The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-07
REPUBLICS IN MINIATURE.
EXAMPLES OF POPULAR RULE IN
OUT-OF-THE-WAY PLACES.

NAtcaAFh governed by the Descend
ants of the bounty Mutineers.
FranceviIle, of Which an Ameri-
can Is Presidcnt-The Smallest Re-
public in the World Is TavOIara.
which Counts But Fifty or sixty
Souls.
From the New Orleans Picayune.
The permanence of republican institu-
tions in Hawaii has been doubted by
many prophets, who limited that the new
commonwealth would experience diff
Guilty in maintaining its independence.
Did these Projectors ever consider how
many other republics, much smaller in
size and in population, several of them
too. without the advantage of insular
position, had stood the test of time and
preserved their autonomy in spite of the
Jealousies of their powerful neighbors?
The following account of the little re-
publics of the world will show that the
promoters of the Hawaiian common
wealth had plenty of precedent to en-
courage their faith in the future, says a
writer in the New York Mail and Ex-
press.
There is a Pitcairn island itself, like
Hawaii situated in the Pacific ocean, i'm
measurably inferior to President Dole's
district in area, population and every
other important respect, which has long
remained in one peculiar position of being
Independent and free from interference
without ever having had it's national ex-
istence formally recognized. Its first
settlers, from whom the present inhabi-
tants are exclusively descended, were the
mutinous crew of an English man-of-war,
Bounty, famous in story.
Lying in the southern seas. in the re-
gion of the Australasian continent is the
island of Franceville. One of the New
Hebrides, it is not far from New Gale
donna. In area so odd miles, it is mainly
occupied by about 500 natives, the white
inhabitants being less than half hum
dred France, which originally had con-
troll Of this place, gave 1t, IN 1879, char
ter of independence, promising that no
other power should be permitted to inter-
fere with it. The people elect presi-
dent, who governs with the aid of an adj
visory council of eight members. The
president, in addition to his administra-
tive functions, exercises judicial powers,
and there is no appeal from his decis-
ions. Although no Office can be held by
colored citizens. universal suffrage pre-
walls, without distinction of sex or color.
The chief trade of the island is with
France, and is sufficiently good to afford
a living for all, pauperism being I'M
known. Just now the president is an
American, r. ID. Polk.
To Europe, however, we must look for
the smallest of all safeguarding 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 mile
wide it's soil IS cultivated by the natives
only to a limited extent, fishing being the
staple industry. TaVOlara's census shows
a population of about fifty or sixty souls,
miniature republic, indeed. Nearly sixty
years ago the King of Sardinia, Charles
Albert gave the island to the Bartoleoni
family, who in the person of King Paul
I reigned supreme as a royal house until
1882. This ruler died under peculiar cir
cumstances A sufferer from heart dis
ease, he sat down to write his will and
was found dead in his arm chair a few
hours later. The will itself was a 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 We're to form a republic. Respect
was shown to the prayer of the dead
monarch, and four years after MS demise,
March p, 1885, the republic of Tavolara
was born. The hardy Latin fishermen
got together and formed a constitution.
Under 1t a president was elected to hold
office for six years and to serve without
pay The president was to share the
like himself. should receive no remunera-
ton. One year later King Humbert of
Italy, officially acknowledged the indie
pendence of the littlesrepubiic.
While TaVolara is the smallest repub-
lican community in the world (posing as
a nation) it is actually larger in physical
area than the republic of Goust, which,
however, has twice the population of the
former. Almost go years have seen the
autonomy of Goust undisturbed, while in
Vasion. conquest and absorption of weak
or 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. 1915 The joint ecognitiOn by
France and Spain of its independence
renders 1t as much nation as Switzer-
land There is no president but a coun-
ell of twelve administer the government
by appointing from among its own men,
bers chief deputy with special powers
This deputy seems to be good deal OF
a Pooh-Bah in his way, for he assesses
the taxes, collects them, presides as ju-
dicial functionary and acts in a variety
of other capacities. Paramount to him,
however, is the Spanish bishop of La
runs, 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 functionaries. Probably they are
enough in a population 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 La
runs on the, plains below dead citizens
are conveyed thence for burial by way OF
an artificial chute constructed on the
face of the mountain. The ceremonies OF
marriage and christening are also per
formed at Laruns. In dress and manners
this little community of democrats arc
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 hybrid dialect Of French and
San Marine is a Remarkably pretty IN
dependent commonwealth. It's territory,
covers an. area of thirty-three square
miles This Italian republic has been