The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-04-03
GROWING
PAINS
By MARIE O'DEA
DemOcracy's Start in Maryland

MarylanderS lived and died for it long
before the word was ever uttered in
this land.
The first Lord Baltimore envisioned
democratic Utopia and the charter
of Maryland abounded with promises
of freedom. But he never dreamed
that the settlers would take such full
advantage of its guarantees.
The charter granted "s q * unto the
said now Baron Is i IS and to his Heirs,
for the good and happy Government
of the said Province, free, full and
absolute Power, by the Tenor of these
Presents, to Ordain, Make and Enact
Laws, of what kind soever, according
to their sound Discretion, whether re-
lating to the Public State of the said
Province, or the private Utility of In
dividuals, of and with the Advice,
Assent, and Appreciation of the Free
Men of the same Province, or of the
great Part of them, or of their Dele
gates or Deputies, whom We will shall
be called together for the framing of
Laws Il"
1t was the plan of the Lords Balti-
more to formulate the proposed laws
and send them over to Maryland for
the people, popularity assembled, to
vote into enactment. However, the
Marylanders had made up their minds
that they were not going to accept
any pre-digested regulations from
overseas. They threw out Lord Balti-
more's codes, then proposed and
passed laws of their own. Across the
Atlantic went the news. Back came
the vetoes and more suggestions.
Lord Baltimore eventually yielded to
the adamant colonists in August,
1888.
The General Assembly of that per-
iod was fittingly named. Every free
man in the Province had equal voice
and vote. 1t was organized as a uni
cameral or one-chamber House. The
Governor presided as Speaker and
even his Provincial Council members
sat in the body with the others. In
those first few months nearly every
one lived in or near Saint Mary's and,
accordingly, nearly everyone partici-
pated.
AS the plantations spread out, the
colonists began to send in proxies. At
the third session, February %, 1888,
the first form of representative gov
eminent was adopted. This was the
first break in the purely democratic
self-government. Gradually, the land
ed aristocracy gained in numbers I'M
til they, together with the Governor,
Secretary, and the Governors Coun-
ell, practically matched the Burgesses
in voting strength.
Perceiving this, Robert Vaughan,
one of the two Burgesses from Kent
Island, rose in the Assembly in Au-
gust, 1912, and Sin the name of the
rest, desired that the House be sepa-
rated and the Burgesses to be by
themselves and to have negative"
This demand was quashed by the
Lieutenant General.
However, on April 6, 1850, it was
divided into two Houses. The Upper
House consisted of the Governor, the
Secretary and the Governors Council;
the Lower House, the Burgesses from
the various hundreds" or political
subdivisions of the counties. The
Upper House usually carried the Lord
Proprietary's standard, the Lower
House, that of the colonists.
Prerogatives were extravagantly
claimed and enthusiastically violated.
Amidst abuse and investive, the set
tiers doggedly chung to their posi-
lions, building the foundation of a
"bill of rights" that was not articu-
lated until more than century later.
The disputes reached the heights of
sarcasm and threats during the
French and Indian War. Not even the
sovereign could move the colonists
from their stubborn refusal to tax
themselves while the officials re-
NAMED taX-eXempt. The Lower
House, in session after session, voted
to divert certain license fees to the
munitions fund instead Of to the Pro-
prietary. And in session after session,
the Upper House defeated it. AS a
result, the General Assembly of
Maryland voted little financial sup
port to Braddock's army although
many Marylanders sacrificed their
lives in the struggle.
The war debts harrassed the moth
er country for years. Eventually the
idea of tapping the colonies for this
money began to trickle into British
minds. Governor Sharpe of Maryland
urged Parliament to tax the Mary
landers. On several previous occa-
sions such force had been suggested
but no one had dared violate the
Maryland charter which contained a
guarantee from the King chat We,
our Heirs and Successors, at no Time
hereafter will impose, or make or
cause to be imposed, any Impositions,
Customs, or other Taxations, Quotas
or Contributions whatsoever, in or
upon the Residents or Inhabitants of