The Winning of the West 



that the insurrection threatened not only North 

 Carolina, but Virginia and the Federal Government 

 itself; and in phrases like those of the most ad 

 vanced Federalist statesman, he urged the Federal 

 Government to interfere. The Governor of Vir 

 ginia was inclined to share his views, and forwarded 

 his complaints and requests to the Continental Con 

 gress. 



However, no action was necessary. The Franklin 

 Government collapsed of itself. In September, 1787, 

 the Legislature met for the last time, at Greeneville. 

 There was a contested election case for Senator from 

 the county of Hawkins, which shows the difficul 

 ties under which the members had labored in carry 

 ing their elections, and gives a hint of the anarchy 

 produced by the two contending Governments. In 

 this case the sheriff of the county of Hawkins grant 

 ed the certificate of election to one man, and the 

 three inspectors of the poll granted it to another. 

 On investigation by a committee of the Senate, it 

 appeared that the poll was opened by the sheriff "on 

 the third Friday and Saturday in August/' as pro 

 vided by law, but that in addition to the advertise 

 ment of the election which was published by the 

 sheriff of Hawkins, who held under the Franklin 

 Government, another proclamation, advertising the 

 same election, was issued by the sheriff of the North 

 Carolina county of Spencer, which had been recent 

 ly created by North Carolina out of a portion of the 

 territory of Hawkins County. The North Carolina 

 sheriff merely wished to embarrass his Franklin 



