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and Insert in lieu thereof the following
words : "appoint ten persons (with each ap-
pointing such number of the ten as will re-
flect the ratio of majority and minority
members of the House of Delegates to the
whole number of such members)".
THE CHAIRMAN: The amendment is
offered by Delegate Storm.
Is it seconded by Delegate Stern?
DELEGATE STERN: I second it.
THE CHAIRMAN: The amendment
having been offered by Delegate Storm,
seconded by Delegate Stern, the Chair rec-
ognizes Delegate Storm to speak to the
amendment.
DELEGATE STORM: Mr. Chairman,
fellow delegates, I will take just as little
time as possible, but I am going to have to
say a couple of things that I have on my
mind, and I have written it out to make
it shorter. I do not like the way it is writ-
ten so I will waste some time going over it.
In the Evening Star, a very fine newspaper
published outside of Maryland but read by
many Marylanders in the Washington and
Frederick areas —
THE CHAIRMAN: Will you pause just
a moment?
The chief page advises me that by error
the amendment marked N, for Nan, was
passed out instead of M, for Martha. They
are now passing out Amendment M.
Amendment M, for Martha, is the one to be
marked Amendment No. 5, to which Dele-
gate Storm is now addressing himself.
Proceed, Delegate Storm.
DELEGATE STORM: Thank you.
In the Evening Star, a fine newspaper
published outside of Maryland, but read
by many Marylanders in the Washington
area and Frederick County, there was a
statement on Thursday that the Convention
"abandoned for the first time its strict ad-
herence to lofty governmental principles."
Today, however, it was admitted by two
delegates that some provisions of the legis-
lative article were long ago drawn with
the express purpose of electing more mem-
bers of a particular political party.
Another delegate of the Legislative
Branch Committee evidently was a bit
ashamed of this action and tried to get his
chairman to discount the record and make
a statement that all they did on the Legis-
lative Branch Committee was in strict ad-
herence to lofty principles — with no thought
of politics. The chairman was frank in his
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answer, thus deserving his name. It was
politics!
In several other newspapers published
in the Baltimore and Washington areas, the
point was made before our election, after
our election and during this Convention
that — thank goodness — very few politically
motivated persons should be or are here at
the Convention. In fact, the Washington
Post made quite a point of accusing a few
of us of playing politics and that this was
reprehensible.
However, I have had the feeling — almost
from the start — that some of those among
us who have not before been connected with
government in Maryland — and some who
have been connected with elections — and
even some connected with government —
have been playing politics hard on every
question and with the purpose of chang-
ing our judiciary, our executive and now —
our legislature — from one party to another.
The single member districts and the re-
districting commission are among the many
provisions that I am now recognizing as
strictly political.
Fellow delegates, I have for some years
been a member of a political party. I will
not tell you which one. Perhaps some may
not know. I have even been an office holder.
But I believe that my record shows that
like most of the leaders of my party (and
I do not class myself as a leader) I re-
spect, work with and frequently have voted
for, appointed and otherwise favored the
members and, on occasion, the points of
view of the opposing party.
I married a member of another party.
(She later changed, but threatened to go
back if her present party "left her" the
way her former party did.) Many of my
friends, clients and associates are members
of this other party. I have frequently ad-
mired and supported the liberal wing of
that other party. I believe in the two-party
system! In this Convention, I have voted
willingly to increase their powers and pre-
rogative in the executive branch. I have
fought so that we could have minority
party representation on boards and com-
missions which head principal departments.
I fought for an elected watch-dog in fiscal
affairs so that with all of the extra powers
we have given to an already unusually
strong executive, the minority party would
not be mortally hurt or obliterated when
the majority once again occupies the top
floor of this State House.
I believe that this is fair. I believe it
wise. I believe that in doing these things
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