Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-05
When Maryland's Capital Was
Transferred to Annapolis.
CUSTOMS In THE DAYS OF old
The First. Legislature of the
State.
THE PRESENT STATE HOUSE
Special Correspondents Of The Evening Star.

ANNAtOL1S, No, March D, .S9.
The celebration today in honor Of The
two hundredth anniversary of the removal
Of the capital of Maryland from Saint
Mary's to Annapolis will soon color current
literature. besides contributing a new fund
Of valuable Information to the historic lore
of the state. Palmer and more distinctly
than ever will be brought before the public
the leadership OF the Maryland colony in
the march of religious federation, and the
wisdom and craftsmanship of the Pilgrim
fathers of Maryland
The first authorized session of the Mary
land legislature was held at ST. Marys, in
st. Mary's county, from January - to
March a. 163I-S;' Cecilius Calvert, Lord
Baltimore. proprietary, and Leonard Cal
vert, governor.
The proclamation under which the lecis-
lature of 1G37-3S assembled was issued
by Lord Baltimore lat London, in the
Realme of England" on the 18th of April,
1857. The proclamation appointed a gen
eral assembly of all the freemen OF this
Province" and they were allowed 40 be
present, either i'm person or by deputies or
burgesses. Indeed, when the assembly
convened, many of the freemen brought
proxies, and these were allowed, though
not referred to in the original document
under which the legislature met.
The colonists had assembled as early as
February &c, 1884, o. S. IN. s., 1850, n a
| Legislature. The records are lost ana the
proceedings were irregular. One transsc-
| ton alone remains They enacted. among
other wholesome laws, that all felones shall
| be punished with the same pains for the
| same crimes in England" The proprietary
disapproved of the laws passed. and the
| colony had to be governed under the
common law of England for two wears,
when the first regular Legislature was called
and laws were submitted to ii by Lord
Baltimore. Leonard Calvert acted as
| speaker of the house. which was composed
of about thirty members.
The first order passed by the assembly
! was that the lieutenant general, as presi-
| dent OF the assembly. should appoint and
! direct "all things that concerne forme and
| decency to be observed in the same. and
shall command the observance thereof, and
/ he shall see cause. upon paine OF impl'ison-
ment or fine as the House shall adjudge.'
| 1t will thus be observed that the very
| first house OF delegates OF Maryland eX-
| hib.ted that notable spirit of jealousy Of
| their rights which Marylanders have al
ways maintained. in that IT reserved TO
itself. in its first egsa tive act. its privilege
to be the judge OF the penalties to be :n-
ficted upon disorderly members.
Orders Passed the First Day.
| Then members were to direct their re-
marks to the president, stand uncovered.
one to speak at time, and not Ito repete
the speech of any other with any uncivil
or contentious terms. nor shall name him
but by some circumlocution."
These orders. passed the first day of the
session, still obtain as part of the funda-
mental rules of procedure of the Maryland
house of delegates. Ten members constl-
tuted quorum for business. The house
! adjourned March "a, after passing thirty
eight laws that were necessary to the good
government and order of the province,
| leaving TO the proprietary the right of
veto.
In 1911 the then town of St Mary's re-
ceived a new accession 10 its dignity by its
erection into a city, and a state house was
| built in 1874.
TT was not until September. 1924. at a
/ session Of the assembly convened by Gov.
Nicholson at Ann Arundel Town, afterward
! called Annapolis. that the removal OF the
government was resolved upon and meas
ures taken to carry IL Immediately into
effect. There is no doubt that the city Of
st. Mary's would have remained until this
day the seat of our state government had
IL not been that the true motives for re-
moving the seat of government elsewhere
were to be found I'm the fact that St
Mary's especially a Roman Catholic
settlement, was beyond other towns de-
voted to the proprietary government, and
was closely connected with all those ties
and associations which IL was the policy
OF a new administration to break up
| THE final removal Of the assembly and
provincial courts from st. Mary's took
place in the winter of 169i-95. and the first
I
in the house of Major Edward Dorsey on
the 18th of February, 1926
| AT the next session the new capital was
given the name of Annapolis, named for
| the Princess Anne, afterward Queen of
| England. and the house of burgesses was
| erected.
| The state House.
| 1.-The Church OF st. Ann was erected in
1889, and shortly afterward the state house.
| ard with these buildings for church and
state the city of Annapolis was well begun
Early in the eighteenth century a royal
charter was bestowed upon Annapolis by
Queen Anne through the offices of Gov
| Seymour, vested with all the privileges and
| immunities OF an English city There were
attracted to this charming spot all the
pomp and circumstance of a provincial
| capital.
Here dwelt in stately homes, still beauti-
| full after years of use and constant occu-
pancy, the crown officials Here met in the
state house the burgesses and the council
| Here lived the representative of the mon
arch-the royal governor. Here the Mary
! land and Virginia planters came with their
wives and daughters TO attend the races
the thcater, assemblies and balls. Here
were several clubs of every grade and
name. Here French hairdressers, perform
ers, dancing masters and costumers minis
| tered to the pleasure-loving citizens Here
In houses with terraced lawns and gardens
stretching to the sea or river we're housed
| the numbers Of fashionable and handsome
women whose charms are recorded by an
English official in the palmy days OF An
napolis, just before the revolution.
| Here too, was the femous King Williams
| School, now called st. Johns College, and
claiming two centuries of continuous life
| and educational work. II was the first free
public school on the North American con-
tinent
The state house at Annapolis is one Of the
| oldest in the United States. 1t had two
predecessors however, on its site. The first
| was built in 1896 upon the removal Of the
| state capital from the now extinct St
Marys City on the Patuxent St Mary's
| n ade pitiful plea to be allowed TO remain
| the seat Of government, but the general as
sembly was unmoved, except to mirth
In l104 the original state house caught
| fire at night, no one seemed to know how
and by morning the structure was a ruin
The second state house was completed In
| 1906. On March 2s, 1172, Gov. Eden the
last of the colonial governors Of Maryland
| laid the corner stone of the present state
house.
The architecture of the state house pro-
| duced a feeling Of satisfaction to the eye
| 1t is fine type of the colonial style. The
| body is of brick and the dome OF wood.
Within the past few years an addition has
been made to the rear of the building. the
| first floor being devoted to committee
| rooms and the upper portion as an annex
| to the state library. The rotunda which
| during legislative sessions is the most pop
/ los l,..wt 49,