13,543

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we rejected the philosophy, but we failed as delegates on

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this floor "have admitted because the business community

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selfishly and short-sightedly threatened to scuttle this

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Constitution and we responded to the pressure.

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The honest conviction of eighty-three delegates

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who supported on first reading 1.17 was then thwarted.

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Unfortunately, most of what happened on this floor was

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fully reoorted by the press and is no secret to the

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one million workers in the State of Maryland. Some of

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it was not reported, and I don't intend to wash that

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dirty linen in public, but I want to go on. The morality,

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the ethics, and the basic right, and the sheer need of this

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provision for collective bargaining was admitted on this

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floor. The right of these unprotected workers to organize

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and bargain collectively was not questioned.

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The argument was made that this is a matter of

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legislation for the General Assembly to enact. Therefore,

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it is my hope that in the next few months affirmative

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action by the General Assembly will help erase that fear,

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that bitterness, that frustration and disappointment. I

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hope that such action will soon be forthcoming and before