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I must admit to great disappointment in
the fact that we have not ended this great
Convention with a recognition of what I
considered to be a basic right. I must admit
that early in the deliberations of the Con-
vention I had my misgivings as to whether
there would be success, but I must admit
also that I was heartened by at least one
vote in the process.
I try never to fault anyone for what
they do and what they say and how they
act, and I want to say something as the
President says and I am going to try to
choose my words very well because I do
not want to trespass on the good graces of
you and those about us who have tried to
influence our will.
I want to speak first with respect to the
business community in this State. As you
know, I, as well as most of you here I am
sure, have my sight set on matters much
broader than the boundaries of this State.
There are many problems facing this na-
tion and to its credit the national business
community has begun to shake it head and
has begun to understand and has begun to
take a very positive step, many steps in the
direction of understanding what causes
crime in the streets and what causes pov-
erty, and what are the direct results of
these social ills that we have in our nation.
I would suggest to the business community
in this State that it can no longer afford to
sit idly by and be influenced by those few
among it who are so motivated that they
would try to lead them further down a path
which has been unsuccessful.
I tell you as I stand here that there is a
collision course now between public em-
ployees and public officials. There is a col-
lision course between those employees of
charitable organizations and their boards
and you already see the symptoms of some
of these things. You have read about and
maybe have witnessed the strikes of state
employees and city employees, the transit
strike in New York City, the teachers'
strike up in Connecticut. And to those
who would suggest that the way we are
going to solve these problems is to keep
these employees from organizing in the first
place. I say to them you have not studied
the problem. You do not understand the
society in which we live. You do not under-
stand the temper of the times and what is
going on in the minds of people because
these problems will not be settled that way.
They will be settled with a much more ma-
ture approach to the problem. I am disap-
pointed in myself that I could not convey
to you here in this assembly what I felt
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the basic problem was and could not con-
vince you of the seriousness of this prob-
lem and the need to establish that one basic
right which is at the heart of its solution.
However, I have failed. I hope that those
of you who have said to me that there is a
problem and that you do believe that gov-
ernment must participate in it, but that it
should not be done in this assembly, but it
should be done later in the month when the
General Assembly arrives here, will join
with me and others and try to translate to
the legislators what they can do in this
area. I hope that the business community
will join with us in this task and I hope
that the educators in this State will begin
to take their true role in helping us solve
the problems of tomorrow. We all need wis-
dom and we all need vision and we all need
help.
Yes, I am disappointed, but you know I
would not have the wisdom and I would
not have the vision that I complain others
do not have if I were to then take my dis-
appointment out in the form of not sup-
porting this document because I am proud
of what we have done. I believe that we will
have the model judiciary system in the na-
tion as a result of what is printed on these
brown papers before us now. I believe that
we have taken giant steps toward estab-
lishing a strong executive in our state gov-
ernment which is much needed to solve the
same problems to which I alluded earlier,
and I believe that perhaps the most signifi-
cant thing that we have done to prepare
for tomorrow has been the establishment of
single member districts for our state legis-
lature so that I can find much in this doc-
ument that makes me pleased.
Now, I know what the labor leaders,
those that would try to guide the working
men of this State will do. I have been in
their company for the past few days, but I
tell you what I shall tell them. I shall tell
them there is much good in this document
for you because what is good for all the
citizens in good for the employees, too, and
you shall profit and you shall benefit and
I hope that they will have the wisdom and
that they will have the vision and although
we share their disappointment, that they
will rise to the occasion too and support
with us the document that we have
produced.
THE PRESIDENT: These six speakers
are the speakers who had advised the
Chair they desired to speak.
The Chair has received a request from
Delegate Kiefer that he make a brief state-
ment. The Chair will recognize him and
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