The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-09-12
4 LOST STATE.
RISE AND FALL OF THE STATE OF
FRANKLIN.

I
FRANKLIN.
Everybody knows that there are thir
| ty-eight States. and that originally ther,
were thirteen colonies. and most people
can repeat the names of these State.
and colonies as glibly as their alphabet
but we ventureto say that very few have
| ever heard of the State of Franklin
And yet history recognizes the existence
of such a State. and one that, in It's day
enjoyed no small degree OF celebrity.
1t is well known that. after the RevO-
luton, most Of the original thirteen
States claimed jurisdiction among them
selves over the territory stretching in
definitely to the westward. The separ-
ate jurisdiction of each State was i'll de-
fined, and, to avoid all trouble, to give
the general government what seemed
its due, and to assist it III throwing of
the debt incurred 10y the war Of indie
pendence, the Congress of the Confeder-
alton requested the various States 10
cede their claims to the General Govern
ment. The matter was not definitely
settled until after the adoption of the
constitution but the State of North
Carolina attempted to cede. in compli-
ance with the request of Congress, its
Western lands, which now form the
State of Tennessee ; and it was this at
tempt at ceSsiOn which brought about
the complications that shOrtl Y yafterwaTd
resulted in the brief existence of the
State of Franklin.
North Carolina ceded. but Congress.
vacillating and vigOrleSs. hesitated about
accepting the ceSSiOn. Having made
the session. North Carolina gave up all
interest in her border settlements. and
Congress refused to accept the change
which North Carolina had thrown off.
The consequences We're serious for the
fortunes and happiness of the Tennessee
settlers. Their borders were oveTTun
with criminals and fuCitives from JUS
tice. such as always infeSt a pioneer
community, and yet the action of the
mother state left them without courts
to assert justice and infict punishment.
They had at all times TO be on their
guard against maTaUding bands of In
dianS. and vet they were without a reg
ularly- constituted militia for their de
fenSe. They were. IN fact. cast offs.
and did what one would naturally eX-
pect them to do under the circum-
stances. The three northeastern counties
of the Territory Sullivan
and Greene-lying in the northern part
Of what is now Eastern Tennessee. then
the only well-settled portion of the
State. met in convention at JOneSbOTO.
Washington county. in August. 17S4.
and after long discussion in which the
Declaration of Independence was read
and cited as a fit example for them to
follow, they declared themselves indie
pendent of North Carolina. After a
variety of fortunes the little State was
organized, and. in honor of Benjamin
Franklin, was called the state of Frank
lin.
The chief interest which the State of
Franklin 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
Nirginian by birth. but a Huguenot by
descent, is one of the noteworthy char
acterS in the annals of Tennessee.
Sewer was the foremost man in all
the councils and enterprises of the man
who afterward formed the State Of
Franklin. He was commander of the
Tennessee Rifieman at Kings Mount
ain. and was chosen as the first Govern
or. and continued TO be the only Govern
or Of the 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 Caro-
lima. after the first abandonment of her
offspring, suddenly turned about and re-
asserted her jurisdiction. She had all
the power. and had the communication
between the States been easy. and had
she asserted her rights with vgOT and
the revolt of the western
counties would have been crushed in its
incipiency: but the fact that these two
were entirely wanting neces-
saTily made the policy of North Carroll
ma waiting one, and this policy. as
sisted by feuds and divisions in the
State OF Franklin. made 4 peaceful and
blOodleSS settlement of the difficulty
possible.
Mai. John Upton seems TO have been
as unlike Sewer as il Is possible for two
men to be. He had none of SEWERS
suayitv Of manner; he was bTusQue and
mcOmpromising- man TO whom it
was impossible to endure a rival, who
aspired TO leadership, and who was jeal-
Gus OF all who cOntended for it with
him. This man Lad supported the
State of Franklin in its early days. but
afterward. probably because he saw that
Sewers influence was likely TO over
shadow his own. threw the whole weight
of his influence III favor Of return 10
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 subject, mo LegiSla-
ture at all could be assembled. and it
was one Of the duties of the Legislature
to elect the Council, and as the Legis-
lature. at its last session. had failed to
do this, the Council was soon a thing of
the past. To complete this catalogue
of misfortune. Judge Campbell, the
head of the judiciary, accepted office uu-
der the Government Of North Carolina.
Gov. Sewer was left alone in his official
dignity. Even this sole relic Of the
Franklin Government would not. in the
natural course of events. remain long
exempt from the general wreck, for the
Governors term expired on March J.
17SS, and it being q constitutional func
tiOn of the Legislature TO elect thC
! Governor. and there being no Legisla
ture to perform this duty, it followed
/ inevitably that after March l, 17SS, there
/ would he no Governor of the state O
f Franklin -
such were the facts, and the State O.
[ Franklin thus ended.
SEWER finally became Governor o
/ Tennessee. and for many years serve,
/ in the House of Representatives II
! Washington.
IL one of the primary schools of Salem
Mass. a teacher was endeavoring TO as
certain the extent of her children
knowledge of Numbers. The question