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the backs of the farmers. 1 suggest you
adopt the amendment so that the legisla-
ture can get on with the job of helping the
farmers, helping all of us because we all
have a stake in their interest, without giv-
ing this unneeded windfall to the specu-
lators.
THE CHAIRMAN: Are you ready for
the question?
Delegate Adkins.
DELEGATE ADKINS: Mr. Chairman,
I take it this Convention is face to face
perhaps for the first time with the fact
Maryland is in fact a divided State. It is
divided between the rural sections on its
one hand and the heavily urbanized areas
on the other. It is divided by the fact that
what is good for rural Maryland is not
necessarily good for urban Maryland.
I suggest to this Convention that its job,
the exercise of its dedicated responsibility,
is to try to find that compromise between
those two differences of interest which best
serve all the people. The sponsor of this
amendment in response to a question has
conceded that at this point at least in his-
tory he would not recommend the abolition
of the farm land exemption.
I think it is generally the feeling of
Delegates to this Convention as I discussed
it with them that they feel farm lands and
farmers, pursuit of agriculture, basic as it
is to our welfare, is entitled to some form
of protection.
The thing that concerns many Delegates
is the fact that there are abuses in this
exemption and with that I completely
agree. But I suggest to the Delegates that
at the same time that we are divisive we
are also faced with the fact that the bal-
ance of power has shifted from rural Mary-
land to urban Maryland. I suggest to the
delegates further that with that shift of
power has come a situation when urban
Maryland for the first time must show the
real restraint that we are entitled to have
them exercise if in fact they are to be
worthy of this trust which is being imposed
on them.
We are not asking that the abuses should
be continued. I am not arguing- personally
for the benefit of speculators. I will inter-
stitially say to you that if you eliminate
the farm land exemption you will in es-
sence be playing into the hands of the
speculators because to that extent you will
be forcing rural Maryland to sell its land
now devoted to open spaces, if you will, a
term which seems to be popular in urban
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Maryland, it will be forcing rural Mary-
land to sell or the farmers of Maryland to
sell their land by economic necessity to the
speculator who can hold it for future profit.
Unless this is in the constitution, and in
view of the fact coining events cast their
shadows before, I am thinking of the next
amendment which I am quite confident will
be presented if this amendment is defeated.
Unless you mandate this to at least con-
sider the plight of the farmer, the pressure
on urban representatives to cure the ills
will be such that the easy answer to the
problem will be to eliminate the exemption.
THE CHAIRMAN: You have one-quar-
ter minute, Delegate Adkins.
DELEGATE ADKINS: Eliminate the
exemptions and aid the developer. The leg-
islature under this amendment under the
Committee Report can cure the ills of spec-
ulation. Unless it is mandated and con-
tinued in the Constitution you can sure
correct the ills, you can also do great in-
justice to rural Maryland. Remember you
are now in the majority. You of the urban
areas, exercise that majority with toler-
ance. Defeat this amendment, support the
Committee Report.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any other dele-
gate desire to speak in favor of the amend-
ment?
Delegate Hardwicke.
DELEGATE HARDWICKE: Mr. Chair-
man, I think that the problem with the
committee report can be pointed up very
clearly.
If this Committee will look carefully at
lines seven and eight on page 2 under sec-
tion 8.02, I would like you to do it with me
just a moment, the mandate is to property
"devoted to agricultural use". In other
words, it does not make any difference who
owns the property. It does not make any
difference why he is holding the property.
It does not make any difference whether he
is speculating whether he has a gold mine
there. It does not make any difference
whether he is a farmer or who he is, as
long as it is devoted to agricultural use
there is nothing the legislature can do
about it under this language. Even though
the phrase as prescribed by law follows,
Delegate Case conceded in his answer to
questions that the prescription by law could
not make any difference as long as the land
was used for agricultural purposes.
So I submit to you ladies and gentlemen
of the Committee of the Whole that this
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