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THE PRESIDENT: Does any other del-
egate desire to speak in opposition?
Delegate Gilchrist.
DELEGATE GILCHRIST: Mr. Presi-
dent, I should like the Convention to know
what Bradford Jacobs in the Evening Snn
said on this question. "Probably the Con-
stitutional Convention bent over backward
to accommodate the labor lobbyists. Prob-
ably labor should not have been singled
out, as it seems to have been, for the favor
of a special narrow bill of rights of its
own nestled inside the general broad bill of
rights. Probably, as a result, the new con-
stitution will be marred. It will have a
curious special interest bulge at a point
where no bulge ought to be in a document
framed for all Marylanders, not for a few
here and there."
Bradford Jacobs goes on to point out the
problems which are inherent in this kind of
a situation. I suggest to you that those of
us who came down here to write this con-
stitution should not do anything at all to
provide the means by which this Conven-
tion can commit hari-kari, whether it be by
a single fell-swoop of disembowelment, or
whether it be by a bunch of small stabs.
We have made some small stabs at it.
I sincerely hope that this Convention
will afford as few opportunities as pos-
sible for the stabs which are going to be
taken at us as they have been in the past.
Some of us have seen a particularly scuri-
lous sheet that got spread around here by
an outfit calling themselves "Con-Con
Guards" a couple of weeks ago. This is the
sort of ammunition that is food for the
people who do not understand what we are
trying to do. Let us not give them any
more food than is absolutely necessary. Let
us not be divided.
THE PRESIDENT: Delegate Rybczynski.
DELEGATE RYBCZYNSKI: Mr. Presi-
dent, employees are the public, employees
are the people.
There is another issue which should be
touched on, and I do not remember hearing
about this particular issue. It is not just a
question of the next raise or the next set
of vacations or the next year's working
conditions. There is a lot more attached to
bargaining than just these items.
After a man has been part of a plant
and an employee at a plant for a matter
of months or years, he has a certain vested
interest in that job which can be protected
only collectively and not as an individual.
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He becomes part of a group insurance
plan, he becomes part of a group pension
plan, he acquires certain rights as an em-
ployee only through collective bargaining.
It is not just a question of worrying
about whether or not he can get the vaca-
tion that he wants next year. There is a
lot more to it than that. When he reaches
a certain age, if he is arbitrarily fired from
that job he will have extreme difficulty
finding another job unless he has a very
peculiar specialty. There is a lot more in-
volved in this question than just what they
generally think of as bargaining rights.
THE PRESIDENT: There is time for
one more — it would be two more.
Does any other delegate desire to speak
in opposition?
If not, there is time for one other
speaker.
Delegate Hanson.
DELEGATE HANSON: Mr. President,
if we are to suddenly become pure and
worry about special interest bulges in the
constitution, some of us have a long list of
bulge removers that we would like to apply,
but I think this amendment is a very im-
portant amendment. It will not apply to
every citizen of Maryland, only to the
overwhelming number of citizens of Mary-
land.
It does not help anybody but the poor
people of this State, those who are not
now covered by the National Labor Rela-
tions Act.
I submit to you it is a matter of consti-
tutional stature. We have given ample pro-
tection through the due process clause and
the eminent domain clause to the rights of
property for those who hold property as
property normally is defined in the law and
in constitutions as real property.
What we seek to do in this amendment
is to give an equal protection under this
constitution to those whose only property
is their labor. Labor and property are
equal parts of the economy of this State,
and labor and property ought equally be
protected by the constitution of this State.
There is no danger to the public welfare
here. The General Assembly has ample
power to protect the public welfare against
strikes and to develop the kinds of labor
standards and regulations of which Dele-
gate Scanlan spoke. I implore you to re-
consider and then to vote for the amend-
ment, to protect equally an important and
vital segment of the people of this State.
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