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his heart knows, in fact, we have not been
able to do and could not do if we sat here
for another ten years.
There was earlier talk in connection with
the consumer protection about the products
which are frequently labeled as giant quart
size. I suggest to this Convention, to place
in this Constitution language as lofty in
purpose, as meaningless in execution, and
as impossible of performance as this one is
to label this Constitution the giant quart
size.
As one delegate, I am not prepared to
submit to the people a document which I
consider would be as misleading as this
document would be if it held out the hope
inherent in this proposal without the neces-
sity or the ability to carry out that hope.
I would urge the amendment be adopted.
DELEGATE JAMES (presiding) : Dele-
gate Bennett.
For what purpose does Delegate Pullen
rise?
DELEGATE PULLEN: I want to op-
pose the amendment.
DELEGATE JAMES (presiding) : I
recognize Delegate Bennett.
DELEGATE BENNETT: Mr. Chair-
man, ladies and gentlemen of the Com-
mittee, I went along with Delegate Scanlan
in opposing some of these amendments
initially, but I know when the Convention
has spoken and what its intents and ideas
are. I am willing to accept that decision
and not continue to reiterate and object to
what their plain meaning is.
What we have here is an attempt to
establish a concept. A concept is a goal. We
are not writing a constitution alone of
restraints and retributions and don'ts. We
are undertaking to set up certain goals
and if ever there has been a goal in this
nation, it is the concept of economic se-
curity. It has been implemented on the
national level by social security, and unem-
ployment compensation, and I think we can
well set forward that goal here. We do not
have to resort to a lot of outworn shibbo-
leths about the welfare state and about
laissez-faire in the economy and about
rugged individualism. That went down to
the worst defeat in history. We are here
to set goals. One of the specific reasons
that we need this is because as times goes
on perhaps it is indeed going to be pos-
sible for the states to share some of the
revenues that are now being collected by
the federal government. If that day comes,
if we are to strengthen our state govern-
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ment and get rid of the federal bulldozer,
then we have got to have something in
our constitution that sets the direction to-
ward which we are going. That direction is
toward the protection and upholding of
individual worthiness, dignity.
That is the goal we want to set, and I
think that this is not holding out a vain
hope to the people of Maryland at all. It is
setting a goal towards which we shall go
and I hope indeed that Mr. Scanlan's
amendment is defeated and if necessary>
we can go to the merits of this proposal.
If there is something worthy in this, let's
do it.
DELEGATE JAMES (presiding) : Does
anyone wish to speak in favor of the
amendment?
The Chair recognizes Delegate Koger.
DELEGATE KOGER: Mr. Chairman,
ladies and gentlemen, I would just like to
make sure that the remarks that I made
previously are now recorded in support of
this amendment. In addition to that, I
would like to state that I believe the Com-
mittee Amendment which this amendment
would eliminate is a dangerous type of
policy. I do most sincerely. It holds out to
the people a promise which is unattainable
and we would be holding out to the people
something that the American system of
government does not work for, and that
is the right to work, the right to be ambi-
tious, the right to get some place, and to do
something, and I think that when we reach
a certain point we have got to call a halt.
I think if we can get all of the things
that we are working for, fair employment,
housing, work opportunities, and good ed-
ucation. In other words, I think we have
to work forward along the line and not
along the welfare state.
DELEGATE JAMES (presiding) : Does
anyone wish to speak favorably?
DELEGATE BOROM: I wish to speak
in opposition.
DELEGATE JAMES (presiding) : Does
anyone wish to speak in favor?
Are you ready for the question?
DELEGATE BOROM: I would like to
speak in opposition to the amendment.
DELEGATE JAMES (presiding) : Dele-
gate Borom wishes to speak for it? We are
still in favor. Delegate Gill, Delegate
White, do you wish to speak in favor of
the amendment?
DELEGATE WHITE: I am against.
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