeavor to spread the love of country until a more general organized government be estab- lished in the province. The best discussion of the authenticity of the Declaration is that by Lyman C. Draper, The Mccklnihiirg Dechirafion : Its Orifiin. History, and Actors, icifli « Bihliographij of its Literature and Explaiiatori/ Documents, a work which was never ptiblished and forms part of the manu- script collections of the Wisconsin Historical So- ciety. After an elaborate consideration of the evidence. Drajier decided against the authen- ticity of the Declaration. In the library of the " Wisconsin Historical Society are also many documents bearing on the subject.. For briefer discussions consult articles in the yortli American Revieir for 1874. and in vol. xxi. of the Magazine of American Uistori/. and the note (p. 4231 in Frothingham, Rise of the RepuWc of the United fttates (Boston. 1881) — all opposing the authenticity of the Declara- 5 MECKLENBURG-SCHWERIN. lion; and a chapter by Hawks in Cooke, Ueiolu- tionary History of Sorth Carolina (Kaleigh, 1853), and Graham, Address on the Mvcklen- hurg Declaration of Independence of May 20, mo (Xew York, 1875) — defending its authen- ticity. MECKLENBURG-SCHWERIN, mek'len- boorK shvfi-ren'. A grand duchy and constituent State of the German Emjiire, bounded by the Baltic Sea on the north, the Prussian Province of I'omerania and the C4rand Duchy of Jlecklenburg- Strelitz on the east, the Prussian provinces of Brandenburg and Hanover on the south, and .Schleswig-Holstein. the Principality of Ratzeburg (belonging to Jlecklenburg-Strelitz), and the Ter- ritory of Liibeek on the west (Map: Germany, D 2). Area, including the three enclaves in Bran- denlnirg and ilecklenburg-Strelitz, 5135 square miles. The country is generally flat with the exception of the central part, which is traversed from southeast to northwest by a chain of low hills, forming the watershed between the Elbe and the Baltic Sea. The fiat coast-line is 100 miles long and is broken by a number of deep indenta- tions, including the Bay of Wismar. Numerous rivers traverse the country from north to south. The Recknitz. the Warnow, and the Stepenitz fiow toward the Baltic, and the Xew Elde and the Sude are tributaries of the Elbe, which for a few miles forms the southern boundary of the grand duchy. The country abounds in lakes, the largest of which are the Muritz See (51 square miles), the Schweriner See (23 square miles), the Kiilpiner. and the Planer See. The climate is mild and healthful, although somewhat raw. The average annual temperature is 46° and the anntial precipitation 21 inches. There are chalybeate springs at Doberan and Gioldberg and saline springs at Siilze. According to the industrial census of 1S95 nearly one-half of the population depended for their livelihood on agriculture. The land is divided between the Crown, the aristocracy, the clergy, and the towns, the peasantry forming an hereditary tenantry class. About 90 per cent, of the area is under cultivation in pastures and in forests. The crops exceed the local demand and are partly exported. Rye. wheat, oats, barley, and potatoes are the staples. Tobacco is cultivated to some extent. Stock-raising is carried on extensively, and dairy- ing is an important adjunct to agricultiu-e. The manufacturing industries are far inferior to the agricultural interests. There are a num- ber of foundries, machine works, sugar refineries, breweries, distilleries, paper mills, tanneries, to- bacco factories, brick yards, etc. ; but many man- ufactures are imported for local consum]ition, and the native exports contain no manufactured product of importance. The trade is very ex- tensive and favored by the situation of the coim- try. The imports pass chiefly through the seaports of Warnemiinde and Wismar. The chief exports are agricultural, dairy, and animal products, live animals, etc., and are transported mostly by rail. The annual outward and inward shijiping exceeds 900.000 tons. The transportation facilities are excellent, consisting of a system of navigable I ivers and canals, and a number of State rail- way lines with a total length of 740 miles in 1901. The Constitution of the two duchies of ileeklen- burg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz is based