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forts h:ivii produced a document of hope
and prc-j-i-sss, both for Marylanders and
our icllr.v/ Americans in other states.
Permit me to express my appreciation
for the lienor of participating with you in
the discharge of this historic trust.
(The, delegates rose and applauded.)
TKK PRESIDENT: The Chair recog-
nizes Dule Adkins, Jr.
DELEGATE ADKINS: Mr. President,
members of this distinguished assembly,
as \ve meet in the closing moments of this
great Convention, we would be less than
human if we did not feel to some degree
the weight of history pressing upon us.
As our predecessors a hundred years
ago, so here we for many months joined
in intense, intelligent, and articulate de-
bate, the end product of which we now
proudly present to the people of Maryland.
Hopefully, Mr. President, we have writ-
ten for the ages — with certainty we are at
least convinced that we have written
wisely for the moment.
The charter we present to the people of
Maryland bears the imprint of no single
group — neither conservative nor liberal,
Republican nor Democrat, neither white
nor black. It represents the finest recon-
ciliation of strongly held views that this
Convention could produce. The near unani-
mous vote which it has received testifies
to the patience, the good will, and the self-
lesnne,';s with which this Convention under
your inspired leadership, Mr. President,
has conducted its business.
Hov/ever satisfied we are, the final test
is yet to come. Have we discharged our
obligation in a manner pleasing to the
voters of Maryland?
There will be opposition. Some will op-
pose for selfish reasons, some for reasons
of misunderstanding, some because of basic
disagreements of philosophy.
Hard though our work has been, our
real task is now before us for we are
peculiarly equipped to explain this docu-
ment to the people of Maryland and that
we must do.
The facts and logic which supported this
document in these halls when presented
properly to the people will prove as com-
pelling to the voters of Maryland as those
facts of logic have proven to us.
Let us therefore now, as the final act of
dedication of this Convention, say to our-
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selves that each of us in turn must turn
our full attention to the ratification of this
great document lest our labors be in vain.
To do less, I suggest, would violate our
duty to ourselves and to the great people
of the State of Maryland. Having done
that, we can do no more.
(Tli e delegates rose and applauded.)
THE PRESIDENT: The Chair recog-
nizes Delegate C. William Gilchrist.
DELEGATE GILCHRIST: Mr. Presi-
dent, fellow delegates, and ladies and
gentlemen :
Four months ago we came into this
chamber from a variety of stations of life,
with varying philosophies, but with a
unanimous thought in mind — that all of
us would do that which was within our
power to write the best Constitution we
could devise for Maryland.
Today we are signing a document — a
good document. It is not an ideal consti-
tution, for one simple reason: There is no
such thing as an ideal constitution, for
constitutions are written by human beings,
with human frailities. They are written by
groups, so they must necessarily be group
thinking, and cannot represent all the ideas
of a single man. Each of us can find in
this constitution something which he would
wish were not there.
Far more important, each of us finds in
this document much that we believe to be
very good, much that will be of great bene-
fit for our State and its people. On that
good we must stake our hopes.
There have been sharp differences on
this floor, yet we have been able to resolve
those differences and find in this document
that which is acceptable to us, that which
we can recommend wholeheartedly to the
people of Maryland.
As delegates we have learned to know
Maryland's problems. We have had months
of intensive study. As we have been given
this knowledge, so also have we been given
a duty to spread that knowledge and the
faith we have developed in this Constitu-
tion.
We have one more thing to do to justify
the honor which has been clone us. We
must convince the people of Maryland that
we have done our best and that we have
done it for all of them. We have many
miles to go before we rest.
Thank you.
(Applause.)
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