The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-07-11

per peninsula. Silvania included the rest of the
upper peninsula, the upper third of the present
state of Wisconsin and portion of the eastern
part of Minnesota. Michigana comprised the
central third of Wisconsin and Arsenispia the
lower third. nlinoia would have taken in the
upper third of the present state of Illinois and
over into Indiana to the western boundary of
Metropotamia. Polypotamia would have includ-
ed the central third of Illinois with the same
eastern boundary and Pelisipia the lower third,
a triangular tract bounded by the Ohio and Mis-
sissippi rivers. Although Jefferson's report was
adopted, it was never put into operation and
eventually the old Northwest Territory instead of
being divided up into ten states was divided up
into five-Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana
and Ohio.
At about the same time another state was be-
ing formed which was destined never to be rep
resented by a star in the flag. That was John
Sewers state of Franklin, formed in the eastern
part of the present state of Tennessee when
North Carolina, which owned the Tennessee
country, ceded its western lands to the federal
government, then took them back but refused or
unable to help protect her citizens beyond
the mountains from the Indians After stormy
career the state of Franklin passed out of exist
ence and came into the Union as part of the
state of Tennessee.
The history of "Nolichucky jack Sewers
state of Franklin is fairly familiar one to most
Americans but it is doubtful If many Of them
know that half century later another state of
Franklin was proposed and came to being
a reality. If it had, the Civil war might never
have been fought.
In 1912 Andrew Johnson Cater PresidenD was
a state senator in Tennessee He was also
bitter opponent of slavery. He first introduced
bill which would have eliminated in Tennessee
the slaves as basis for representation in con-
gress. If this measure had gone through it
would have resulted in the emancipation Of
every slave in that state. But it failed.
Next he introduced bill directing the gov
ernor to correspond with the governors of Vir-
gnia, North Carolina and Georgia in regard to
the cession of their mountain counties which,
with east Tennessee, were to be erected as
new state to be called Franklin. This new state,
populated by mOuntaineers who did not own
slaves, would have made free state in the
heart of the South and, serving as a sort of
spearhead against the institution of slavery,
might have eventually brought about the grad
ual abolition of that institution. The bill failed
in one house by very close vote, so again the
immortal Ben Franklin missed having Amer
lean commonwealth bear his name.
American history affords two or three other
instances of proposals to erect new states from
established commonwealth. At one time there
was an effort made to form a state named "Sus-
quehanna" from part of Pennsylvania, and in
the early days of the Republic there was pro-
posal to divide Virginia and make a state in the
western part called "Westsylyania." Eventually,
of course, the state was divided. That was in
1861 when Virginia seeded from the Union and
Joined the Confederacy while the western part
of the state voted to remain under the Stars and
Stripes AT that time it was suggested that the
new state should be called "Kanawha" but when
it came into the Union in 1862 it came as Wesi
Virginia.
9 Western Newspaper Union.