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(Applause.)
Delegate Dorothy Scott Murray.
DELEGATE D. MURRAY: This cer-
tainly is not in opposition. I just wanted
to second the motion of Delegate Clagett.
We are very happy to have you here, and I
will see you when I get home.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Bennett.
DELEGATE BENNETT: Mr. Chairman
and ladies and gentlemen of the Conven-
tion: I have listened here this morning to
a great deal of what I consider to be
tongue-in-cheek oratory or rhetoric about
the importance of officers close to the peo-
ple and the importance of the voter exer-
cising his rights in choosing his officers. It
is all very well and good.
I found, incidentally, that keeping your
tongue in your cheek when you are in the
midst of an argument is a bad place to
have it, so I would like to say with some
candor that I doubt that if a Harris poll
or Gallop poll were taken in Montgomery
County there would be ten percent of the
voters who even knew who the comptroller
was or the attorney general, let alone
know what their duties or responsibilities
were. I say that if we are to get this
charter approved, we are going to have to
prove that it means more efficient, more
effective government in dealing with the
problems of the urban area, dealing with
the problems of violence in the street, deal-
ing with problems of crime; and that
means, it seems to me, that we have to
stick to everything we can do to update our
government.
One of the ways to do that is to strengthen
the hand of the governor, and not have
him handicapped.
THE CHAIRMAN: For what purpose
does Delegate Dorsey rise?
DELEGATE DORSEY: To ask if Dele-
gate Bennett will yield.
THE CHAIRMAN: Will you yield?
DELEGATE BENNETT: Yes.
DELEGATE DORSEY: Delegate Ben-
nett, do you live close to the District of
Columbia?
DELEGATE BENNETT: What is that?
DELEGATE DORSEY: Do you live
close to the District of Columbia, where the
attorney general is appointed and the
mayor is appointed? How would you com-
pare the crime rate?
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DELEGATE BENNETT: If you com-
pare the crime rate of the District of
Columbia with a similar area composed of
similar people, such as Baltimore, you will
find that the District of Columbia has a
better record. I say that because, among
other things, the chief law enforcement
officer of the District of Columbia is not ap-
pointed by a District person. It is a person
who is probably selected by the attorney
general — or he has a large voice in it.
Let me return to my point in trying to
get this amendment defeated.
We have to win the support of the peo-
ple. Yesterday we met with the League of
Women Voters, 3500 of them in the State
of Maryland. They are the kind of people
we are going to have to depend upon to
get this charter approved, and after they
have studied this question, they stand for
a strong governor and an appointed at-
torney general and comptroller general.
If you want to get it approved, vote
down this amendment.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does anyone desire
to speak in favor?
Delegate Weidemeyer.
DELEGATE WEIDEMEYER: I notice
that the delegate said in Montgomery
County it would not make any difference,
but I assure the delegate, in Anne Arundel
County the people want to vote for the at-
torney general, and they resent all these
offices being taken off the ballot and being
subjected to appointment.
So much has been said on the subject
that if I were driving a meat wagon and
could come in here with a meat wagonload
of nice fresh steaks that you could all sink
your teeth into, and I could give you some-
thing new, I would be glad to do it; but I
do not want to come in here with a meat
wagon loaded with ripe baloney and expect
you all to enjoy it. So I am going to sit
down and vote for the attorney general.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any other dele-
gate desire to speak in opposition to the
amendment?
Delegate Bennett.
DELEGATE BENNETT: I was wonder-
ing if my good friend Delegate Weidemeyer
would have a moment to yield?
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Weide-
meyer, do you yield to a question?
DELEGATE WEIDEMEYER: I would
be glad to yield to a short question.
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