|
cent were in favor of lowering the voting
age.
The latest Gallup Poll showed 54 percent
favored lowering the voting age. They felt
this would be an advantage to the Demo-
cratic Party since the high school seniors
polled mostly favored registering Demo-
cratic.
I would like to make a remark that I
think is pertinent. I know a lieutenant
colonel in the Army and he and I have
spent many evenings together. I asked him
how come the American soldier has never
lost a war and why do you think he is a
great soldier. He told me he is an undis-
ciplined soldier, he is arrogant and he
gripes, but if you send that soldier out
on a mission and his leader falls or dies or
is dismembered, that squad gets the job
done. Someone else takes his place. The
young American responds favorably to
pressure. He reacts.
I say we have nothing to fear from his
making a poor choice in the battle. So let
us give him the opportunity to vote.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Rybczynski.
DELEGATE RYBCZYNSKI: Mr. Chair-
man, I call on Delegate Dorothy Murray
to speak for three minutes.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Murray.
DELEGATE D. MURRAY: Thank you.
Let me reply first to two remarks made by
Delegate Schloeder. He says he has taught
for 15 years; I have taught for 23. He
said he had close contact with young
people; and I say I have even closer con-
tact: I live with four of them.
I have given this speech many times.
Please bear with me, as I have not taken
up more than my share of the time at the
Convention, although I was giving Dele-
gate Taylor a hard time about a young
juror.
I have not changed my mind on the sub-
ject of lowering the voting age for these
many years. I have not changed my mind
nor do I plan to do so. Why am I so
adamant? Let me tell you a few of the
things and hopefully perhaps these points
might change your mind.
We have heard from many members of
this assembly, many of the farm group. We
have heard many farmers' stories and to-
night I am going to tell you a farmer's
daughter story for what it is worth.
I am a member of a nine-child family.
There are seven of us still residing in the
|
State of Maryland, and some time ago I
made a check on the potential voters, and
I direct this next remark to our potential
gubernatorial, senatorial, or other political
aspirants. I find that in my family at the
present time there are thirty-seven mem-
bers of voting age. There are fifteen mem-
bers of potential voting age, whatever that
ends up being, and when I combined the
number of the Murray family with the
Rybczynski family, which also happens to
be a member of this group, I think you
young people or older ones who desire to
be in politics had better take note.
Another personal observation that I
would like to make is that I can bring my
war to the home front. Three out of my
four children in our most recent poll agreed
with their Dad and me that twenty-one was
the proper age for voting. Our sixteen-
year-old son is not convinced that it should
not be lowered to eighteen. The vote is
still five to one in our family.
Let me finish with one more personal
observation and maybe I could be granted
an extra half-minute. Our oldest son en-
tered Maryland University at the age of
eighteen and we felt that our son was quite
mature, but I had a call within two months
from the University of Maryland and they
told me that my son was not mature
enough to stay at Maryland University.
Well, he stayed but he did not finish. He
finally got married. He is over twenty-one
now and that proves he is mature.
May I have extra time?
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Rybczynski
has given his smiling permission.
DELEGATE D. MURRAY: I smilingly
accept. When our youngest son was only
twelve years old he was asked one night
to make the dessert for dinner because in
our family — we are a close family unit —
we had to share duties because mother
was one of the working mothers.
When Kim read the directions for mak-
ing the cake, it was a box mix, he read the
directions and saw that one whole egg was
added. Lo and behold, that was what he
did; he added one whole egg. I caught him
just in time and we removed the shell.
My point is this: we feel our youth of
today might be quite mature at eighteen,
but they are encased in the hard shell of
youth. Let us at least crack the shell be-
fore we throw them into the political pot.
(Applause.)
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Ross.
|
