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Delegate Pullen.
DELEGATE PULLEN: Mr. Chairman,
I shall vote for the proposal for three
reasons: First, I know the history of lot-
teries in this and other states and why the
prohibition was put in the Constitution of
18(57, Mr. Chairman. I think also that re-
moving this provision from the constitution
is a tacit statement or agreement that we
intend to open the flood gates to lobbyists
and similar devices, and two, I have seen
the effect of lotteries on children in South
America and other countries and it was
not good.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any other dele-
gate desire to speak in opposition?
Delegate Kosakowski, do you desire to
speak in opposition?
DELEGATE KOSAKOWSKI: Yes.
THE CHAIRMAN: You may proceed.
DELEGATE KOSAKOWSKI: Mr. Chair-
man and delegates to this Convention: I
have heard a great deal from the reformers
of this Convention who speak about reform-
ing and about making a new, modern con-
stitution and yet believe me this is an anti-
quated provision in this constitution.
My friend, Delegate James, is an astute
political figure and I will say to Delegate
James he should not have any fear, and to
Delegate Gleason, do not have any fear
that the legislature is going to pass a lot-
tery in two years. It is tough getting a
lottery through the legislature. We are not
here to legislate. Let us be practical about
this. You have to get it through the House
and the Senate the same way, and then
there is the governor's veto. What is the
fear to let the public have a voice in their
government?
What moral issues are we going to place
in this Constitution? Let us be practical
here. We are going to have an election on
this constitution in May. Income tax time
is going to be over by April the 15th. It
will be very fresh in the minds of the elec-
torate when they see what we have already
passed here. No fiscal footnotes. What costs
will we have? Non-contributory pensions to
judges and wives, increased costs to legis-
lators, and increased costs to the entire new
governmental structure. When I came here
as a former delegate for 20 years, the pas-
sage of a lottery was not that easy.
This will be an issue in the next election.
It is not a constitutional matter. It belongs
to the people to decide with the duly
elected representatives of the legislature
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and I hope that this recommendation will
he defeated.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Neilson.
DELEGATE NEILSON: Mr. Chairman,
I rise to speak in favor of the Committee
Recommendation. I would like to direct you
to the remarks made earlier by Delegate
Sherbow, rather than take the time to re-
flect. I, for one do not want to rest the
future of the State of Maryland, particu-
larly my children, on whether we have a
good gambling interest to put them through
school or to give them the things that they
need. I would rather pay my way by taxes
as I think most of you delegates would
want to do.
I do not need a lot of witnesses to come
down and tell me whether I should have
gambling or not have gambling. I am
firmly convinced that lotteries and gam-
bling interests bring into the State an ele-
ment of people that I do not particularly
care for. I note that we have had in our
constitution in the past a prohibition
ag-ainst lotteries. I see no reason to take it
out and I will vote in favor of the report.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any other dele-
gate desire to speak in opposition?
Deleg-ate Bard, do you desire to speak in
favor?
DELEGATE BARD: I shall wait.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Child, do
you desire to speak in favor?
DELEGATE CHILD: Mr. Chairman.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Child.
DELEGATE CHILD: Mr. Chairman,
and distinguished delegates to the Conven-
tion : I have tried to keep silent when I
do not know what I am talking about, but
I do know something about this gambling racket, not because I was in it, but be-
cause I was the victim of it. I was state's
attorney of my county some 40 years ago.
I found the county full of slot machines.
I ordered them out and I had a good
sheriff and a good deputy sheriff and they
stayed out but I spent half of my time
listening to the gambling crowd offering
me money, offering me this, that and the
other thing to let them run.
I found out a lot about it. They can sell
them any way they want to. They can plug
the jackpots so they will not overflow. You
say that is not lottery, that is gambling but
the lottery is gambling, too.
I merely want to say this, that when I
was in law school I learned a phrase, that
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