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SATURDAY, July 28, 1787: GEORGIA STATE GAZETTE - •> * •- '«■ ~ -‘l Q R 1 INDEPENDENT REGISTER. - - ■■ FREEDOM of the PRESS, and TRIAL by JURY, to remain inviolate forever. Ccnjlitutioto of Georgia . AUGUSTA: Printed by JOHN E. SMITH, Printer to the State •, FTavs. Articles cf Intelligencer Advertijements , &c. will be gratefully received , and every kind of Printing performed . STATE OF FRANKLIN. JBxtratl from the Proceedings in a C (invention held at Greenville, in the State of Franklin, in May tajl . (Continued from No. XLII.) TH E Honorable General in the manner he exp relied the word odium , seemed to intimate, that an ungenerous expreflion had been made use of; but he wiflied the Gentleman to ltnow, that he was too well acquainted with those matchless charafters of the other lex, who had filled their thrones of empires and of kingdoms, with a justice that had acquired them equal admi ration and fear of their conquered enemies; and likewise with the merits and ability of several of bis female acquaintance in different periods of life, ever to have presumed to utter the expres sion alluded to, sentimentally, and that it could not generally concern this House; for if the cap fitted any, it would be but few, and he was confi dent that the Honorable General, a gentleman of the law, who knew how statutes were interpret ed, must even confefs it ungenerous to judge of sayings in any other light, than in which they were commonly understood ; and he hoped, that if an apology was requisite, it would be futficieut t® confefs, that the expreflion arofc from a warmth eccafioned by a surprise and the nature of the de bate. He was as much disposed for peace as any gentleman present, and only differed about a mode to procure it: That this Aflembly was entruled with the welfare and rights of about thirty thousand fouls, placed in a garden of' Colum bia, protested with upwards of 9,000 free able bodied citizens, and that it was the duty of every Member, to watch each other’s conduft with vi gilence and a republican spirit, as guardians at this time for their conflituents and a free born offspring. The Honorable General Kennedey, advised the gentleman to Withdraw his motion, for he might easily perceive it would not be carried; for it eould not be surmised, that a plan of that nature could be conduced to any advantage whatsoever to the people of Franklin, and a ferutiny must condemn it. He noticed, that a few leading persons, of the finall inconsiderable faftion of de luded citizens, on this fide of the Appalachian mountains, had joined with North-Carolina, for to endeavour to effeft a confufioq snd anarchy in this state, were at our firft convention friends to our new republic; and that it was well known that they changed their conduft merely through a disappointed ambition, by which means they be came indefatigable political tools for our enemies in North-Carolina: That those leaders, in the violation of the laws of that hate, got themselves secretly eleded, under a ftiam fanftion of the laid laws last year, and that the Aflembly of that state allowed them a feat, pretentioually believing those men to be due representatives of what they stiled their reverted weflern citizens, and Ihewed them selves totally callous to every conviction, and deal to every reason, displayed by the Commiflioners sent by the General Aflembly of Franklin ; and notwithstanding, that those illegal Members open ly confefled, that the opposition of only three hundred Franks, commanded by General Cocke, had obliged them to hold their election se cretly; yet North-Carolina received those persons as Members and protected them as if they had been representatives of the general voice of the weftern citizens. This being premised, to suppose then that this fcherae now debated iq the House, could prevent that party from fencing Members to North-Carolina, would be truly rs - diculous; and besides, they are aovv aflifted by 3 \ late aft, in favour of secret eleftiqns. Should we now, as a convention of the state of Franklin, through folly pass a resolve for our citizens to hold a (ham eleftion, under the (anftion of the laws of North-Carolina, in order to choose our friends on the day appointed to eleft members for that state ? It would certainly give the ene mies to the confirmation of reparation, draws enough (to life the Gentleman’s own phrase) to fire the Government of Franklin with, and as they have not convinced us as yet, that they will not be as ready in their next Aflembly to catch at draws, as they were in their last, it would be a crime to believe *t would nor leave us on its vestiges objefts for laughter to the world. I will admit (said he) that we by that means might carry friends to the confirmation of our repara tion aft; but the pppofire party secretly at ano ther place, would surely do the fame. What then would be tbe consequence ? North-Carolina would receive the Members of that party, an ounce us reverted rebels, and have a plea to use us accordingly. If North-Carolina will not receive Commiflioners from Franklin, it will con vince us that that state will not, negociate a con fii mation, and in such case to rely on, that justice will not let the state of Franklin differ, because North-Carolina picqued up a difference with Congress, and refufed to. give her deed for the weftern land. Our steady and uniform proceed ings, since the adjournment of North-Carolina Aflembly, mull bayp convinced that state, that the citizens of Franklin are determined to live in? dependent of North-Carolina : Therefore, said he, Members from this quarter could only alk what our conduft had claimed and confirmed, when Commiflioners on the other hand, can demand out privileges, and negociate peace to the honor of our state But laying aside all those objeftions, the measures proposed could never be excusably executed, but when to save a nation on the verge of deftruftioii; but as this is not our (ituation at present, then as a citizen of a brave people, who ever scorned duplicity, he utterly conde .ned the motion, and agreed fully with the gentlemen who would not enter into a negociation with North- Carolina, on any other terms than with other After states in the Union. His Exce:.ency the Governor, produced ap aft palled in the last General Aflembly of Franklin, which directed the Executive power of said state to make use of hostility if nothing else would do, to prevent eleftions within the limits of Franklin, under the authority of the laws of North-Caro lina ; therefore, said he, the tenor of the motion now before this House, would bring the friends of independency under the rigour of that aft. It is extraordinary that the ccnduftof the citizens who had sent the Members here, fliould uniformly support the independency of Franklin, and that those Members ftiould also unanimously express themselves in favour of fupportiug the fame ; and yet at the fame time, blindly pursue a method which could not fail to bring about a reunion w th North-C'aiolina. Let us lupppfe for a moment, proceeded he, that the scheme now in agitation, would answer the end fuppoled by some among us, which it certainly never would; for it would in faft only alter our ponditipu from an indepen dency to a dependency, and curfelyes from free men to lervants, and of course would difqualify us from every privilege above favours. But let US fpppofe ft would bring about a second repara tion, apparently as favourable to our common- Wegfllj as the eeflion aft. The quota of our debt th e h be laid proportionally to the number 6f E&JSPS have now, which is on a ratio as THE four to one to what they were at the time of our reparation; and of cOurfe, in the midst of our frugality, we would be, to bear part of the expence requilite to support the extravagance and luxury of North Carolina Government, be sides our proportion to Congress for the diftharge of the foreign continental debt. Thus situated, we are equally imerefled in the charter of the cession afl wnh the Honorable Congress, and thereby bound in honor to give it a mutual support; there fore, were we now to revert, it would remove us from 411 confidence due to a spirited nation for to fallow in disgrace forever. He then proceeded on a concise narrative of the fettling of Franklin* which (hewed, that the firft colony in that country was fettled by Virginians, about fifteen years ago, and that a line afterwards run between 'Virgiaf* and North-Carolina, left a helpless number of industrious citizens, destitute of any more pro tection than what their own inconsiderable ftrengtb afforded them against the outrageous warlike tribes of ludians. That in this situation of that settle— ment, the Britiih fuperintendants, Cameron ancj Stuart, offered them protection, on condition they would traufplant themselves further down towards Weft Florida, which their abhorence to the Bri tish tyranny at that time, made them refufe. Soon after, in the year 1776, they applied to a con-' vent.on h*i<j m*. Halifax, in Nonir-Carolioa, foe to become citizens of that state, in order to pre * vent tliat they might not be fufpeded inimical to the revolution, which would hayc added to their . distress; and that their petition underwent a high and long debate before it was favourably received by North Carolina, and in that convention clause was inferred in North-Carolina constitution, which makes the cession aCf constitutionally and just. That the people of Franklin territory, had paid large sums of money for the greatest part of their land, before the revolution of North Ame rica took place ; and befidcs this, the settlers had held it by the sword, a inode that has confirmed the most powerful charters round the globe : That now going op ten years, the savages laid waftc their buildings, carried off all their stocks and other killed and fealped seve ral families, and obliged the rest to fiy to the fafety of forts for the space of twelve months; and that in their helpless condition, the Virginians bad proved their warmest supporters, and therefore wss fully fatisfied, that if the matter were tho roughly difeuffed, no impartial judicious powee would judge North-Carolina entitled to govertj that territory which nature has formed a castle tor a commonwealth, yvhich our enemies would find to their sorrow, is garrisoned by brave indepen dent pe- pie, (hould they concern unjustly with the weftprn citizens, and we adhere to our former virtue But (hould we this day involve an off fpring into slavery, it would fall a heavy curse oq our own heads. - Colonel Daugherty begged the House to be ware <f a danger not yet noticed. That after the lower interest in North-Carolina bad made an inflrumentof the requisition f the United States, to curtail that of the frontier, and thereby ba lanced the scale of politic? in favour of the sea post citizens, a company of land, speculators arose, and formed a plan to throw us in confu ,0 “» wherewith to preyail on us to revert to North- C'aiolina, to give them an opportunity of locating our land and improvements over our heads; there fore we mult, said he, countermine that danger, or a few years will bring a deluge of those specu lators upon our territory, who will infeft ouc country with slavery, that will be an evil equal to (Far the remainder , Jet page 4-J x tiv [No.