CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION 719

Governor: Let me add one thing. In this year of financial hardship
throughout the State, one of the major attacks against the Constitution
has resolved around estimates of what it costs to implement. This is
truly an artificial argument against the Constitution. The reforms
in this document must take place in one way or another if we are to
keep government current. And it's most important that we not, as
citizens, accept this artificial argument against adoption of the in-
strument on the basis of what it will cost. The Constitution will cost
nothing. The Constitution will save countless dollars in streamlining
the government. The reforms inherent in the Constitution of necessity
may cost some money, but they will come about whether or not the
document is adopted, and they'll come about a lot more flexibly and
coherently and easily with a new Constitution, and efficiently, I might
add, than without.

Questions and Answers
(Legislative Program)

Q. Governor, your legislative program seems to have bogged down
somewhat downstairs. Do you think you are going to be able to salvage
some of it?

A. Well, that's a matter of opinion as to whether it has bogged down
or not. The legislators don't feel that it has. They point out that in
their memory, never have so many important bills been given to a
Legislature in one session; not only through my office but through the
origin of the Legislative Council. They think they have a pretty good
percentage of these bills that are subject to pass; I don't feel that the
program has been as unsuccessful as the general impression of it by
the media. Neither does the legislative leadership, and I think if
you'd question them you'd find they reinforce my opinion. So I can't
say it's bogged down. I'm fairly well satisfied. We've gotten our top
priority program through virtually intact; that's the $129, 000, 000 bond
issue on water pollution. It looks like we're going to get our roads
program through, which was a very high priority thing. The busi-
ness tax reform looks all right. We're not doing too badly with our
programs.

Q. Well, your scholarship program was rejected. The death penalty
repeal — the pinball machine bill looks bad....

A. Let me interrupt you a minute to say that as far as the death
penalty repeal, this is not my bill. It's a bill I support. It's been in
the Legislature several sessions in a row now and it can't be termed
an administration failure. Certainly I'm for it and I'll continue to