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ever, I had a case once, now that you have
brought up the subject, and we did not have
an experienced stenographer, and one of
the girls in Belair agreed to take the testi-
mony. She got about half-way through the
case and she decided that she was not doing
a very good job, and she quit. And now, I
forget exactly what happened in the case,
but I have often thought that the fact that
the testimony stopped in the middle of the
case probably would have created a mis-
trial.
THE CHAIRMAN: Are there any other
questions of the sponsor, Delegate Singer?
DELEGATE SINGER: Delegate James,
would you not think the resourcefulness of
the State of Maryland could prevent such
a happening in the General Assembly?
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate James.
DELEGATE JAMES: I think it could
easily happen that mechanical equipment
could break down, especially in the last
days of the session and this would be
simply catastrophic. It would be, you know,
we are at the mercy of the stenographers
in this State. They have a pretty good
system. There are not too many of them
and they charge pretty well, and if a
stenographer would happen to get sick, or
it were late at night and you did not have
another stenographer handy, I do not know
what you would do. I guess you would have
to simply hold up until you could get a
stenographer.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Koger.
DELEGATE KOGER: Delegate James,
don't you think that if you have tran-
scripts of your debates that the average
delegate could plan to execute what he
says perhaps with greater care?
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate James.
DELEGATE JAMES: Well, if this is
any sample here, I wonder.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Gallagher.
DELEGATE GALLAGHER: Mr. Chair-
man, a point of parliamentary inquiry.
THE CHAIRMAN: State the inquiry.
DELEGATE GALLAGHER: I should
like to ask the stenographer how you are
making out.
THE CHAIRMAN: Are there any fur-
ther questions of the sponsor of the amend-
ment?
If not, any delegate desire to speak in
opposition to the amendment?
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Delegate Gallagher?
DELEGATE GALLAGHER: Just briefly,
Mr. Chairman, I am impressed with Sena-
tor James' adherence to a million for de-
fense, but not a cent for tribute.
However, I do feel that as the General
Assembly of Maryland spends more and
more time involving itself more and more
in the affairs of the people of the State,
and it is far too late to put the chicken
back into the egg, that it is not really a
social experiment for the social necessity
to provide the people of Maryland with
the proceedings and the transcript of the
debates.
It seems to me that it has the benefit not
only in court interpretation, but also to
allow the public to know if it so desires,
to allow the various political subdivisions
and their officers to learn, what was said
and what the responses were, and who
took what positions in the debates of the
General Assembly.
I feel that keeping the transcript provi-
sion will assist in what we have been try-
ing to do, and that is to let the legislature
know that the eyes and ears of the people
of the state of Maryland are trained upon
it, that they are expected to and un-
doubtedly will react in a more responsible
manner, and that this visibility which we
have sought throughout the entire legis-
lative article will continue to be made
available.
I do not think that in the age of the
Sputnik and the age of the laser, in the
age of all modern devices that have aided
mankind, that a little old stenographic
machine is going to be the difference in
life and death between the success or fail-
ure of the General Assembly. I submit that
these artificial obstacles are more in the
way of light impediments than any gen-
uine difficulty in arriving at the conclusion
which we seek here. I would urge this
Committee to please defeat the amendment.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Clagett.
DELEGATE CLAGETT: Mr. Chairman,
may I make an inquiry of Delegate Gal-
lagher?
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Gallagher,
do you yield to a question?
DELEGATE GALLAGHER: Yes, sir.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Clagett.
DELEGATE CLAGETT: Delegate Gal-
lagher, if this amendment fails, will you
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