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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. AUGUSTA: Printed by JOHN E. SMITH, Printer to the State ; EJfays, Arttcles of Intelligence , Advertijements, tSc. will be gratefully received, and every kind of Printing performed. 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