Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-01
IMMATURE REPUBLICS
Seven Examples of Successful Popular Self
Government
Size is Not Essential to n Safe and In
dependent AutOnOmy-The Rec
ord of History.
From the New York Mall and Express.

pfOPuelS WHO niHIeQ tndt the he" CcIIi-
monwealth would experience difficulty in
maintaining its independence. Did these
predicters ever consider how many other
republics, much smaller in size and in pop
ulation, several of them, too, without the
advantage of insular position. had stood
the test of time and preserved their auton-
omy in spite of the jealousies of their pow
erful neighbors? The following account of
the little republics of the world will show
that the promoters of the Hawaiian COM
moEwealth had plenty of precedent to en-
courage their faith in the future:
There is Pitcairn Island; itself, like Ha-
wall situated in the Pacific ocean, immeas-
urably inferior to President Doles district
in area, population and every other impor
tant respect, which has long remained in
the peculiar position Of being Independent
and free from interference without ever
having had its national existence formally
RECOGNIZED. Its first settlers, from whom
the present Inhabitants are exclusively
descended, were the mutinous crew of an
English man-of-war, Bounty, famous in
story.
of the Australasian continent, is the island
of Franceville. One of the New Hebrides,
it is not far from New Caledonia. In area
eighty odd miles. it is mainly occupied
being less than half a hundred. France,
which originally had control of this place,
gave 1T, In 1879. charter Of independence,
promising that no other power should be
permitted to Interfere with it. The people
elect president. who governs with the
aid Of an advisory council of eight men,
bers. The president, In addition to his
administrative functions, exercises judicial
powers, and there Is no appeal from his
decisions. Although no office can be held
by colored citizens, universal suffrage pre-
walls. without distinction of sex color.
The chief trade of the island is with
a living for all. pauperism being unknown.
just now the president is an American, r.
d. Polk.
The Smallest Republic.
To Europe. however. We must look for
the smallest of all self-governing peoples.
Some dozen miles from the Sandman coast
to the northeast, the long, narrow island of
Tavolara rises from the sea. Five miles
long. and about half a mile wide, its soil
Is cultivated by the natives only to a lin
tied extent, fishing being the staple indus
try Tavolara's census shows a population
of but fifty or sixty souls, miniature re-
public, indeed. Nearly sixty years ago the
then king Of Sardinia, Charles Albert, gave
the island to the Bartoleoni family, who,
in the person of King Paul I, reigned SUI
preme as royal house until 1882. This
sufferer from heart disease, he sat down
to write his will and was found dead in his
armchair few hours later. The will
itself was unique document for King
Paul, instead of deviSing legacies, had
simply requested that the island kingdom
be surrendered by the Bartoleoni family
to the people, who were to form a republic.
Respect was shown to the prayer of the
mise, March q. 1885, the republic of
Tavolara was born. The hardy Latin fish
ermen got together and formed constitu-
ton. Under 1t president was elected to
hold office for six years and to serve with
out pay. The president was to share the
cares Of Office with council of six who,
like him. should receive no remuneration.
One year later King Humbert of Italy Of
f1cially acknowledged the independence of
the title republic.
While Tavolara is the smallest republican
community in the world (posing as a ma
tom 1t Is actually larger in physical area
than the republic of Goust, which, however,
has twice the population of the former
Almost two hundred and fifty years have
seen the autonomy of Goust undisturbed,
while invasion, conquest and absorption OF
weaker countries by the stronger have been
going on all over the world. Somewhat
more than mile in area, located on a
mountain summit in the chain of the Lower
Pyrenees, the little republic dates from
1913. The joint recognition by France and
Spain of its independence renders 1t as
much nation as Switzerland There is no
president, but council of twelve admins
tiers the government by appointing from
among its own members a chief deputy
with special powers.
Good Deal of n Pooh-Bah.
This deputy seems to be a good deal of a
Pooh-Bah in his way, for he assesses the
taxes and collects them, presides as a ju-
dicial functionary and acts in a variety of
other capacities Paramount to him, how
ever, is the Spanish bishop of Laruns, a
neighboring prelate, selected by the people
as arbiter, who, with the chief deputy
and the remaining eleven members of the
council. form the entire list of public func-
tionaries. Probably they are enough in a
popua ton of 1870! No one is buried within
the area of the republic. and. as the only
way in and out is via the giddy mountain
pass descending to Laruns on the plains
below, dead citizens are conveyed thence
for burial by means of an artificial chute
constructed on the face of the mountain
The ceremonies of marriage and christen-
ing are also performed at Laruns In dress
and manners this interesting little COM
munity of democrats are much the same as
they were 200 years ago. isolation from the
rest of the world naturally conducting to
this result. They maintain themselves by
weaving a kind Of cloth and by raising
sheep. They speak a hybrid dialect of
French and Spanish.
San Marine is a remarkably pretty indie
pendent commonwealth. Its territory, at
the eastern foothills OF the Apennines,
covers an area of thirty-three square
miles. This italian republic has been such
since 1881, but has existed separate
since $50 San Marine is, in one
respect, like no other place on earth; you
cannot print anything there, nor publish
anything printed elsewhere. There is a
severe law against doing either. No bust
ness may he transacted in San Marine CITY,
markets of all kinds being banished to San
Marine di Borgo, which is few miles dis
tant San Marine city has population Of
about 2,0OO who, in their customs and cos
tune, have not abandoned or altered a
single detail of those of the sixteenth CEN
fury.
A Quaint Old Place.
Reaching the place from Pisaro-Urbino by
road, travellers are astonished at the medi-
aeval air of everything. Lofty, somber
houses of forgotten architecture, frown-
ing over narrow, billy streets, gay Italian
dresses of the exact fashion of 1895, the
absence of commerce and the quaint Gus
toms and manners of another age produce
an effect almost Understandable in its charm.
The great council Of sixty, whose members
hold office for life, are eligible for election
to the council of twelve. who form final
court of arbitration. The head of the state
is composed of a captain-regent chosen by
the democracy and another captain-regent
chosen by the council of twelve from
among the mobiles For there is an arfs-