The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-04-15
SEVEN LITTLE REPUBLICS
Curious Examples Of Successful Self.
Government.
SIZE IS NOT AN ESSENTIAL
The Record Of History Shows That . Safe
and Independent Auiouomy May
he Maintaincd on tho
Smallest Of Scales.

The permanence of republican insti-
tutions in Hawaii has been doubted by
many prophets, who hinted that the
| new commonwealth would experience
| difficulty in maintaining its indepen-
dence. Did these predicters ever con-
| slider how many other republics, much
smaller in size and in population. sew
eral of them, too. without the advan-
| tage of insular position, had stood the
| test of time and preserved their auton-
| Omy in spite of the jealousies Of their
powerful neighbors? The following ac-
count of the little republics of the world
will show that the promoters of the
Hawaiian commonwealth had plenty OF
| precedent to encourage their faith In
| the future:
There Is Pitcairn Island: itself. like
Hawaii, situated In the Pacific ocean,
immeasurably inferior to President
Dole's district in area, population and
| every other important respect which
has long remained in the peculiar posi-
tion of being independent and free from
| interference without ever having Its
national existence formally recognized.
| Its first settlers, from whom the pres
| ent inhabitants are exclusively de-
| scended, were the mutinOus crew of an
| English man-Of-war. Bounty, famous
| in story.
Lying in the southern seas. in the
| region of the Australasian continent Is
the island of Franceville. One of the
| New Hebrides. II is not far from New
Caledonia. In area eighty odd miles, 1t
| Is mainly occupied by about 500 natives,
| the white inhabitants being less than
half hundred. France, which origin
ally had control of this place, gave it,
in 1879, charter of independence,
promising that no other power should
be permitted to interfere with 1t. The
people elect a president, who governs
with the aid of an advisory council Of
eight members. The president, in ad-
dition 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 prevails, without dis
tinction of sex or color. The chief
trade of the island Is with France, and
is sufficiently good to afford 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 culti-
waited by the natives only to limited
extent. fishing being the staple indus
try. TavOlara's census shows a popu-
lation Of but fifty or sixty souls, a min
iature republic, 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 !, reigned supreme as a
royal house until 1852. The ruler died
under peculiar circumstances. A suf-
ferer from heart disease, he sat down
to write his will and was found dead in
his arm chair 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 Bartol-
eoni family to the people, who were to
form a republic. Respect was shown
to the prayer of the dead monarch, and
four years after his demise, March "a,
1886, the republic of Tavolara was born.
The hardy Latin fishermen got together
and formed constitution. Under 1t a
president was elected to hold Office for
six years and to serve without pay.
The president was to share the cares
Of Office with a council of six, who. line
him, should receive no remuneration.
One year later King Humbert Of Italy
officially acknowledged the independ-
ence of the little republic.
While Tavolara is the smallest re-
publican community In the world (pos-
ing as a nation) 1t Is actually larger in
physical area than the republic of
Goust, which, however, has twice the
population of the former. Almost 250
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
a mile in area, located on a mountain
summit in the chain of the Lower Py-
renees, the little republic dates from
1648. The joint recognition by France
and Spain of its independence renders
1t as much a nation as Switzerland.
There Is no president, but a council of
twelve administers the government by
appointing from among its own men,
bers chief deputy with special pow
ers.
GOOD DEAL OF A POOH-BAH.
This deputy seems to be a good deal
of a. Pooh Bah ir his way, for he as
sesses the taxes and collects them, pre-
sides as a judicial functionary and acts
in a variety Of other capacities. Para
mount to him. however, Is the Spanish
bishop Of Laruns, q neighboring pre-
late, selected by the people as arbiter
who. with the chief deputy and the
remaining eleven members of the coun-
Gil, form the entire list of public func-
tionaries. Probably they are enough in
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 Laruns on the plains below, dead
citizens are conveyed thence for burial
by means Of an artificial chute con-
structed on the face of the mountain
The ceremonies of marriage and christ
ening are also performed at Laruns
In dress and manners this interesting
little community of democrats are
much the same as they We're 200 years
ago, isolation from the rest of the
world naturally conducting to this re.
suit. They maintain themselves b.
weaving a kind Of cloth and by rails.
ing sheep. They speak a hybrid dialect
Of French and Spanish.
San Marino Is a remarkably pretty
Independent commonwealth Its terri.
tory. at the eastern foothills Of the
Apennines. covers an area of thirty.
three square miles. This Italian repub.
lie has been such since 1881, but has ex.
listed as separate community since S85
San MarinO Is, in one respect, like nc
other place on earth: you cannot print
anything there. nor publish, anything
printed elsewhere There is q severe
law against doing either. No business
may be transacted in San Marino city
markets Of all kinds being banished tc
San Marino di Borgo. which is a few
miles distant. San Marino city has @
population of about 1000, who, in theil
customs and custume, have not aban.
doned or altered a single detail Of those
of the sixteenth century.
A QUAINT OLD PLACE.
Reaching the place from Pisaro.
| UrbinO by road travellers are aston.