|
Delegate Miller, do you wish to speak
in favor?
DELEGATE B. MILLER: I have been
up six times now.
DELEGATE JAMES (presiding) : Do
you wish to speak in favor, Delegate
Clagett?
DELEGATE CLAGETT: I am speaking
in favor of the amendment.
DELEGATE JAMES (presiding) : We
will have to find someone who is speaking
against.
Delegate Beatrice Miller.
DELEGATE B. MILLER: Mr. Chair-
man, I will be very brief. Ever since Mr.
Scanlan gave us the reason for his pro-
posal in which he said that this is not
a state problem, this is a federal problem,
I have been very disturbed. If we adopt
that philosophy of Delegate Scanlan, then
I think we might as well pack up and go
home right now because that is what this
Convention is all about.
This Convention is about building a state
constitution for a state that will accept its
role and its share of the responsibilities.
Whatever the outcome of the vote on this
amendment, I would hope that no one votes
on it because he considers this only a fed-
eral problem and not a problem of the
State.
Furthermore, I would point out that what
the original proposal of the Committee as
amended says is a very limited suggestion.
It talks about opportunity for employ-
ment and it says the General Assembly
shall continue to implement this policy.
I think that as a guide to the General
Assembly of what the thinking of this Con-
vention was for the future this is a most
important proposal.
DELEGATE JAMES (presiding) : Dele-
gate Hardwicke, do you wish to speak for
the amendment?
DELEGATE HARDWICKE: I am
against the amendment, Mr. Chairman.
DELEGATE JAMES (presiding) : Does
anyone wish to speak for the amendment?
Does anyone wish to speak against the
amendment?
Delegate Clagett, do you wish to speak
for the amendment?
DELEGATE CLAGETT: Mr. Chairman,
I wish to speak for the amendment only to
|
give the degree of encouragement that is
necessary for the thirteen hardy souls who
voted against Amendment No. 14. For
those persons who have had time now to
reconsider their votes, even though we are
fully in accord with the policy, neverthe-
less, the advisability is that the question
really must be met here. Therefore, I
strongly urge that this motion be approved.
DELEGATE JAMES (presiding) : Dele-
gate Hardwicke, you wish to speak against
the amendment?
DELEGATE HARDWICKE: Yes, Mr.
Chairman.
This is a Bill of Rights, a statement of
the fundamental freedoms of man. It has
been said necessitous man is not free man
and the freedom of religion, the freedom
of expression, the freedom of assembly, all
of these freedoms are hollowed and mean-
ingless for man who is necessitous.
The Bible in the Old Testament talks
about the right of the poor in four places,
twice in Isaiah and twice in Psalms and
there the unjust judge is discussed as the
judge who deprives the person who is poor
of justice.
I submit to you, ladies and gentlemen,
that this is the most important right, this
right to be free from necessity and to be
free from want. The object of capitalism
must be to guarantee the rights that are
set forth in this particular section. This is
the purpose of capitalism.
Communism has always insisted that
capitalism cannot achieve this purpose. I
submit to you this afternoon, ladies and
gentlemen, that this is our challenge, this
is the most important challenge of our
generation. I hope we will rise to this chal-
lenge and include this section in our new
constitution.
DELEGATE JAMES (presiding) : Does
anyone wish to speak to this question?
(Call for the question.)
DELEGATE JAMES (presiding): I no-
tice a desire to submit the question. The
Clerk will ring the quorum bell.
The question arises on the adoption of
Amendment No. 15 to Committee Recom-
mendation R&P-2.
A vote Aye is in favor of Amendment
No. 15. A vote No is a vote against.
Cast your votes.
Has every delegate voted?
|
