tion of the old statutes of North Carolina which, fortunately, is indexed, but frequently I could find. only the captions of the Acts that I was most anxious to read, and this made further, and often unavailing research, necessary. The examination of the voluminous Colonial Records of North Carolina, was made page by page, without the aid of an index. The Virginia State papers are indexed, and afford much valuable information especially as to the Transylvania Treaty at Sycamore Shoals, and as to the State of Franklin. Scott's Edition of the laws of Tennessee and North Carolina has been of more service than any other single publication, and fortunately it is both comprehensive and trustworthy. In writing of the struggle over the settlement of the State debt, I have relied, in part, upon knowledge acquired by personal participation in the affairs described. I may claim fairly that the book is based upon original records in all material respects. I am not unconscious of the peril of writing of the events of the last forty-five years, but the work would have been incomplete without the consideration of that period, and I have endeavored to be fair in all respects. I have regarded it as a duty to discuss frankly the insufficiency of the Constitution of 1870, for the present needs of the State, and to criticise freely the excessive conservatism of the people in retaining it so long. I am indebted for valuable assistance to Mrs. John C. Brown and Mr. W. S. Morgan of Nashville; the late Hunter Nicholson, Judge Henry R. Gibson, and Hugh L. McClung, Esq., of Knoxville; Hon. P. G. Fulkerson of Tazewell, Tenn.; Hon. James D. Porter of Paris, Tenn.; Hon. Joseph B. Heiskell of Memphis, Tenn.; Dr. Eben Alexander of the University of North Carolina, and Dr. John S. Bassett. Knoxville, Tennessee, January 1, 1907. |