|
should vote on the amendment first. If the
amendment is approved, I think my amend-
ment to that would be in order to clarify it.
THE CHAIRMAN: That would be true
as to each of the amendments that have
been sent to my desk. They could either be
offered now or if Amendment No. 21 is
adopted, they could be offered subsequently.
DELEGATE WEIDEMEYER: I suggest
that in the interest of saving time, we might
save it if we get the indication on the first
vote.
THE CHAIRMAN: Very well.
For what purpose docs Delegate Vecera
rise ?
DELEGATE VECERA: Mr. Chairman, if
I could clarify a point, sir, that Delegate
Kiefer made.
THE CHAIRMAN: The time has expired.
I will recognize you as soon as we come to
the uncontrolled debate.
Delegate Macdonald, you have an amend-
ment. Do you desire to offer it now or do
you want to wait until action on Amend-
ment No. 21?
DELEGATE MACDONALD: I desire to
offer it as an amendment to the amendment,
Mr. Chairman.
THE CHAIRMAN: You can offer it as an
amendment to the amendment either now
or later. I understand you want to offer it
now?
DELEGATE MACDONALD: I do not un-
derstand.
THE CHAIRMAN: You have the option.
You can offer it now as an amendment to
the amendment, in which event it would be
voted on before consideration of Amend-
ment No. 21. If adopted then. Amendment
No. 21 would be submitted as thus amended,
or Amendment No. 21 can be acted upon
if it is adopted: then amendments to it
would be in order. You can follow either
course. I want to be sure I understand
which you want to follow.
DELEGATE MACDONALD: In that case,
I will hold it until later.
THE CHAIRMAN: The Chair by the
statement just made did not mean to indi-
cate that if Amendment No. 21 is adopted,
that amendments to change the language
of Amendment No. 21 would be in order.
Amendments that would add language to
21 would be in order. And that is the pur-
pose of both the amendments that the Chair
|
has received. We will then enter a period of
limited but uncontrolled debate.
Does any delegate desire to speak in
favor of the amendment?
Delegate Vecera, do you desire to speak
in favor?
DELEGATE VECERA: Mr. Chairman, if
I could clarify a point Delegate Kiefer made
previously, he stated that he had a labor
day in his Committee in which the same old
tired men were there. I think perhaps the
comment was made in the heat of discus-
sion, and that perhaps he did not fully
intend the import of that meaning.
I was there and many associates of mine
were there, and I feel if it was made in the
heat of discussion I would hope he would
rectify that comment. Thank you.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Kiefer.
DELEGATE KIEFER: Mr. Chairman,
I would hasten to correct that. I did not
mean that. What I meant was the same old
tired proceedings. They were very delight-
ful men, many of them my friends. They
are highly sophisticated, highly articulate
and they are highly, I am afraid, persuasive.
THE CHAIRMAN: Very well.
Delegate Vecera.
DELEGATE VECERA: Mr. Chairman,
I am glad I gave Delegate Kiefer the op-
portunity to clarify the record on that.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any delegate
desire to speak in favor of the amendment?
Delegate Bennett.
DELEGATE BENNETT: Mr. Chairman,
ladies and gentlemen of the Committee. I
would like first of all to disclaim the fact
that in speaking for this amendment, any-
one has come to see me, or that there has
been any pressure whatsoever upon me. I
come from a county with tens of thousands
of federal workers in it. The great ma-
jority of them belonging to some govern-
ment employees union. They have kept
strictly away from me, and so there are no
pressures upon me when I speak in favor
of this amendment.
I speak and ask your indulgence, on just
two short points. First of all, I think and
believe that the history of labor legislation
shows the importance of having something
of this kind in the constitution. Courts have
been notably conservative, not to say re-
actionary, in interpreting the rights of the
laboring people and the rights of the Gen-
eral Assembly in enacting such legislation.
|