The Press

[Galaxie]

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[wxtransit]

Urgent Address to the Nation
James Madison, First Secretary

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The above statement was transmitted to all national newspapers as urgently as possible.

[Donerail]

Statement on Violence in Westsylvania:
I must condemn in the strongest possible terms the violence that is occurring in Westsylvania and elsewhere. The recent reports of private militias rising in Eastern Pennsylvania, seeking to do harm to peaceful supporters of Westsylvanian statehood, is deeply alarming and could quite possibly lead to civil conflict that threatens our very union. I urge all factions to cease aggressive action and allow their elected representatives to attempt to negotiate an agreement.
x Gen. James Wilkinson

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

From  THURSDAY,   MAY  13,—to  MONDAY,  MAY  17,   1790.

MR. MADISON SPEAKS ON WESTSYLVANIA.
—

We commend the manly firmness with which Mr. Madison relates the present unhappy dispute in the territory of Wesysylvania, and the policy of his Government thereon. It may be well advised the object of the Administration is to avoid bloodshed, while preserving at all cost the strength and Honor of the Union. To that end he has summoned to council the Governor of Pennsylvania together with emissaries of the petitioning Counties, with the advice that if a settlement may not be reached, then the federal Power will raise a force as may suppress any inclination by either party to carry on the struggle of arms. It was the weakness of the old Confederation, that such disputes might carry on to extreme ends, for lack of any ability by the central Power to interpose for the restoration of domestic tranquility. Mr. Madison, in his coupling of generosity with strength, shows his wisdom in avoiding the missteps of the previous Government, without ever erring to the opposite extreme.

[_]

The Patriot Star

Vol. VIII

May 17th, 1790

Of the Duel, our Union, and Legislation in the Assembly.

Today, my fellow Southerners and Americans, I wish to address the topic of my duel with the late Governor Mifflin.  First, I wish to extend my condolences to his family.  Yet, I must state that I do not regret my actions.  Through defeating the Governor in a duel I have purged from this Union a firm enemy of Liberty, and a man who betrayed his own state's constitution in the interests of his party rather than fulfill his duty to protect the rights of the people he governed.  It appears that in response to this action there are those within the Radical faction who wish to rise up and attack the supporters of Westsylvanian Independence and bring ruin to the region.  I condemn these militias in full, and any attempt at violence that would bring death and ruin to the Union.  As such, I urge all parties within the state to avoid violence, and instead to engage in negotiations led by First Secretary Madison.  It is my hope that the First Secretary will talk down those who wish violence upon the Westsylvanians, and give the people of Westsylvania the ability to decide their own fate, with no interference from forces hostile to their right to self-government in Pennsylvania.  May god bless our Union in these troubling times, and bless the people of Westsylvania with the statehood they desire.

On a second matter, it is sadly true that I have been exiled to Georgia for the time being, for participating in a duel agreed upon by both combatants and winning said duel.  I have confidence that this matter will be resolved in time, however until that time I shall have to advise my fellow Patriots from afar.  There are two key matters that I had left unaddressed before my exile, the Tory Senate Act, and the National Military Act and it's new Amendment.

On the Tory Senate Act, I share the sentiments of Mr. Adams, this Act would lead to a weakening of the voice of the people, and empowering Aristocrats over the people of our nation.  As such, I urge Patriots and all Deputies within the Assembly to oppose this Act in order to protect the voice of the American People in their government.

Now on the National Military Act, I voiced my concerns with the original bill and would oppose the legislation if it were unchanged.  However, the generosity of Deputy Robert Morris, and the Amendment by Mr. Adams limiting the size of the military during peacetime have altered my view on the legislation.  I believe that Patriots within the Assembly should support the Amendments by Mr. Adams and Mr. Morris, and oppose the amendment by King Jay the First.  On the end product however, I do recognize that some Patriots may have differing views, as such should the Amendments from Mr. Adams and Mr. Morris succeed, I ask that Patriots within the assembly have a free vote on the legislation, even though I urge them to support the Act.

To conclude, I offer this prayer in these troubling times.  May god bless the South and the United States with peace, prosperity, and respect for the rights of man.


Leader of the Patriots and Deputy in exile
James Jackson

(This edition of the Patriot star, and all following editions shall be published in all current Southern States, the soon to be state of Kentucky, the proposed state of Franklin, and the rightful state of Westsylvania)

[Boobs]

Nero Redivivus

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[Boobs]

Nero Redivivus, II

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[wxtransit]

Urgent Address to the Nation
James Madison, First Secretary

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The above statement was transmitted to all national newspapers as urgently as possible.

[_]

The Patriot Star

Vol. IX

June, 1790

Of Tyrants and Liberty

My fellow Southerners and Americans, it appears that the First Secretary was sadly unable to produce a solution for the Westsylvania crisis, however it appears that Mr. Madison is not to blame.  The Radical Government of Pennsylvania, rather than being willing to recognize their suppression of liberty and allow the Westsylvanians a chance to decide their own fate, have instead stood firm in their tyranny and have refused any solution that allows Westsylvania a chance at freedom.  

I believe there is but one man behind the actions of the Radical Party and their betrayal of Liberty, Benjamin Franklin.  Mr. Franklin appears to have been tainted by Monarchism after his time in France, and has moved beyond his principles in the pursuit of power.  He and his Radicals have not only chosen to oppose the rights of man guaranteed in Pennsylvania's constitution, but oppose the enshrinement of Freedom of Speech, Press, Assembly, and Association among others by voting against the Declaration of Rights Amendments in the National Assembly.  In doing this, Mr. Franklin and his Radicals have proven themselves firm enemies of the natural rights of man, and allies of Monarchists such as the Tories.  With this, I grant Mr. Franklin a new title, Benedict Franklin, traitor to liberty.  

With the Pennsylvania government unwilling to give Westsylvania a chance at their freedom, I urge all those within the proposed state of Westsylvania to continue protesting for their freedom, and to never lie down in the face of Tyranny!  

To conclude, I offer this prayer.  May god bless Westsylvania with statehood, and the South and the Union with peace and prosperity.


Leader of the Patriots and Deputy in exile
James Jackson

[Donerail]

THE

Num.III

September 1790

W E S T E R N  H E R A L D
Offices: Lexington ★ Pittsburgh-in-Exile ★ Marietta ★ Nueva Orleans

WARRE has come to — nay, been forced upon — Westsylvania. Bands of loathsome bandits, lower than vermin, have organized themselves into dishonorable combinations, and marched on Pittsburgh. These men have BURNED the HOMES of many good Christian families, and plunged the region into CHAOS.

But, my friends, that is only part of the story. These disorganized reavers, no natives of the land, are reported to have displayed remarkable knowledge of the terrain, and acted with the consent of the officers appointed by the Governor to oversee their actions. The conclusion is unavoidable: at best, the Governor of Pennsylvania has lost any control he may have had over the state's militias; and at worst, the Governor of Pennsylvania ordered the destruction of Pittsburgh.

This great tragedy and loss of life far surpasses in magnitude all of the past indignations and violations that have been wrought upon Westsylvanians by this tyrannical regime — indeed, it amounts to a Declaration of Warre against a peace-loving people.

The inhabitants of Westsylvania have heretofore, in consideration of protection, acknowledged allegiance to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and agitated for a separate state, not out of any hostility towards that Commonwealth, but because a separate government may enable them to better enjoy their natural rights, and ensure their security and protection. This Act of Warre by the Governor and his militias, reflects a withdrawal of that protection which previously bound the people of this land to his Commonwealth, and is an utter abdication of the most basic function of any Government.

The Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has commenced, and still continues to carry on, with unabated vengeance, a MOST CRUEL and UNJUST WARRE against the People of Westsylvania. His proposal to make support for secession TREASON, and to enshrine such language in the Constitution, the document which guarantees the basic rights of the people, is a public avowal of his purpose: REDUCING THE PEOPLE OF WESTSYLVANIA TO A TOTAL AND ABJECT SUBMISSION TO THE DESPOTIC DOMINATION OF KING FRANKLIN.

A Word from Gen. Wilkinson/b]
Many individuals have confronted me, curious about the possibility of a bargain struck with the Radical government, which before my trial had appeared to want me to hang for my role as an advocate of liberty. The scope of that bargain, however, was a price I was gladly willing to pay: a statement urging an end to the violence, which was and remains my goal. I made no policy concessions, offered nothing that might diminish the liberty of Westsylvanians, merely called on all sides -- particularly those militias rising in the eastern parts of Pennsylvania -- to enter negotiations, so that we might win our State of Westsylvania without bloodshed.

That statement, regrettably, appears to have weighed little on the hearts of those lawless eastern militias, who have responded by driving families from their homes by fire. Let me be clear: my desire for peace ought not prevent any Westsylvanian from taking up arms in defense of himself, his family, or his property.


STATEHOOD FOR KENTUCKY marks a great accomplishment of the Western faction. Elected on the promise of statehood for the Western territories, the faction has delivered on this promise for Kentucky, and is in the process of doing so for both Frankland and Westsylvania. The first new elections in Kentucky represent a triumph for the faction, and the beginning of Kentucky's perpetual and blessed membership in our federal brotherhood of states.


The Herald is overjoyed to see the passage of the Declaration of Rights, which codifies the fundamental liberties of the people into law, and represents a second great achievement of the government presently in office. We are particularly excited to join, on behalf of our employees in Pittsburgh, the lawsuit brought by the Patriot-Star against the "treason law" of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and cheer the people of Westsylvania in their efforts to exercise their rights under the Twentieth Article of said Declaration, which guarantees an "unquestionable, inalienable, and indefeasible right to reform or change their government, whenever it be found inadequate."

[Donerail]

THE

Num.III.II

October 1790

W E S T E R N  H E R A L D
Offices: Lexington ★ Pittsburgh-in-Exile ★ Marietta ★ Nueva Orleans

EXTRA! EXTRA! EXTRA!

The people of Westsylvania, and of the several States, are doubtlessly aware of the State of Warre which presently exists in Westsylvania. It is the solemn obligation of the Herald to inform the public of recent events, which have confirmed for many their worst fears about the true nature of Governor Ross and his Radical faction. It appears that Governor Ross has explicitly ordered the state's militia — equipped and armed to secure the liberties of all men under the protection of the Commonwealth — to seek out and murder, in the most cruel of fashions, all those men who confess their support for Westsylvanian liberty. Two dozen honorable men now lie dead, and the removal of Governor Ross, by the multitudinous factions of the state legislature, appears to have done little to curb the violence of these lawless marauders, who pledge their allegience to Tyrant Ross alone.

As a consequence of this WARRE, and observing the inability of the current legislature to resolve the crisis, all allegiance which the people of Westsylvania may have once owed Governor Ross and his successors, is dissolved and at an end, and the State of Westsylvania has ceased to be under his authority. He has used his power in a manner actively destructive of the ends of government, conditions under which the people have a right to change their government, and take such measures as may be necessary to promote their safety and secure their happiness.

Three great men, true friends of liberty, and reflecting all manner of honorable men in Westsylvania, have gathered to issue a statement. These men include a military man, Major General James McFarlane; a man of law, David Bradford, and a man of God, Herman Husband. At Redstone Fort, they inscribed their names, and in doing so ensured that they shall live forever in history.

The Governor of Pennsylvania has issued a DECLARATION OF WARRE. The People of Westsylvania have issued their response: a DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

[wxtransit]

Extremely Urgent Address to the Nation
James Madison, First Secretary

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[terp40hitch]

James Gunn Speech in Louisville-Frontier, KY

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[_]

The Patriot Star

Vol. X

October 6th, 1790

Victory!

Westsylvania is free and the Radical Government of Pennsylvania lies defeated!  Through the efforts of Honourable members of the state legislature, King Morris has been deposed and the Radical Government has been ousted from Philadelphia.  However, it appears that with no Government capable of being formed in Pennsylvania due to the rioting of Radicals and their minions, the President has seen necessary to grant First Secretary Madison the ability to deal with the crisis in Pennsylvania by declaring martial law.  May the First Secretary be able to restore order to where the Radical Government only brought chaos and ruin.

In addition to this event, the Rightful state of Westsylvania has finally been born!  Through the efforts of the men at Redstone Fort, Westsylvania has seceded and begun the process of being born as a state.  With this, I urge the First Secretary to grant the people of All Westsylvania the ability to decide their own fate through a referendum on statehood, and I urge the Virginia Legislature to allow the people of Westsylvanian territory within their state to be allowed to join their brethren peacefully.  May God grant our Nation freedom from the Tyranny of the Radical faction, and the rightful statehood of Westsylvania.


Leader of the Patriots and Deputy in exile
James Jackson

[Boobs]

The Pennsylvania Gazette
Benjamin Franklin's address in Philadelphia, "Shamed Be the Man", is published and distributed throughout Pennsylvania.

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[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

L E T T E R ,

FROM

SAMUEL ADAMS

CONCERNING

T H E  P R E S E N T  S T A T E  O F  T H E  U N I O N ,
REFLECTED  IN  THE  RECENT  UNREST  IN  THE  COUNTY  OF

WESTSYLVANIA
—

Sir,
     The news lately had from our Western frontier, of the burning of Pittsburg, the mutiny of the Pennsylvania Militia, and the proclamation of the State of Westsylvania; and from the East, of the impeachment of the Governor and the crisis of the Pennsylvania Assembly; all combine to present a dourful portrait for the future of that State, and by extension the whole of the Union. We may well reflect on the bitter tidings of the old year, and as we look toward the new, a general consideration of their causes and remedies is a theme of the most appropriate and necessary character.
     The trial of General Wilkinson, on charges of Treason against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, raises the question of whether it is in fact Treasonous for a Citizen to advocate for the establishment of a new State within the boundaries of one which should already exist. Insofar as such advocacy should remain peaceable, I offer that it is not; and indeed, it is necessary that the advocates be protected. The right of petition, and to speak freely one's conscience without fear of coercion, are among the chief freedoms upon which the survival of a free system of Government depend—they are, as was declared in session of the Continental Congress some fourteen years passed, inestimable to the people and formidable to Tyrants only. The exercise of one's natural rights may not by any reasonable measure be found Treasonous. When the people should cease to raise their voice in the public forum, and begin to fear the retribution of the State, then Liberty is no longer with the Constitution; and republican forms of Government may be seen to give way to Despotism. Therefore the right to advocate for a change of Government, even a change of Constitutions, is not Treasonous, but essential to and inseparable from a free system of civil government; and its abridgement a threat to the Liberty of all.
     The matter of right established, there is then the question of exercise, and application. May the right to advocate for a change in Constitutions be invoked in all cases whatsoever, even to breakage with the Law? I answer, that insofar as Laws are made justly, and with due respect to the rights of all Men, and the general good, it is a wicked and unjust thing to break with them. Where Laws may be changed by the exercise of Liberty within a free republican Constitution, further, resistance to the Law is indeed a threat to the Liberty of all. For indeed, when the people should resist the application of the Law by force, they invite resistance by force from all quarters and interests, when the Law may be adverse to their inclinations. In such a climate, will the Government either be dissolved, or transformed as an absolute Tyranny, the most injurious to public Liberty; such was the example, and the fate, of Rome. Therefore, where the Law is just, and lawful resistance possible, resistance by force is wicked, unChristian, and Treasonous.
     Whensoever the State may endeavor to make unjust Laws, however, or should seek to prevent changes in the Law by the employment of force against the people, then forcible resistance becomes the duty of every honest citizen. When injury is first done to the people by the State, they are right to seek peaceable redress of their grievances; but when their petitions are replied with force, then resistance of arms is left their only right and honorable recourse. But if the people should threaten force, against the threat, but not the actuality, of force used against them by the State, then they are not in the Right, however they may clothe themselves in Righteousness.
     This is the predicament of Westsylvania. The right of the people of that County, to advocate for a change in their Constitution of civil Government, is natural and acknowledged in our Declaration of Rights. The enactment of Laws by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the suppression of that right, and the use of force to uphold these unjust Laws, renders their quarrel legitimate. Yet the recourse of some to violence before violence was necessary, and the proclamation of the State without recourse to ordinary convention, renders their Cause something less than Right. Government by organized mob, is no more conducive to the public Liberty, than the rule of Tyrants.
     Whatever sins these Citizens may commit, however, pale before the image of the Mutiny now raised by the Pennsylvania Militia. Dispatched to uphold an unjust Law by force of arms, they have exceeded their commission, by waging War against a people who never provoked them. They may not claim protection by their rights, for they seek to suppress the rights of other men. They may not make recourse to the Law, because their conduct is in defiance of the Law. Their crimes are regarded with apathy by their officers, who lack either the power or the inclination to put an end to their campaign; and with the removal of the Governor, no higher authority exists as may command them. In their actions, they have ceased to be a Militia and instead become a mob: lawless, as they seek to assert an authority above the Law; driven by passion and bloodlust to the exclusion of all Reason.
     To bring down the Government by lawless action may, in certain conditions, be admissible—when Tyranny shall have supplanted republican Virtue, and force prevents the peaceable redress of grievances. Yet to uphold the Government by lawless act is pernicious and hateful; for the Government is made of Laws, and deprived of them, is no Government at all, but a desperate Dictatorship of Might. Woe betide this Mutiny, which neither Law nor Right may justify.
     So far I have touched on the Crisis as it relates to Pennsylvania and the counties of Westsylvania; may I not neglect the Union as a whole. I have observed that when forcible resistance  to the Law becomes the recourse in all questions, republican institutions may not long survive. This is because force, once invoked, becomes the arbiter of all disputes, and the rule of Law gives way to the rule of Might. It may therefore be judged the duty of a free Government, to suppress Rebellion where it may arise without just foundation in Right, lest it cause the loss of the Government itself. The failure of the last Government was brought about by its inability to prevent the conduct of Rebellions; so too was the power of Rome broken by an inability to maintain tranquility within its borders. It may therefore be said with justice, that should the Government be unable to suppress this Mutiny and restore the rule of Law, it will be proof of the failure of the federal Constitution, and by extension also the first toll in the death knell of the Union.
     It must be admitted, that the Government may not suffer the victory of the Mutineers, nor allow the admission of a new State by force of arms. The President and the National Assembly must therefore move to suppress the Rebellion with all due haste, and to secure the restoration of peace and tranquility to the Western counties. Then, and only then, may the question of Statehood be answered according to a fair and binding plebiscite of the effected counties, according to Act of Congress, as the Government may achieve. The declaration of Martial Law, and the commission of Colonel Hamilton at the head of an army to suppress the Rebellion, is both needful and proper to achieve these aims.
     I am and remain, Sir,
          Your humble servant,
                    Sam.l Adams

[Donerail]

Of Slavery and its Place in Kentucky
A Pamphlet by the Western Faction

This speech was delivered by Gen. James Wilkinson, leader of the Western faction, on October 28th in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. Within, he discusses the position of the Western faction on the issue of slavery, and responds to the charges levied by James Gunn of the Patriot faction, that the Western faction has no position on the issue of slavery.


My friends, in recent weeks a most curious charge has been levied against our faction. James Gunn of the Patriot faction argues that this election hinges on the issue of slavery, implying that a vote for the Western faction is a vote to devastate our economy. Nothing could be further from the truth. This election presents a simple choice: whether the voters of this state will elect members of a faction dedicated solely to their interests, one which has proven itself in government capable of delivering significant benefits to the economy of this state, or one with no record in government and little differentiating them from the Western faction.

The Western faction has presented a clear platform on slavery, one that the Patriot faction has wholeheartedly supported. In the National Assembly, I was the first deputy to propose a truly democratic approach to the issue of slavery: allowing the people of the state to determine, through their own democratic methods, whether slavery should be permissible in that state. The people of Massachusetts, for example, finding the institution of little import to their economy and having no wish for it to continue, have abolished it; throughout much of the South, its existence has continued, for obvious reasons. If the people of Kentucky wish to allow it, their decision is their own. I have stood against several proposals introduced by the Tory faction, that would have removed that right from the people, and will continue to vote against such proposals if re-elected to the National Assembly.

That is the position of the Western faction in the National Assembly. As for the states, the vast majority of candidates affiliated with this faction in Kentucky support its continued existence in this state, and will not vote to abolish it if elected to the legislature. This is not true in all parts of the West, which is varied and vast; in Pennsylvania and parts of New York, for instance, where slavery would be of little economic value to the public, and there is little desire to permit it, the Western faction does not stand for its expansion. In Kentucky, however, the will of the public is clear, and the candidates of the Western faction would never reject the popular will.

In the upcoming election, then, there is a clear choice indeed. One faction misrepresents the Western policy on the issue of slavery, misleading voters with deceptions and falsehoods. The other, the Western faction, stands on its clear record as an ally of the people of this state: through the Declaration of Rights, through the Land Act, and through being the foremost advocate for Kentucky’s statehood.


The leader of the Westerners,
x Gen. James Wilkinson

[terp40hitch]

James Gunn Responds To Gen. Wilkinson

Louisville-Frontier, KY

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[Galaxie]

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[wxtransit]

The Republican Standard
The Voice of The People

Vol. V

Oct. 1790

A letter from Mr. Madison
Penned in Pittsburgh.
          In my quick break from negotiations in Pittsburgh with the triumvirate of the Westsylvanian separatists, I was astounded to hear of attacks levied on these negotiations by the Hamiltonian faction. Not but hours after their leader, General Hamilton, who I am indebted to for his help in this crisis, rendered aid in the battlefields, Deputy Morris spoke of a most disheartening claim: that my government tasked to resolve this situation on the front lines has grossly mishandled this crisis.

          I have some questions to ask Deputy Morris. Where were you when I told of the nation that my government was rushing to negotiations to resolve the situation? Were you not in your stagecoach, but instead on the back of your horse so that you could reach the neutral zone with such timeliness so that you could preserve the Union? Where were you when the Governor refused to negotiate and I was left with no option but to leave and consult my cabinet for further options? Where were you when my hand was forced to declare martial law and assume control of the state, falling apart at the seams? And where are you now, as I am about to resume talks with the triumvirate in an attempt to end this violence?

          In closing, I have to say that Deputy Morris's attempt to politicize this crisis by providing a claim of mismanagement with no substance is repulsive. I ask of Deputy Morris to attempt the events of the last month as I have done before he shall render another judgement on the matter.

          As I am now heading off down to meet the trimurvate for more negotiations, I ask for your prayers for this matter to be resolved swiftly and with little to no resistance, as to preserve this Grand Experiment as Washington intended. God bless America.

Madison

[Huey Long is a Republican]

A Pamphlet on the expansion of Franklin's realm by William Blount:

Ladies and Gentlemen, the region that is coming close to fruition known as Franklin is upon us. However, I am writing to discuss a certain problem that I have with the size of our state.

It is a well known fact that the bigger the state, the more Representation it will have in the Assembly eventually. Currently, at the size Franklin is proposed at now, we would be too small to have much representation in the National Assembly but, I have a proposal that might help it. The state should be expanded West to the Mississippi River. This in the long term will allow our state to have more Representation and have more of a say. It is up to our officials to decide how our state will look, but they must take into consideration if they want the state to have some power along the lines of Virginia or be submitted to the whim of the bigger states, like Connecticut is?

This should be an idea that should be taken into consideration for Franklin's Statehood.

xWilliam Blount

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

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[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

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[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

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[Galaxie]

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