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We know the limitations on his term of
office. We know advise and consent, and
we know that the detailed power of the
legislature is enough to keep dictatorship
out of Maryland. That argument holds no
water.
We then have the argument that we
heard a few minutes ago that we know
what the people think. We have no con-
ception what they think. Our job is to
come down here and write the best consti-
tution we can and then go back to the
people and explain how and why we did it,
and to work with them and try to get them
to support a constitution.
No one can give me the logical reason-
ing why Kentucky's constitution was turned
down and why Connecticut's was approved.
We have to go out and work for this and
each and every one of us knows it.
Now, the instruction is here among the
delegates that are not going to work for it,
that they are going to keep saying that
the people do not want it. Let us say we
can elect or we can build a constitution
that we will support, that we have to see
it clearly and we have to substantiate
what we do.
Delegate Sybert in his talk used one
newspaper to say that he thought the
comptroller should be important. He quoted
the Baltimore News Post. But I would like
to point out to him that the Baltimore Sun
and Washington Post and Star have all
adopted the attitude that the comptroller
should not be a constitutional office and it
should be appointed.
We can go further than this. We can
move to the oldest thoroughly knowledge-
able outfit in the United States concerning
state government, the National Municipal
League, and they have been in office since
the turn of the century. They have been
working with state after state.
I would like to read to you one quote in
one of their pamphlets that I think is so
appropriate for what we are discussing
here. We can use this with the people be-
cause this is what we should be saying:
"The greatest single impediment to execu-
tive unity lies in the constitutional desig-
nation of top officials who obtain office by
popular election or by legislative election."
This is our answer; but then I think we
must go further. Why has this gotten to be
such an emotional situation? I felt that I
really wanted to speak to the Board of
Public Works but having run for the office
of comptroller, I thought it was only fair
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that I stand on the floor and say to you
what I said all last summer a year ago,
that I was running for an elective office
which should be appointive. I think that is
for the good of the State of Maryland.
Let me say circumstances have not
changed that situation nor would they had
I been so fortunate to be the present comp-
troller. But somehow or another the present
comptroller thinks he is changing circum-
stances and that he can twist people's
wrists and he can threaten and reward.
I think this Machiavellian technique be-
longs to another period and not to the
20th century, and certainly not for the
people who are desperately working hard
to write a constitution that will run into
the 21st century.
Let me close with one quote. Mr. Chief
Justice Cardoza said: "We are not making
rules for the passing hour, but we are
making principles for an expanding future."
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Sybert, do
you wish to allot some time?
DELEGATE SYBERT: Mr. Chairman,
I would like to allot two minutes to Dele-
gate Armor.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Armor.
DELEGATE ARMOR: Mr. Chairman
and fellow delegates of the Constitutional
Convention: I am in favor of retaining the
comptroller in the new constitution; elec-
tion of the comptroller has worked well for
a long, continuous period of years. It is
desirable that this important official should
have constitutional status and that he
should be elected by the people; holding
this office by direct action of the electorate
and for a fixed term by the constitution
makes for the independence of this official
of the State of Maryland.
This provision in the present Constitu-
tion should be continued. In the words of
the very fine temperate gentleman, an am-
bassador of good will, the words "God bless
you all real good".
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Adkins.
DELEGATE ADKINS: Mr. Chairman,
I yield three minutes to Delegate Winslow.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Winslow.
DELEGATE WINSLOW: Mr. Chair-
man, and fellow delegates: Yesterday in
the question period, or last evening, we
heard reference to the political philosophies
of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamil-
ton. We have come to respect these two
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