Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1922-05-26
MRS.GR0MWELL WRITES|
ON CAPITOL, HISTORY
=, ~ - g -
ey Associated Press)

1
: continued in session for twelve
/ days, according to a paper giving
! the history of the Kentucky leg
! islature just prepared by Mrs
!. Emma Guy Cromwell, of Frank
! fort. The paper deals with tn,
| more important bills, the histor-
ical features Of the assembly SEES
j sions and the progress made BY
the state through legislation.
! The second place of meeting
OF the assembly was in the frame
/; house Of Major Love at Frank
tort on Nov. |, 1898 and the thirl
/ was the first. permanent state
capitol building in Frankfort o.
Nov. 3, 1874.
The state capitol was DESTROY
| ed by fire Nov. Is, 1878, and the
fourth place OF meeting of the
Legislature was in a rented build
ing. The fifth place was the sec
ond permanent capitol in which
the meeting was opened on Jan.
81. 1914. and which burned on
Nov. IA, 1924.
The seventh meeting place
was the third permanent capitol
which was occupied Dec. !, 1929,
and continued in that capacity
until the end OF the 1908 session.
The eighth meeting place was
the present capitol building and
it was occupied i'll 1910.
The first general assembly.
the members Of which received
81 day. passed SO acts and six
resolutions which were approved
by Coy. Shelby. The second SEES
sion of the 4S days, resulted in
&c acts and 9 resolutions being
passed and approved.
AT the second session. the
fifth lottery law was passed en-
abling John SMITH and others OF
the Dutch Presbyterian society
near Lexington to conduct a lot
terry to raise $500 to buy a lot
and build a church. At this ses-
sion also. Robert Todd, John Ed
wards. John Allen. Henry Lee,
and Thomas Kennedy were nam
ed as committee to arrange a
site for the seat of government
and they chose Frankfort.
The first constitution adopted
April 3, 1872, was revised in 1879
by a convention that sat for y
days. This constitution was re
vised in 1851 and again in 1892.
There were II senator's and 40
representatives under the first
constitution and 100 representa-
tives and 38 senator's under the
second, the same as under the
present constitution. The 1892
constitutional convention work
ed Is months.
The death penalty except for
wilful murder was abolished in
1896 and in 1906 the legislature
voted to buy the first fire engine
for Frankfort. The first divorce
law was passed in 1909 and in
1872 the present oath requiring
all officers of the state swear
that they have not participated
in duel or acted as a second
and made part of the state
law. This followed duel be-
tween Henry Clay and Hunph-i
rey Marshall at Louisville. 80
In 1872 the state was divided
into ten congressional districts,
and in 1878 the law.was passed.
the manufacture OF
salt. on
The state library in Frankfort
was established Nov. 9, 1920 and
in 1921 imprisonment for debt
was abolished and a law passed
setting aside one-half of the
profits of the commonwealth as
a literary fund for the support Of
education.
In 1928 severe laws against
gambling were passed. In 1877
many resolutions were placed be-
fore the legislature to remove
the capitol to Lexington, Louis
vile, Shelbyville, Harrodsburg
and other points, but were del
feated.
In 1880 common school laws,
were passed and on Feb. p, 1884
the public school system was
created. In 1851 the free public
school SYSTEM was created.
The shortest session of the
legislature ever held was a two-l
day session called on Aug. 1o,
1910, to re-enact the law for the
election of presidential electors
on the first Monday in Novem-
Der.
In 1844-45 the legislature vot-
ed to remove the remains of
noo;a1 pooro ord he ,,,;fa fro,,,