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which we could basically all agree. That
proposal, ladies and gentlemen, is before
you. Whether you like it or whether you
dislike it, I ask you to realize that this is
a sincere effort on the part of men of dif-
ferent, strong views, to arrive at a posi-
tion, at a posture for this Convention which
makes it possible for us to go forward.
This is an important question, but it is by
no means the most important question
with which we have dealt or will deal.
The critical point for all of us is to get
our job completed, submit to the people of
this State a document which we can all en-
thusiastically support. Despite my prior
views, I have agreed to sponsor this amend-
ment. I sincerely urge that when the vote
on it comes, that vote be resounding, be-
cause only then will all of our compromises
have been made worthwhile.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Jett?
DELEGATE JETT: Mr. President, fel-
low delegates, I am most reluctant to rise
on this occasion, but I cannot remain
seated in the face of what appears to me
not a compromise but a complete capitu-
lation.
I think there is not a man or woman
sitting in this Convention that is not down
here at great personal sacrifice. I honor
the men and women who have tried to ar-
rive at this compromise but I suggest to
you all, as you look at this thing, with the
eyes of the State of Maryland, and other
states upon us, are you going to take this
step and embalm in our constitution an
office which at least half of this Convention
thought was unnecessary when it had much
greater duties. You have cut those duties
to the bone, and now you have suggested
that that office should be perpetuated.
We do not have before us this provision
about the Board of Public Works. They
tell us it is coming, but I say to you, we
must rise above the things that we do not
believe in.
This is a gut issue. This is an issue that
each one of us has to take to heart to
understand that we are not going to be
pressured into putting into our constitu-
tion, a meaningless office, regardless of who
holds it, now or in the future, and that it
is our duty to write a constitution, the best
constitution that we can come up with and
present it to the people in the hopes that
they will accept it, but not stand here
crying for fear that if we do not put some
particular individual in, they will turn
the constitution down. I say to you, it is
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our obligation to face it squarely, flatly
and to vote our real sentiments, with our
hearts in our hands.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Sickles?
DELEGATE SICKLES: Mr. Chairman,
I rise in support of the amendment.
I must confess that as one who I think
has expressed himself quite clearly on this
issue for the past few days, I had my
problems at first about agreeing to the
amendment and then after that, sort of
worrying about what I had done. I must
admit that when Delegate Weidemeyer
stood up and expressed himself to show
how unhappy he is, I felt a lot better, be-
cause we are both unhappy about the ar-
rangement.
But the thing that interests me is the
fact that the governor was quoted just
recently, in effect, criticizing what we were
doing. As I indicated earlier, having been
a politician, I would have been surprised
if he had not done that. Let us say it takes
one to know one, but I am not sure that he
has really done his homework, because part
of the statement which was quoted, and
I am now reading it, said, it was the recom-
mendation of the Eney Commission, which
submitted the carefully researched draft
instrument to this Convention, that the
office of comptroller be appointive under the
Governor. But if he had read that docu-
ment closely, on page 149, he would have
noted the language wherein there was a
caveat, which said, "although it can be
argued that control of the actual disburse-
ment of state funds should not be in the
Chief Executive.... " I think that that is
what we are doing, and since the governor
also indicated that he was in favor of a
continuation of the Board of Public Works,
we will change the name, he will have con-
trol, and I think he has no reason to
object. I am unhappy but I do not see why
he should be.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Fornos?
DELEGATE FORNOS: I want to speak
in favor of the amendment.
THE CHAIRMAN: I am sorry.
Does any delegate desire to speak in op-
position?
Delegate Penniman?
DELEGATE PENNIMAN: Mr. Chair-
man, I have not intended as Chairman of
the Committee on Style to speak on any
issue before this Convention. I rise to speak
on this issue because I am opposed to the
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