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SATURDAY,, ,77; S 7 ; THE p*, SLII .,
GEORGIA STATE GAZETTE
° R
INDEPENDENT REGISTER.
FREEDOM of the PRESS, and TRIAL by JUR Y, to remain inviolate forever. Conjiitution of Georgia.
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STATE OF FRANKLIN.
' Extrafi of the Proceedings in a Con vention held at
Greenville , m the tit ate of Franklin, in May lajt.
§ESOLVFD, That the Constitution established
and confirmed, in a Convention held in
klin, the 19th of November, 1785, (hall be
Constitution of this State, until the people of
Jaid State are received into the Federal Union;
«Bbr, that the majority of the Freemen of the State
of Franklin, that! otherwise direst several amend
ments, was made to be held out for the coufide
|ration of the people.
At the doling of the Convention, a motion
was made, and seconded, that as our Commis
sioners, who waited on the A flembly of North-
Carolina last year, were not attended to with that
refpeft due to Commiflioners, and that, notwith
standing the illegal manner in which the Mem
bers had been elefted in the name of North- Ca
rolina ; yet, they were permitted to take their
feats as Legislators ; and a6 those Members were
mortal enemies to our riling Republic, whom the
AlTembly of North-Carolina called their weftern
inhabitants, a separation was thereby prevented.
But as we find that some individuals of the said
Assembly, now warmly express themselves in fa
vour of a separation, upon condition that Franklin
would join Nortb-Carolina, and fend Members to
take a feat in their AlTembly to form a separation,
jj fnch resignation would undoubtedly be granted
tis ; therefore the holding an eleftion on the fame
day appointed for the eleftion for the state of
INorth-Carolina, would enable us to fend Mem*
! bers to negociate a separation, and thus we could
f, easily obtain our with without trouble or hazard.
Colonel Ware said, he did not approve of the
■ motion in any sense; and that betides, this motion
requited the greatest deliberation, and more time
* for consideration than what the house would ad
mit of at present, and that we ought to be exceed
ingly careful of our fafetyand growing common
wealth, and therefore would vote against it.
■ The Hon. Gen. Cocke obfcrved, that he thought
tire plan not dangerous, but he considered the mo
rion as the only method, whereby we might obtain
our willies through a peaceful channel; and he
eonfeffed, that from every observation he had made
as a Commiflioner who waited on North-Carolina
AlTembly, he had every reason to believe, that
numbers of individuals of their legislative branches
Were warm for a speedy separation and reconcili
ation with us ; and from those circumstances, he
tfcowdit it his duty to support the motion in its
present nature.
piThe Honorable George Elholm fignified the
' amazement that a debate of that nature
f»uld be carried on in this AlTembly ; that to take
Jjffts merely as pretended friends to North-Caro
fffia, was inconsistent with the character of a peo
whofe btavery in he field changed the rood
) glpomy afpeft to that of the moll pleasing, could
1 now fit like old women in council, when their
' *tj[|ts and privileges were in question; but he
4fWfied of heaven that a few ancient Roman fena
•ittrs might arise, to teach this Council to claim
tfitir rights with a spirit compatible with their
HUrtial prowess, and although North-Carolina
y«fufsd to attend tq the proposals of our Com-
laft fefhon, Ih? might from a second
bought receive them* and even if Hie Ihould not,
Ajfitb a due refpeft, that so far from ic» proving fa
i. mk, it could in his opinion but turn out at worst an
VJBinconveniency to the State of Franklin, which
Vlßfliort period could not fail to vanilh ; and he
g MBlied therefore the motion might not be carried.
* AaThc Honorable General Cocke was aftemihed
that prudence in this' Council Ihould be held out
an odium, and not be pieferred to the method the
Honorable Gentleman who spoke last so highly re
commends to this Aflembly He recommends to
confider how the interest of North-Carolina Hood
relpeftiveiy with the slate of Franklin, and you
will find, said he, that the latter adds to the form
er an addition of charges annually to the amount
of upwards of 90001. If then, you will permit
North-Carolina to pofiefs wisdom in her Council,
you rauft also judge her as ripe to confiim a fepara
tion as ourselves, and I have been an eye witness,
that the conriuft of several gentlemen in that slate,
confefles them sensible of their errors ; and I am
certain that if any Member from this quarter will
ask a separation the next fefliony It will be readily
granted. It is true that North-Carolina would
catch at a straw last feffon in order not to sepa
rate us, but now the has had an opportunity of
feeing her mistake, and therefore will more readi
ly comply ; for which reason, I recommend the
mode held forth for to carry our own friends in an
yleftion, which will amply answer oor purpose.
His Excellency Governor Sevier, who was
waited on by a committee, for to give his opinion,
observed, that it was well known in general that
North-Carolina, ia compliance to a requilition
made by Congress in June 1784, paired the ces
sion att, which then gave us the privileges we
now unhappily are obliged to contend for. He
then cited the clauses that give those rights to the
people of Franklin; and further observed, that
on the 14th of July following, Mr. Spaight, from
North-Carolina, laid the aft before the Commit
tee of States, under the great Seal of North-
Carolina state, and therefore was fully fatisfied,
that after being thus received, the virtue of that
very aft itfelf deprived North-Carolina of ;he
right they presumed in repealing the said ceflion
aft on the 20th of November following. And
that Congress is sensible that they have complied
with the requisition of the said aft, is fully as
certained by their frequent demand on North-
Carolina to comply agreeable to the tenor of the
fame. This ceflion aft therefore, he said, cannot
be compared to any common statute, made only
for a regulation of their internal police, which
only refpefts her own citizens; but it was no
sooner constitutionally pasted, than it became a
sacred charter for three different powers, viz.
the Congress, the people of the state of Franklin,
and North-Carolina, and of course it can never
be repealed lawfully without the mutual consent
of the said three different pow-ers. That the
people of the weft had not released North-Caro
lina from her sacred pledge of an independent
separation, and what was of more importance in
regard to the benefit of the union, neither had
the United States relinqviifhed their cla in, and
that he was highly prompted to believe they never
would ; but fliould such a thing happen, it would
then be time enough for the people of Franklin to
consult what measures to pursue. But as to the
independency of Franklin, it existed now in full
form’undeniably. He referred to the Convention
to take a view of the Constitution of North-Caro
lina, where they would find a clause, which men
tionfc, “ there may be a state or states erefted in
the Weft, whenever the Legislature give consent
for the fame. 5 * Now for North-Carolina to at
tempt to insinuate that the said ceflion aft had not
been constitutionally pasted, and that another is
still wanting for that purpose, can only serve to
expose themselves in a disadvantageous view to a
just and sensible world. He well perceived that
tools were set at work among ourselves, but he
was sure that North-Carolina would flop rather
than run the riik of quarrelling openly with the
United States; that the people of this country had
ever proved good faithful and powerful citizens to
the imereft of the United States, and they only
now contended for the sacred rights and privileges
given them already ; and that it was his opinion,
however rieArous he might be for unanimity, thac
any further application was unneceflary, and that
the afts of ceflion, and the constitution of Norths
Carolina, was a plenary proof of his aflertion.
Col. Cage was of (pinion, that if we did not
hold the fliam eleftions proposed under the au
thority of North-Carolina thereby to get
our friends to reprelent us in that Assembly,
should never bring a reconciliation about; and as
a friend to peace as well as a faithful citizen to
the State of Franklin, he hardly wiflied that the
motion now in quef ion might be carried ; thus,
with their own weapons, we fliculd prove vifto
rious over our enemy.
Capt. Ames endeavoured to support the fame
opinion very powerfully.
The Honorable George Elholin assured the
House, that he deemed it miraculous that men of
undet(landing, (lmuld so largely differ in a plain
and Ample faft, who were all Haunch friends to
Franklin and patriots to freedom, and so closely
connected in the interest of the independence of
their country, that it was plain, if we (uffered
any of our fiiends to reprelent us in theAflcmbly
of North-Carolina, by the choice of our citizens
under any pretence whatfoevor, we had in fadt
made void the ceffon aft on our part, and ofi
ccurfe duly reverted infenlibly to Noith-Carolina
Govermrent. Good God of heaven I fatd he,
how long (hall the spirit of ill-timed prudence
prey upon us to dir.nlh a former conduft?
Let us conAder that the efieem conferred on us
i 6 the fruit of juflice, generoAty, and our inde
pendent spirit, and if we fly those virtues, will
we not deservingly Ank into dif f race? His ex
cellency has plainly demonstrated, that our Go
vernment is legal; let us therefore avoid a con
duft for which we would have cursed our fathers ;
we have spent our youth in the pursuit of liberty,
and let us now in our experienced days support
our freedom, rnd leave it an hereditament to our
posterity. We have neither sumptuous buildings
nor towns that can fetve to damp our spirit if we
are threatened with an invasion, when our intern
al riches cn the othei hand, are enchanting enough
to convert any hcftile power sent among us, into
a real present toflrengthen our grow.ng republic.
We have a line cf conduft drawn before us by
the ablelh politicians the world has ever produced ;
if Franklin will pattern them, (lie will prosper.
It had been mentioned that North-Carolina was as
ripe for a reparation as Franklin, but he thought
that argument an inl'ult on the undemanding of
this House; for the reparation was already effetf
ed, which North Carolina endeavoured to annihi
late ; but the cry of that Hate was, “ join us, and
then you (hall be separated immediately.” This
is another of a grofler nature.—We (lmuld have
been perfeft dupes indeed, to believe that Gent
tlemen in North-Carolina, who weie well known
had evec condufted thcmfelves with every fenfeof
delicacy and honor in a private life, should indif
ferently expose themselves in a public character,
without an expectation of making a second repara
tion a better bargain upon the expence of the peo
ple of Franklin Again it had been observed, that
they used our Commiflioners witheveiy mark of
friendthip and civility; but it is well known that
the fame p olite gentlemen had fuffered our public
Officers, chosen by the voice of our good citizens,
to U loaded with intuits in th«s