476 ADDRESSES AND STATE PAPERS

Q. Governor, Mr. Shay, Chairman of the Liquor Board, said he was
anxious to put the employees under civil service. Are you in favor
of putting employees under this system?

A. Well, I'm very much in favor of putting the Liquor Board em-
ployees under the merit system if it's done in such a way, intelligently
and gradually, so as not to adversely affect people of long tenure who
have served well in their positions. As far as the election supervisors
are concerned, I've gone on record during the last campaign very
thoroughly against it. I think this is an office that is political in nature.
The very makeup of the election supervisors which requires one mem-
ber to be of the minority party attests to the political nature of the
makeup of the election board. Since it is a political makeup and it's
there to reflect partisan considerations on both sides of the fence, I
don't think it logically belongs to the merit system.

Q. How about Liquor Board employees?

A. I think they should all be placed under the merit system.

Q. Governor, it has been your position in the past to endorse Re-
publican nominees for office. I was wondering if you were endorsing
Mr. Lively?

A. He's the candidate that has been voted on by the Republican
committee of the district he represents. He has their endorsement and
approval, and he has mine.

Q. On another subject Governor, you told the Executive Committee
today that they must look out for the powerful forces of the status quo
that oppose the ratification of the Constitution after the Convention.

A. Yes, there are a few around.

Q. Are you getting concerned that there's enough of this opposition
to hurt the chances of it being ratified?

A.. No, but I do think they're a factor. I don't think that there are
enough of them around to stop the progress of the offering of an in-
telligently reformed document to the people. But I do think that
there are certain proponents of the status quo who are very strong,
and I don't say they are entirely wrong in every instance. I think
some things in the status quo are good. However, there's a balance
between those who seek change and those who resist change just on the
basis that it is change. And I'm concerned that we don't reject an im-
proved document simply because it represents a departure from estab-
lished procedures.