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H.B. 237
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VETOES
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Dear Mr. Speaker:
In accordance with Article II, Section 17 of the Maryland Constitution, I have today
vetoed House Bill 237 - State Government - Plaque Commemorating the Bataan
Death March.
House Bill 237 requires that a plaque be placed in the State House or on the grounds
of the State House to honor the soldiers who were forced to participate in the Bataan
Death March in April 1942. The bill requires the Governor to appoint the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs to oversee the project, and to appropriate the necessary funds.
House Bill 237 appropriately describes the Bataan Death March as "a horrific episode
of World War II." The conditions to which the soldiers and civilians who were forced to
march were subjected remain shocking to the conscience. My decision to veto House
Bill 237 is not indicative of a lack of understanding of the tragedy of the event or the
human suffering that took place. Rather, my concern is for the preservation of the
historic State House and the potential proliferation of historical markers in and
around our Capitol.
Maryland's State House is the oldest State capitol in continuous legislative use in the
United States of America. It is the only State House ever to have served as the
nation's capitol, housing the Continental Congress from November 26, 1783 to August
13, 1784. The State House was designated a National Historic Landmark by the
Department of Interior in 1968.
In recognition of the historic significance of the State House, additions and
alterations to the structure and its grounds should be done thoughtfully and in a
manner in keeping with the nature and character of the building. As elected officials,
we are trusted with the role of caretakers of Maryland's historical assets, and should
fulfill this role with an appreciation for the centuries of history that precede us and
the centuries of events yet to come. Decisions to permanently alter the State House
should be made sparingly, and held to the highest standard of scrutiny. To do
otherwise would risk reducing a proud structure such as the State House to a bulletin
board collage of historical postings, accomplished in a patchwork and inconsistent
manner.
A sampling of plaques currently on display in the State House is instructive, as is
some recent legislative history regarding this capitol. Generally, the plaques currently
on display fall into four general categories. Three plaques mark the construction or
renovation of portions of the State House. Several plaques commemorate individuals
who are integral to the history of the State, such as the memorial to the four
Maryland signers of the Declaration of Independence, William Paca, Thomas Stone,
Charles Carroll, of Carrollton and Samuel Chase (whose portraits are also on display
in the new Senate Chamber), installed upon the 150th anniversary of the signing of
that historic document. Other plaques honor events of national and international,
significance that occurred in the State House. In the old Senate Chamber, a bronze
plaque marks the exact spot where, on December 23, 1783, General George
Washington stood as he resigned his commission as Commander in Chief of the
Continental Army. That event preceded, by less than one month, another event that
occurred in that room and changed the history of the world, the ratification of the
Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War. (Interestingly, no plaque
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- 5030 -
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