Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1911-08-09
STAMP ACT AND TEA TAX
Two Remarkable Pre-RevoIutiOnary
Incidents AT Annapolis.
CAUSE INDIGNANT OUTBREAKS.
The Old State House Original
Beautiful Lines Marred To Ac-
commodate Growing Needs"
Paper on Historic Annapolis" By John
Writ Randall. Series Will

Writ Randall, Series Will
There are many other important
and National historical Incidents con-
nected with Annapolis, to which |
would like to call your attention, but
| must hasten on, or / will not be
able to speak of some Of the buildings,
to which you will probably be intro
duced on your visit.
Two other very remarkable pre-Rev
dictionary incidents must not be alto
gether omitted, however, even in so
hurried review as this:
First-The uprising of the people of
Annapolis in August. 1765, in protest
against the British Stamp Act; the
resulting destruction by the Sons of
Liberty of the house of John Hood,
the Royal stamp collector, and his
flight and subsequent resignation.
None of the stamps We're ever used
in Maryland, and
Second--The enforced burning, by
its owner, of the brig Peggy Stewart,
in October, l774; as an expiation of
his offence of importing tea and pay
ing the obnoxious tax, which the
citizens had pronounced an invasion
of their liberties.
These two outbreaks of popular
Indignation at Annapolis, in broad
daylight and without any attempt at
disguise or concealment of the par
Elephants, were the boldest and most
significant expressions of public feel
ing against the English Government,
in any of the Colonies before the out
break of the Revolution.
On the same grounds, the State
House Hill, with the ancient building
just mentioned, stands our Maryland
State House, or Capitlo. Unfortu-
nately, in the opinion of many, its
original beautiful lines have been
married by an addition made to it
some eight or ten years ago, to accom-
modate the growing needs, or imagi-
nary needs, of the Legislative Depart
ment of the State government. While
the addition, in itself, is very attrac-
tive, internally, and gives general sat
isfaction in most respects, it is neces-
sarily thought homogeneous and a mis-
take by those who admired and rev.
cred the old building.
That building is the third that has
stood upon its site. The first was de-
stroyed by fire in 1904. The second
one was finished in l706, and was de-
molished, to make way for its success
sor. The Provincial Assembly of
1869 appropriated the money, seven
thousand FIVE hundred pounds stirling,
to be applied to the building of the
present State House. The corner
stone was laid March %, 1872, by
Governor Robert Eden, the last of the
Proprietary Governors. On his strik-
ing the stone with a mallet, as was
customary on such occasions, tradition
informs us, there was a severe clap
of thunder, although not cloud was
to be seen, the day being clear and
serene. If the legend be true. those
who believe in omens might we'll find
in the incident a premonition of the
remarkable connection of that build
ing with the subsequent stormy his
tory of the country, and with the
tragic fate of that official. Cover
nor Eden. For scarcely had the
building been occupied, when it be-
came the centre of the propaganda of
American Freedom, and the then
popular Governor, about four years
thereafter, fled from the Province to
avoid violence, taking refuge on a
British frigate. The obnoxious Stamp
Act had been repealed but the new
Revenue Acts of Parliament were
even more subversive of the rights of
the Colonies than the Stamp Act, and
awakened intense opposition and re-
newed emphatic protests.
From that building went forth many
such declarations as life without lib
erty is worse than death" Thence
emanated dignified but earnest petit
tions, appeals and remonstrances adj
dressed to the King, firm replies to
the threatening messages of the
Provincial Governor and letters of
sympathy and pledges of cooperation
to Sister Colonies; and there were
held the public meetings which organ
lied the non-importation associations
and the special committees and kind
red associations, which saw to it that
the non-importation agreements were
carried out. When the British Gov
eminent, bending beneath the storm
it had raised, repealed all the duties
it had imposed, except the one on tea,
and continued that for the purpose of
merely retaining and asserting, as it
was said, the supremacy of Parlia-
men" the inhabitants first of Anna
polls, and afterwards of the State
generally, met in that building and re-
solved to stand by their non-importa-
ton agreement, in every particular,
whether as to any article then taxed,
or which should thereafter be taxed,
by Parliament, for the purpose of OBJ
tanning revenue from America and
resolved not to have any further deal
ings with certain of their sister colo
MES, or with certain tradesmen, on ac-
count of their violation of the non
importation agreements, or with
those who even proposed such viola
ton.