Sense of Fairness

When I traveled to Burnsville in Yancey County for the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival I walked, exploring the town to get the sense of it. The statue of Otway Burns (1775-1850) stating he was a hero intrigued me. The War of 1812 was primarily a fight on or near the water i.e. the Great Lakes, the Atlantic coastline towns and the coastal area of New Orleans. So why a statue of Burns in the Appalachian Mountains?

Further researching found Burns born, raised and living in the coastal town of Swansboro before the war. After the war ended, he moved to another town abutting the Atlantic, Beaufort, some distance north of Swansboro. He continued building ships and expanding his businesses and investments. In 1821 he began his political career as a Democrat serving seven terms in the House and four in the Senate.

Even though he represented the eastern county, he recognized the western counties of North Carolina were not granted fair representation in the General Assembly. When called on for a Special State Constitutional Convention to consider increasing the representation of the western counties, he voted for it. His eastern constituents never forgave him. He was not re-elected.

In gratitude, Yancey County named its county seat after the statesman who believed in a sense of fairness. Are there any more politicians out there who would vote for the sense of fairness rather than the ‘me’ and ‘mine’ only aspect?