The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-08-17
A LOST STATE.
The Rise and Fall of the State of
Franklin.
History of the Commonwealth That
Preceded the State Of Tennessee.
Cincinnati Commercially

i
thirteen colonies. and most people can repeat
the names OF these States and colonies as
glibly as their alphabet; but we venture to
say that very few have ever heard Of q State
called the State OF Franklin. And yet history
recognizes the existence OF such Stnte and
one that In Its day enjoyed no small degree of
celebrity.
It Is we'll 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
4 the general government what seemed Its duo
and to assist 1t In throwing off the debt in
Cured by the war of independence the Con-
gress OF the Confederation requested the vari-
GUS States to cede their claims to the general
government. The matter was not definitely
settled until after the adoption Of the constl-
tuition; but tho State or North Carolina at
| tempted to cede. In compliance with the re-
quest OF Congress. Its western lands, which
now form the State Of Tennessee; and 1t was
this attempt at cession which brought about
| the complications that shortly afterwsrd re-
suited in the brief existence Of the State OF
Franklin.
North Carolina ceded, but Congress, vacil-
lating and vigorless, hesitated about accept
Ing the cession. Having made the cession,
North Carolina gave up all interest In her
border settlements, and Congress refused to
| accept the charge which North Carolina had
thrown off. The consequences were serious
Tor the fortunes and happiness OF the Ten
nessee settlers. Their borders were overrnn
with criminals and fugltives from justice,
such as always lnfest pioneer community,
and yet the action of the mother State left
them without courts to assert justice and in
tiict punishment. They had at all times to
Of Indians, and yet they were without reg
ularly constituted militia for Their. defense
They were, In fact. Cast-offs and did what
one would naturally expect them to do under
counties Of the Territory-W Washington,
Greene and Sulivan-lying in the northern
part Of what Is now Eastern Tennessee, then
the only well-settled portion Of the State,
county, In August, 1884, and after long dis
eussion, In which the Declaration of INDIE
pendence was read and cited as fit exam
pie for them to follow, they declared them
selves independent OF North Carolina. After
q variety Of fortunes the little State was or
gained, and, in honor OF Benjamin Franklin.
was called the State of Franklin.
The State capital (Greenville) was hamlet
q perhaps dozen log {u buildings Probably
tavern and Courthouse. w What ia It the g
general character Of the buildings was
may be. Inferred from a description of
the court. house, In which the Lsgs-
lature Of the. State Of Franklin was wont TO
assemble. i WAS built Of unhewn logs, and
had neither floors nor windows. Between the
logs were few cracks where the logs fitted
badly. and these, 1t was thought, would serve
well enough for ventilation and light. 1t Is
almost unnecessary to say that the State had
no printing press, and the only knowledge
which the freeman Of Franklin got Of the
laws Of his government was through common
report and their annual PRONUNCIATION on the
militia field or from the steps of the court
house.
The chief interest which the State of Frank
lin has for us to-day comes from two or three
striking characters which it's history brought
Sewer, Virginan by birth, but a Huguenot
by descent Is one Of the noteworthy charac-
tiers in the annals OF Tennessee.
SEWER was the foremost man in all the
councils and enterprises OF the men who after
ward formed the State of Franklin He was
the commander oil tho Tennessee Rifiemen at
Kings Mountain, and was chosen rs the first
Governor, and continued to be the only Gov
ernOr OF the State Of Franklin.
Sewer fought hard for the State. but after
the first year Of its existence the fight was
losing one, for North Carolina, after the first
abandonment Of her offspring, suddenly
turned about and reasserted her jurisdiction
She had all the power, and had the commune
cation between the two States been easy, and
had she asserted her rights with vigor and
promptness, the revolt OF the western coun-
ties would have been crushed In It's incipiency;
but the fact that these two conditions were
entirely wanting necessarily made the policy
OF North Carolina n waiting" one and this !
policy, assisted by feuds and divisions In the |
State OF Franklin, made q peaceful and blood |
Less settlement Of the difficulty possible.
Major John Upton seems to have been as |
unlike SEWER as 1t 10 possible for two men to
be. he had none OF Sewers suavity Of man
ner; he was brnsque and uncompromising-a
man to whom it was impossible to endure
rival, who aspired to leadership, and who was
Jealous OF all who conteDded for it with him. |
This man had supported the State of Frank
lin IN its early days, but afterward, probably
because ,,,t ne saw that Sewers influence was
whole weight OF his influence in favor of a
return TO the jurisdiction OF North Carolina.
50 rapidly did the fabric of the new State
perish that three years after its establish
the subject, mo Legislature at all could be
assembled. and 1t WAS one of the duties of the
Legislature to elect the council, and as the
Legislature at It's last session had failed to do
IL complete this catalogue of misfor-
tunes, Judge Campbell, the head Of The
judiciary, accepted Office under the gov
eminent OF North Carolina. Gov. SEWER iGs
Even this sole relic Of the Frank
lin government would not, in the natural
course q events, remain long except from
the general wreck for the Governors term
expired on March /, 1888, and it being a con-
sttutlonal function of the Legislature To
elect the Governor, and there being no Log
stature g perform this duty, it followed if-
eyitably that after March /, 1888, there would
be 10 Governor q the State OF Franklin"
y. Such were the facts and the State of Frank.
lii thus ended, but it's closing DAYS vera
marked marx, by the eamination of the rivalry be-
tween Upton and Sewer In an open encounter
between the two and their respective forces
During t. nporary absence OF Sewer on the
frontier Upton had confined In his house GER
tain slaves taken from SEWER homestead bv
with 80 men to Tipton's house and far threa
days laid siege to it. Upton had a few men
with him, and when Sewer called upon him To {
he replied that Sewer might fire {
a aha ee daned Neither however, made