Original subtitles

♪♪ [Trumpet]

[Sweigert] J.W. Walling, yes.

Slim Judson, yes.

Hulk Hograve, yes.

Tom Wilson, yes.

Jack Van Metre, yes.

Lucien Pomeroy, yes.

Richard Dunn, yes.

Dan Hardy, no.

I'm sorry, Mr. Bundage, I'm...

Just not convinced we're doing the right thing.

Well, you have a right to be wrong.

Go on, Mr. Sweigert.

Sweigert, yes.

Abner Cox, yes.

Mr. Bundage, yes.

That's it. All in favor except one.

And Hackett, who you said wasn't eligible to vote.

How about it, Dan?

Any chance you might change your mind and make it unanimous?

You voted to secede from the United States?

Dan, that's the craziest thing I ever heard of.

It's not so crazy.

People have started their own new countries before.

But Dan, we're Americans.

How did we get to be Americans?

We put up the Declaration of Independence

against taxation without representation.

Do you know what happened this morning?

Federal mining tax collector

showed up again from San Francisco.

The government back in Washington

has raised our taxes again.

That's the third time since we started the town.

What do we get for it?

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

You sound just like Mr. Bundage.

Well, he knows what he's talking about.

Mr. Bundage says that all the politicians want

is to grab all they can out of what we dig out of the ground.

So why should we go on putting up with it?

But what good will it do to stop being Americans?

[Sighs] Oh, Jenny. You just don't understand.

I saw Dr. Spencer while you were at Mr. Bundage's meeting today.

We can expect the baby in a few weeks.

Did he say you're... You're all right? Uh-huh.

We're both fine.

He said, of course even a Doctor can't be sure,

but he thinks it will be a boy.

It's going to seem strange,

calling our son a "Rough and Readian."

What I want him to be is a man.

Better man than his father, that's what counts.

Not what flag he clips his hat to.

We're going to have a flag of our own.

Joe Sweigert and Abner Cox will have it ready Tuesday.

Is that when we leave the United States?

It's when we become the New Republic of Rough and Ready.

The Republic of Rough and Ready.

Well, what was Texas

'til Moses Austin and Sam Houston came along?

They made Texas a Southern Republic.

So the United States had to come asking,

"won't you please come in?"

That could happen in California.

Dan, do you really believe what you're saying?

Well anyhow, it's done.

We elected Mr. Bundage President.

Oh, naturally he'd be President.

What did they elect you?

Nothing.

Why not?

Well, uh...

One reason, because at first I voted no.

So they talked you into changing your vote.

A man has to live with his neighbors.

Joe Sweigert's the Vice President,

and Abner Cox is going to be Secretary of State.

And you and the rest of us take our orders from them.

Well, that's the way it was with the 13 Colonies

and Thomas Jefferson and John Adams and John hancock.

Only now it's Bundage, Sweigert, and Cox.

Oh, Jenny.

You just don't understand.

I'll fix your supper.

[Drum beating]

Fellow citizens...

With the lowering of the flag of the United States,

we cross the threshold out of the dead and buried past,

into the bright promise of a golden future.

[Crowd murmuring]

I will now read the code of conduct,

which will govern us henceforth.

Which, of course, he wrote. Shh.

We the people of the great Republic of Rough and Ready,

united in a common cause,

do ordain and establish the cornerstone of our constitution

as follows.

Article one--

it shall be the sole right, privilege, and discretion

of our President to demand

equal obligations from each and every citizen.

Article two--

no man, woman, child, or beast shall enter or remain

in our Republic without securing the permission

of the President, Vice President, and Cabinet.

It's not over yet.

It is for me.

I'm going home and think how I can tell our son

he's not an American.

He's a rough and readian.

Take your money back.

That's my money. I won it fair and square.

You're a liar,

a cheat, and a thief.

Take your money back, gentlemen.

Mr. Cox, divide the money equally between them.

Hackett, you're through in rough and ready.

Who says? He says, and he's the President.

The President's in Washington.

I'm a free-born American citizen,

I didn't vote for your flag, I know my rights.

Undesirables have no rights in our republic. Take him away.

I'll kill ya.

You hear me?

I'll blow a hole through that thick skull of yours.

You'll kill nobody.

Start him moving. Take him to jail.

Let's not have any unnecessary violence.

I'll just make sure he gets there.

Mr. Bundage. Mr. Bundage.

I didn't know our new constitution

covers convicting a man without a trial.

And I didn't know you'd defend a man like that.

I'm not defending him but,

well, this is going pretty far.

If you feel you can't be loyal

to the government you helped elect,

why don't you leave?

Oh, now...

Wait a minute.

Mr. Bundage is our President.

Gentlemen.

Uh...what's this I hear about my property on Skully Creek

being taken over by the government?

Mr. Bundage introduced a bill to use the land

as the site for the President's new White House,

which we're going to build.

The cabinet passed the bill unanimously.

Nobody asked me about it.

Well, you can lodge a protest if you want to.

Just put it down in writing

and I'll take it up at the next cabinet meeting.

Any more questions?

Just one more, Mr. Cox.

What's a foreigner's picture doing

in the sanctum sanctorum of the Secretary of State

of the Great Republic of Rough and Ready?

What? That's George Washington.

Well, he's not the Father of our country.

Mr. Bundage is.

Now, now, look here, Dan.

That kind of talk won't be put up with.

You'll get more of it

and not just in writing.

You threatening Mr. Cox here?

It's none of your business.

I'm making it my business.

Help him, Pa.

Hit him again, Pa.

All right, all right, I'll take charge here.

You're under arrest. Come on with me.

Hold it. Hold it. You can't arrest him,

you're not the Marshall.

The President says I am.

We'll see what the President has to say to you. Come on.

Wait a minute. He started it.

Jake's a member of the cabinet.

What difference does that make?

Ah, you better read up on them new laws we passed.

You better read up real good.

Now, the rest of you folks go about your business.

We don't want any congregating of crowds. Come on.

Wasn't Pa's fault.

He started it.

Yeah, but he's a member of the cabinet.

You can't touch him.

[Chuckles] Pa.

Dan, it doesn't help matters any you starving yourself.

I'm just not hungry.

I let Joe Sweigert walk all over me today.

Is that all that bothers you?

I don't know.

Maybe it's just because

I'm so used to standing up for my rights

or anybody else's.

Does anybody have any rights

in the Great Republic of Rough and Ready?

Looks less and less like it all the time, doesn't it?

I can't figure it.

Bundage, Sweigert, Cox, Jake Walling,

and all the rest good men.

Neighborly, decent, careful not to harm the other fella.

All at once, they've changed.

And I'm just as much to blame for it as they are.

I voted right along with them.

Now I don't know where it's going to end,

and I don't know what to do about it.

You should have thought about that before you voted.

Oh, honey.

A man can make such a doggone fool of himself

when he really puts his mind to it.

Sweigert,

how long will it be before we get to my job?

As soon as I get through here.

Well, hurry it up.

[Clanging]

[Boy] Mr. Hardy!

Mr. Hardy!

Mr. Hardy.

Got something for ya.

Don't tell me there's a circus coming to town?

Read it quick, before someone sees me.

Who hired you to pass these around?

Nobody hired me, I'm doing it for Pa.

Mr. Bundage fined him $100 in dust

for that fight in Mr. Cox's store.

[Mutters] Pa says it's time for another mass meeting.

Says this time, he wants everybody there. Listen.

Say if we got the right to be a free and independent state,

we got the right to choose who's gonna do our talking for us.

You there. You, Jamie Wilson.

Oh, gosh!

Give me those. Let go of him.

You keep out of this.

I said let go of him. That's all right.

He wants to start a revolution.

I thought we already had our revolution

when we pulled out of the United States.

Go home, son. Stay there.

And I suggest you do the same.

I don't like your attitude, Dan.

Well, then go get your cabinet to pass a law against attitudes.

Burn 'em.

If any more show up, arrest whoever's circulating them.

Now look, Mr. Bundage.

President Bundage.

Come on, Jamie.

Let's get back to that job.

Fellow citizens,

I have called you together so that

fair warning may be given once and for all to all alike.

United we stand, divided we fall

was a precept laid down

by the founding fathers of the United States,

from which we have seceded.

But the principle is the same for us,

and it will be enforced.

As your Elected President,

I hereby proclaim a State of Emergency.

During which there will be no more more public

or private gatherings of more than four persons,

except by permission of the President.

Any secret meetings will be broken up.

The organizers will be prosecuted.

And in connection with this, one of our two churches

will be closed until further notice.

I have no personal prejudice against any religion.

But duty requires me to take every possible step to make sure

that we are 100% united.

What is it?

Look who's back.

Arrest him.

Stop right there, Mister.

Now you just stand there and sweat.

I promised you something when you and your President

ran me out of here last time.

And now you're going to get it.

You touch that pistol, Hackett, and you'll hang.

Who's going to hang me, you,

you puffed up old loud-mouth windbag?

He's dead.

I looked around for you, and you were gone.

Bundage called a mass meeting.

They voted to hang Hackett in the morning.

I won't be here to see the hanging.

Now, what kind of talk is that?

Jenny,

I know it was an awful thing to see.

I know you hate what's going on,

but you're not going any place.

We live here. This is where we belong.

Maybe you do, Dan, but our son doesn't.

He has a right to be born in a free country.

I built this house for you and for him,

and he's going to be born in it.

And you helped build

the Great Republic of Rough and Ready, too.

No I didn't. I'm just one man.

The kind of man you want your son to be?

Let me go now, Dan.

No. No, I won't.

Jenny, what's happened to us?

You're right.

You're always right.

Jenny, why'd you ever marry such a weak-kneed fool?

[Bundage] That's fine. Now lift him up on that box.

Tie the end of the rope to that Axel there.

Mr. Cox,

as the Secretary of State,

it's your duty to complete the execution.

Why me?

I'm no hangman.

We all have to perform duties we dislike.

Well, you don't dislike this.

You want to see him hang.

Wasn't him, it'd be somebody else.

Just to prove how high and mighty, almighty you are--

you're a coward, Mr. Cox, a fool and a coward.

You're not fit to be a member of my government.

All right, I resign. I quit.

I didn't want to have anything to do with this.

[Gunshot]

What's the meaning of this? What do you think you're doing?

We're here to stop you from doing

what you have no right to do.

That man's a murderer.

You all saw him kill Joe Sweigert in cold blood.

That's for a judge and jury to decide. Not you, Mr. Bundage.

You elected me as your President.

You adopted the constitution.

We're UN-electing you as President.

We're calling off your constitution.

We're rejoining the United States of America.

You can't do that. It's too late. We are a New Republic.

We can, and we're going to.

Now, he's in your custody.

I doubt that President Zachary Taylor back in Washington

even knows we ever seceded from the Union.

But if he does, I hope and pray he'll excuse us

for naming our town "Rough and Ready" after him

and give us another chance to prove

we deserve what he fought to get for us.

I'm as much to blame as anybody.

I voted "yes" because it was easier than voting "no."

I thank god I learned better before it really was too late.

[Fireworks popping]

I been saving up for today.

Did you forget?

Today is the Fourth of July,

Independence Day!

Independence Day.

Well, give me some of those.

Sure, Mr. Hardy.

[Popping]

Where to now, Mr. Bundage?

[Popping continues]

I think you better take me home and call for the doctor.

I'm glad the baby waited.

Now he'll never have to know

that he almost wasn't an American.

Well, that's the way things happened

when the old west was young.

Drive up the mother lode highway,

along the golden chain from Sonora through Angels Camp,

past Sutter's Creek,

past Coloma, where the gold rush began.

Turn off at Grass Valley,

and you'll come to the town still called Rough and Ready.

Still there. A milestone in the march of California

toward a star on the Star Spangled Banner,

a reminder to all of us of our American birthright,

a birthright that Rough and Ready almost threw away.

Next week, another true story of the winning of the west.

See you then.