Evening star., 1937-08-15
Miscellaneous North
American Republics
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

ou1 CiVlleHS Oh Ine Unlted states have
come to think OF themselves rs belong
Ing only to the Federal republic except
when States rights become predominant
or when treaties are made between sepa.
rate States. The history of the country,
however, shows that there have been
several republics on what now Is United
States territory which were not part of
our present political entity
One Of the most interesting of thes.
was the Republic Of Florida. No State
In the present Union has a more fasci-
mating history. Florida can claim a re-
markabe distinction in that 1t was the
one territory not sought III search Of gold.
The purpose Of the expedition, headed BY
Ponce de Leon In 15l2-l3, was to dis
cover what elderly men declare Is more
precious than gold-youth Rumor that
the fabulous Isle Of Bimini contained a
fountain, the waters Of which held prop
critics Of rejuvenation, had reached the
Spaniards, settled in the West Indies.
Without thought Of the glitter OF gold.
the expedition sought the more ephemeral
treasure.
De Leon landed on the Florida coast
and thought he had found Bimini Flo
rida Chambers OF Commerce and hotel
hosts to this day assert that the Foun-
tain OF Youth is in Florida, but the
Spaniard found only fountains Of death,
for the Indians proved not only hostil.
but remarkably capable OF displaying
their hostility with deadly effect The
long history Of Florida was made up OF
violence. When, under the patronage of
the great Admiral Coligny, a Huguenot
expedition attempted settlement, Span
iards came in and maSsacred them, not,
as they asserted, because they were
French, but because they were hereticS.
Then French force appeared which
masSacred the Spaniards not, as they
declared. because they were Spaniards,
but because they were murderers and had
other faults.
The history is so tangled that We nnd
Florida to have been under seven flags,
those OF Spain, France, England, Mexico,
the Republic OF Florida, the United States
and the Confederacy. All that intricat.
tale cannot be traced here. The republic
was set up under curious auspices. When
the Jefferson embargo OF 1907 went into
ef1ect, efforts were made TO smugele
American goods out past the embargo
The result was that foreign ports near
the United States were crowded with
shipping Fernandina was the nearest
foreign port. and 1t became headouar-
ters for smuggling and also for British
espionage. Pierre Lafitte had headouar-
ters there.
With the War of 1912 in the ofinr,
President Madison, in 1911, sent confden-
tial agents to Fernsndina. They reused
American sympathizers and with the
support OF United States gunboats these
rebels seized Fernandina and proclaimed
the Republic of Florida. The republic
did not last long. Spain made vociferous
protests. A period OF anarchy followed
and there were battles. notably the Battle
Of Amelia. The pirate. Louis Aury came
along and claimed Florida for Mexico.
At length. in 1919, the matter was settled |
by the sale by Spain to the United States
OF the whole peninsula for $4,000 900.
The Republic or Free State of Frank !
lin furnishes another interesting exam +
pie OF American political vicissitudes.
North Carolina claimed all the territory
west OF the present State. and there were
some 10000 settlers in that western re-
gion which now is Tennessee and parts Of
adjoining States. North Carolina would .
provide them with no facilities Of civil.
zation. such as courts, and no protection
against the hostile Indians
This state of affairs prompted the
frontier citizens to call 4 meeting at
Jonesboro, at which it was proposed to
secede from North Carolina. That State
became alarmed and proceeded forth
with to establish a court system for the
westerners and took other desired steps
1t was too late-the revolt had gained
momentum and had become an accom-
plished fact.
There is much in the history OF the
Free State OF Franklin. as these rebels
called their government, which smacks
Of Gilbert and Sullivan. The people drew
up constitution and established courts
of their own. The North Carolina militia
raided the court, which had been estab-
lished at Jonesboro. seized all the paper
and turned the judge and counsel out OF
doors. Whereupon mob of Franklinites
moved over the border and copied the
act with the exception that the stage
was North Carolina court house, judge
and counsel.
John Sewer. who is a sort of story
book figure of those frontier days. became
President of the Free State of Franklin
There was Congress and the various
other appurtenances of state. Ministers
were appointed to foreign countries, in
cluding the United States. The Presi-
dents salary was paid in furs, there being
practically no money in the Free State
1t is stated that other public servants
were paid small salaries in powder. A
powder horn was more important thar
a purse in those days IN that part Of
the world
The pickering and fighting with North
Carolina continued and finally John
Sewer was captured by the North Caro-
lima troops and hailed away to Morgan
town to stand trial for high treason
While the trial was in progress, some
friends Of Sewers came into the court
house and made disturbance, under
cover Of which President Sewer escaped
The people of North Carolina must have
was too much for them In the capacity of
adversary, so-in true Gilbert and Sulli-
van style-they dropped the charge of
treason and elected him. instead, United
States Senator for North Carolina. which
incident ended the history Of the Repub-
lie Of Franklin. Later John Sewer be-
came Governor Of Tennessee the State
which had been erected in the same
region.
The story OF the Republic OF Texa
makes another chapter in the book o
republics, but is so well known that i
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