He feels that the Convention should not
start with this draft, but from the be-
ginning, only using the Commission's work
as helpful study material. If there is any-
thing in the draft that you do not like, do
not blame him. He may well have voted
against it himself.
Now, something about the man. He was
educated in the public schools of Baltimore,
the University of Baltimore and Johns
Hopkins. He is married and has two
daughters and six grandchildren. He prac-
ticed law for more than 35 years, inter-
rupted by service as an air combat intel-
ligence officer in the Navy during World
War II. He is known by bench and bar
throughout the State as a formidable advo-
cate and a warm and sympathetic counsel.
For over two years, he was assistant at-
torney general of Maryland, in the late
thirties, and has been active in the bar
association and other professional organiza-
tions.
He served faithfully and well on several
gubernatorial commissions, on taxation and
other matters and, what everyone knows,
he most recently was Chairman of the Con-
stitutional Convention Commission which
unofficially has borne his name from the
inception. Incidentally, since 1954, he has
been a trustee of Goucher College, of which
most of us are now alumni.
Vernon Eney has the intellectual ability
which is of vast importance, because of
the unusual high degree of wisdom, talent
and experience possessed by the men and
women who were so carefully chosen as
delegates to this Convention. He will recog-
nize and utilize these qualifications. In ad-
dition to this, he will bring to the rostrum
of this historic chamber a unique combina-
tion of intelligence, ability, experience, de-
votion, tenacity, fairness and kindness.
No delegate can deny that our paramount
purpose must transcend personal considera-
tions and ambitions. We must sublimate
personal feeling to the overpowering objec-
tives of this Convention.
Vernon Eney has no political ambitions,
only a fierce determination to do all in his
power to accomplish these lofty purposes.
No one will ever be able to accuse Vernon
Eney of subverting the public interest for
any reasons. If we delegates do not do our
job well and the result is not accepted by
the people of Maryland next May, we will
have spent a vast amount of effort in a
hollow exercise in futility and frustration.
Vernon Eney is the man with whom we
are most certain to avoid this. |
Mr. President, I take great pleasure in
placing in nomination for President of this
Convention the name of H. Vernon Eney.
ALTERNATE TEMPORARY CHAIR-
MAN: The name of H. Vernon Eney has
been placed in nomination. Are there any
seconds? The Chair recognizes the gentle-
man from the Third District of Baltimore
City.
DELEGATE GALLAGHER: Mr. Speak-
er, ladies and gentlemen of the Convention:
I think this Convention has already given
recognition to a duty which it feels it has
when it has nominated by acclamation the
Honorable J. Millard Tawes as Honorary
President. I think it would be the further
and necessary next step to select the man
whom Governor Tawes selected to be the
Chairman of the Commission that labored
for over two years and worked studiously
and diligently to produce the draft which
is now before you.
We have a duty, it seems to me, during
the next 120 days to shape the future of
at least the next century. What kind of a
man do we need as a President under these
circumstances? We need a man, first of all,
of great intellectual ability. We need a
man who knows the complexities of a Con-
stitution. We need a fair man. We need an
impartial man. We need a man of dignity,
a man of calm, a man of massive ability,
if you will, and I think that we have such
a man in H. Vernon Eney, and the best
proof I have of it is the talks that I have
had with the 27 people who made up the
Constitutional Convention Commission, be-
cause never have I seen among so many
men of great ability and personality and
diversity, if you will, such admiration for
one man as they have for their Chairman,
H. Vernon Eney; and if nothing else, that
one fact, it seems to me, bespeaks the
ability which he has and the reason why
this body should honor him with its
presidency.
We have in Mr. Eney a man in the prime
of his life. We have a productive man. We
have a man who gives great attention to
detail. We have an impartial man. We do
not have a man embroiled in politics or
political factionalism. We have a man who
wants to do a job and get it done and get
it done well.
I submit to you, ladies and gentlemen, in
seconding the nomination of H. Vernon
Eney, that we have an obligation to select
a man as President who deserves to be
elected, the man who has labored for 24
months, the man who knows this state and |
