interest, and I am grateful to all of you for the effort you have made
and are making to accomplish our purpose. The General Assembly
at its session earlier this year passed legislation providing for a
referendum on the question of calling a constitutional convention.
This question will be decided by the voters of our State when they
go to the polls in the Primary Election next September 13.

The purpose of this "workshop", which has been called the "open-
ing gun in the campaign to get out the vote" on this referendum, is to
discuss the progress made up to now in making the arrangements for
the Convention next year and to talk about the need for such a con-
stitutional revision and its importance to the people of Maryland. We
have here today a splendid array of intelligence, wisdom and experi-
ence, and with this as a foundation there is every reason for us to feel
optimistic about our chances of success. But we must not let down
our guard—we must not fall victim to apathy. Our goal is not just
voter approval of the question on referendum; we want to see a tre-
mendous turnout at the polls to indicate overwhelming endorsement
of the proposition.

In a special message to the General Assembly this year, I spoke of
three steps which I considered to be essential in preparing the govern-
ment of our State for tasks of the future. The Legislature, I pointed
out, had undergone a reapportionment of the membership of its two
houses—a development of far-reaching consequences for the State and
its government. The second step was the matter 1 was proposing to
the General Assembly at the time—an updating and modernization of
the administrative organization of State government which carries out
public policy and administers a vast range of public services. This
movement for a reorganization of the executive branch has been started
and is well underway. The third step I cited as essential to the pre-
paration of the State government to carry on its obligation in a
changed, and ever-changing, society is the work we are engaged in here
today—the plan to achieve a complete revision of the basic law of
our State.

In another speech I made after the session had ended, I spoke of
what I considered to be my legacy to the people of Maryland, and
I mentioned again these three steps. This is what I said about a new
constitution:

"Before any appreciable progress can be made in the modernization
of the government, steps must be taken to replace the present cluttered
and time-worn State Constitution with an up-to-date one. "

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