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The signing of this Constitution signals
the end of four months of careful thought
and deliberation by 142 men and women
representing the people of Maryland. As
the Convention closes and the Constitution
is signed, the State of Maryland moves
closer to its goal of a more effective and
responsible government to serve her citi-
zens.
Today's ceremony, however, represents
more than the culmination of this Conven-
tion's work. The signing of this document
is the most significant step yet made in a
series of steps toward a new Constitution
for Maryland. I am pleased indeed that as
Governor of this State, in June of 1965,
I had the foresight to appoint a non-
partisan study commission whose duty it
was, as stated, "to conduct an inquiry into
the necessity for, and extent and nature
of, any amendment, modification or re-
vision of the Constitution of Maryland,
with particular respect to whether a Con-
stitutional Convention should be held, the
procedures for calling such a Convention,
the basis for representation at the Con-
vention and the procedures for the election
of delegates thereto."
As I have previously said, I am pleased
to have played a part in the establishment
of the Commission, and may I add that I
consider the acceptance of the Chairman-
ship of that Commission by the distin-
guished Baltimore lawyer, Mr. H. Vernon
Eney, to have been the greatest of good
fortunes.
The Commission which he headed was
non-partisan and represented the varying
shades of interests in our State. Its final
report speaks for itself, and I need not
elaborate further on it here; but I do want
to say that we were indeed fortunate that
eleven of the members of the original study
Commission were elected delegates to this
Convention, including our President.
The opportunity to work with Mr. Eney
during the past few years has been a most
rewarding experience and one I shall al-
ways remember.
We all regret, I know, that former Gov-
ernor William Preston Lane, the Hon-
orary Chairman of the Commission, did
not live to see the final product of its
labors. Governor Lane was a loyal and
faithful member of the Commission and
contributed greatly to its deliberations.
We are grateful also to Governor Agnew
and to the Maryland General Assembly for
the support and the encouragement they
have given this Convention.
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In addition to the satisfaction of watch-
ing the progress toward the calling of this
Convention and the privilege of assisting
with the steps that led here, I have had
the honor to participate in the framing of
this new Constitution as a delegate. I have
seen the dedication, the determination and
the wisdom which the delegates have ap-
plied to the task. I have been conscious of
the wide breadth of experience and the
depth of knowledge that these men and
women, representing a cross-section of
Maryland's citizenry, have contributed to
this assembly. I have witnessed and en-
gaged in the long hours of study and de-
bate devoted to the drafting of this docu-
ment.
Needless to say, I owe a debt of un-
dying gratitude to all of you for naming
me Honorary President of this body; and
let me hasten to say here that at no time
during the period of planning for this Con-
vention did the slightest thought occur to
me to permit my name to be filed as a
candidate from my County of Somerset.
Suffice it to say that I am greatly pleased
and honored that it did happen as I have
enjoyed immensely the fellowship of this
delightful group of ladies and gentlemen.
It has been a great privilege.
When I came here last September, I
decided that I would not take the floor at
any time on any subject. I assure you,
however, that this in no way reflected a
lack of interest in the many provocative,
challenging and stimulating proposals we
have faced during these sessions. On the
contrary, my interest in every proposal has
been deep and abiding, and let me say that
I have been sorely tempted from time to
time to enter into the discussions, par-
ticularly on occasions when the outlook on
some proposals which I considered to be
of special importance appeared to be in
deep trouble. But in the end, I stuck by
my original plan feeling, as I did, that my
role in creating this Convention and my
activity here might in some way be in-
terpreted as being in conflict.
I would suppose that I have probably
spent more time in the political arena than
anyone else here — more than thirty-six
years. I can think of no greater good
fortune, as I reach these twilight years of
my life, than to have been able to come
here, as I have, and climax this career in
public life in an endeavor such as this in
which we have attempted to forge a basic
law that will serve Marylanders of this
generation and of many, many generations
to come.
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