The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-10-04
4 LOST STATE.


| Rise and Fall Of the State of Franklin.
| Everybody knows that there are thirty EIGHT
States, and that originally there were thirteen
colonies and most people can repeat the
names of these states and colonies as gllbly A.
| their alphabet; but We venture 10 say That
very few have heard OF Franklin And yet
history recognizes the existence of such a
State, and one that, in its day, enjoyed no
small degree of celebrity.
| 1t j. well known that, after the Revolution,
most of the original thirteen states claimed
! jurisdiction among themselves over the terri.
tory stretching indefinitely to the westward.
The separate jurisdiction OF each state was Ill
defined, and, to avoid all trouble, to give the
! general government what seemed Ms due, and
assist it in throwing oil the debt incurred by
the war OF independence, the congress OF the
confederation requested the various states to-
ccde their claims to the general government.
! The matter was not definitely settled until after
| the adoption OF the constitution; but the state
of North Carolina attempted 10 ccdc, in com.
pllancc with the request Of congress, ITS west
crn lands, which now form the state of Ten
ncSscc and 1t; was this attempt at ccssionI
which brought about the complications that
shortly attcrwarG resulted IN the bret exist
cncc of the State of Franklin.
North Carolina coded, but congress, VaCilla-|
the ccSsion. Having made the Cession North
Carolina gave up all interest in her border.
settlements, and congress refused To accept the
charge which Carolina had thrown oil. The
consequences were serious for the fortunes and
happiness of the Tennessee settlers. Their
borders were overrun with criminals and fugl-
tIvcs from justice, such as always lntest pio-I
nccr community, and yet the action OF the
mother state left them without courts Ia assist
justice and iniliCt punishment They had att
all times to be on their guard against maraud
ing bands of Indians, and yet they were With
out II regularly constituted militia for their de
tense They We're in fact cast oils, and did
what one would naturally expect them To dol
under the circumstances. The three northeast
ern counties of the ternOry-Nashlngto
Sullivan and Grcene-laying IN the northern
part of what Is now Eastern Tennessee, then
The only Ncilsctticd portion Oi the ~'ar, met
in c Invention AZ ,ionc,boro. Washington Crui-.
", in August ltSi and after It !oug u!sCLss!un,
in which the Declaration Of independence
was read and cited as "A lit example for them
to follow, they declared themselves independ-
ent of North Carolina. After variety OF for
tunes the little state was organized, and, mi
honor of Benjamin Franklin, was called thet
State of Franklin.
The chief interest which the State of Frank |
lin has for us to-day comes from two or three
striking characters which its history brought
into prominence. The principal OF these
John Sewer, a Nlrginlan by birth, but HUI
guenot by descent, is one Of the noteworthy
characters in the annals of Tennessee.
Sewer was the foremost man IN all the coun-
clls and enterprises of the men who atterward
formed the State of Franklin. He was com
mander of the Tennessee Ritfemen at Kings
Mountain, and was chosen the first governor |
4 10, of hal
State of Franklin.
Sewer fought hard for the state, but after
the first year Of its existence the fight was a
losing one, for North Carolina, after the first
abandonment of her offspring, suddenly turn
ed about and reasserted her jurisdiction. She
had all the power, and had the communication
between the states been easy, and had she rs
serted her rights with vigor and promptness,
the revolt of the western counties would have
been crushed in its incipiency; but the TACT
that these two conditions were entirely want
ing necessarily made the policy of North Car
DINA waiting" one, and this policy, assisted
by feuds and divisions in the State of Frank |
lin, made peaceful and bloodless settlement
of the difficulty possible
Major John Upton seems to have been as
unlike Sewer as it is possible for two men 20
be- He bad none of Sewers suavity OF man.
ner he was brusque and uncompromising-
q man to whom it was impossible to endure a
rival who aspired to leadership, and who was
Jealous of all who contended for il with him.
This man had supported the State OF Franklin
in its early days but atterward, probably be
cause he saw that Sewers influence was likely
to ovcrshadow his own, threw the whole
weight of his influence in favor of return toI
the jurisdiction of North Carolina.
So rapidly did the fabric of the new state
perish that three years after its establishment
in the words of a recent writer upon the sub
iect mo legislature at all could be assembled, |
and il was one Of the duties of the legislature
to elect the council and as the legislature, at
its last session. had failed to do this, the coun-
Gil was soon thing of the past To complete
this catalogue of misfortune Judge Campbell,
the head Of the judiciary, accepted office I'M
der the government of North Carolina. Gov.
Sewer was left alone in his official dignity.
Even this sole relic of the Franklin govern
ment would not in the natural course OF events,
remain long exempt from the general wreck,
for the governors term expired on March l,
1888, and it being a constitutional function OF
the legislature to elect the governor, and there
being no legislature to perform this duty ii
followed inevitably that after March |, 1888
there would be no governor of the State of
Franklin
Such were the facts, and the State of Frank
lin thus ended.
Sewer finally became Governor Of Tennes
see and for many years served IN the house OF
representatives in Washington.