The Republican., 1925-12-24
OF g nooK o'K TELLS OF EARLY
STATE LEGISLATIVE ACTS
Fir Discl0ses Volume of Clean,
Lee-bla Pages Printed During
the Year 1884.

!
In the basement of the Court of
Appeals Building, Annapolis, there
was found recently among the ac-
cumulations of a century a volume
that, to the student of the Maryland
Free State, is priceless. For over 100
years it had lain in the corner of the
old building on the green of the State
House, until quarters were provided
for the State treasury in the new
Court of Appeals Building, and the
papers were removed.
The book is bound in leather, the
paper is as it was the day it was
made, fresh and clean, and the print
is black and legible. The entire book
is in firstclass condition, and is one
of a hundred that was ordered
printed by the General Assembly of
Maryland in 1884. 1t contains rec
ord of all the activities of the Mary
land legislative body between 1853
and 1884.
FOrewOrd Unusual
A foreword says "this book, printed
by Frederick Green, was ordered to
be edited by Alexander C. Hanson and
Samuel Chase, Esquire" Chase did
not serve, and the introduction by
Hanson, covering two pages, ends
with the paragraph speaking for the
editors. "He reprobates the sordid
grovelling idea that a servant of the
| people is to be represented as their
enemy, for no other reason but be-
cause he participates of the public
treasury" The act orderering the
book provided that the Intendant of
the Revenue should advance Green
money to assist in the work.
The title page of the Laws of
Maryland" tells the story of the field
covered in most concise language. 1t
reads as follows: nq
Laws of Maryland O..
Made since MDCCLXIII
Consisting of Acts of the AS
sembly Under the
Proprietary Government.
Resolves Of Convention, The Dec
laration of Rights, The Constitu-
ton and Forms Of Government,
The Articles of Confederation, and
The Acts of the Assembly since
the Revolution.
The record closes with the end of
the General Assembly in 1884. Three
years were spent in the compilation
of the laws.
For Stable Money
All through the volume there are
indications of efforts to stabilize the
money in the closing days of Proprie-
tary Government. Script issued in
1865 was made redeemable in 1777.
Some of the money has recently been
presented to the State Treasurer for
redemption. This same money, re-
deemable in 1777, was called by invi-
tation of the State. There was evil
IDENTIFY no intention on the part of the
holders to embarrass the State at the
critical time. When the money was
not brought in for redemption, a
peremptory recall was made by
Maryland, and even this brought but
little to the treasury.
The first legislative record of the
General Assembly of Annapolis bears
the date of September %, 1765, under
'the fifteen-year dominion of Honor
able Frederick, Absolute Lord and
proprietor of the province of Mary
land and Avelon and Lord Baron of
Baltimore" Horation Sharpe, Gov
ernor. All through the volume, where
it pertains to proprietary laws, con-
structive work is shown, and the last
few passed by the Assembly under
Lord Hartford was to relieve persons
from Imprisonment for debt. 1t is
not supposed that many people of
Maryland know that their State paid
S3, 900 toward the erection of the first
lighthouse at Cape Henry, This was
| done as an act of fairness to Virginia,
who was hard pressed for funds, to
mark the channels with lighthouses
and buoys. The money was raised by
tax of pence on each ton burden
of ship or vessel not trading with
Virginia. This was in the days when
Baltimore was Baltimore Town.
In 1873 Thomas Sim Lee became
the second Governor of Maryland and
in the following year, as a tribute to
France, Maryland passed an act
granting to citizens of France the
same rights as were enjoyed by the
citizens of this State, nor were the
Frenchmen required to make oath.
In 1884 Maryland went a step farther