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that. (Applause.)

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THE PRESIDENT: On several occasions from this

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rostrum I have stated that I am very, very proud of this

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Convention and every delegate in it.

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On many more occasions, off of this rostrum and

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away from this State House, I have made the same statement

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in greater detail and with much more emphasis.

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All of us on September 12, 1967, entered upon a

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new experience regardless of whether we had previous

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legislative experience because we were embarking upon the

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drafting of a Constitution fcr the State of Maryland, not

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in the eighteenth or nineteenth century but in the twentieth

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century. We had no guidelines. We had no clear course

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marked out for us. We had only the good will, the abilities,

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and the intense desire of every delegate to work to his

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utmost to achieve the same end.

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In the course of these past four months during

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which it has been my honor to be president, I have as you

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know talked privately on numerous occasions with many

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delegates when issues appeared to develop that were devisive

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that could create factions and destroy the fellowship that