Gentlemen of the Committee:
There is a great deal of lack of seriousness
I think about preambles. A great many people have a feelinc
that the preamble doesn't do anything and that it is there-
fore not very important, and I can tell you that when the
preamble was considered in the Committee on Personal Rights,
I had the feeling that the committee gave a little bit too
much emphasis to a number of just nice, high-sounding
phrases and what was considered to be the flow of the
language, rather than to express any kind of philosophy
or consistent intent.
Now, there is no magic in words, and we can
have 134 preambles here if we each one try to express our
preference, but it seems to me that the language which I
suggested -- and I would like to read it again, if I may,
Mr. Chairman --
"We the people of the State of Maryland, desirous
of securing the blessings of Almighty God and of civiliza-
tion for ourselves and our posterity, and believing that
the chief function and purpose of government is to facili-
tate the enjoyment by all people of life, liberty and the