of the administrative assistants so that the
information service will be aware of what
is happening in every committee at all
times.
It should be noted at this point that the
State Department of Education has also
worked out for the secondary schools of the
State a course of study on the need for
constitutional revision in Maryland, and
the activities of this Convention will be-
come an important part of the teaching in
those schools of civics, history and of
courses in the problems of democracy. The
Constitutional Convention Commission and
your officers have cooperated with the State
Department of Education in this project,
and the State Superintendent of Schools a
few days ago issued an elaborate resource
guide on the Maryland Constitutional Con-
vention comprising approximately 115 pages
and designed specifically to aid the teachers
in the secondary public schools of the State.
In addition, a seminar for those teachers
will be held in a few days to discuss this
program in detail. As a part of this pro-
gram, large numbers of school children will
be visiting the Convention and observing
its work throughout the next three months.
Other institutions and interested groups
are likewise planning special lectures, semi-
nars and discussion groups and visits to
the Convention. For instance, the Enoch
Pratt Library in Baltimore and the Balti-
more County Library are jointly under-
taking a very comprehensive program of
public information and education on the
subject of the Constitutional Convention
and have invited representatives of Balti-
more City and Baltimore County business
and community groups to meet with library
representatives next week to discuss meth-
ods of accomplishing this purpose. Your
officers will also participate in this session.
All of these efforts will, we hope, result
in the visits of numerous groups, both large
and small, to observe the work of the Con-
vention in the next few months. We have
thus far had requests from several large
groups—one consisting of 200 teachers—
to observe the Convention in session. It is
of course highly desirable that this par-
ticipation by the public be encouraged in
every possible way, and, at the same time,
it must be done in such a way as not to
interfere with the work of the Convention
or of its committees. To assist in this and
to make these visits more meaningful, we
hope to have each group visiting the Con-
vention first assemble to view either a mo-
tion picture or one of three narrated slide
shows which are available and to hear a |
brief talk from a member of the Conven-
tion staff especially assigned for this pur-
pose. This staff member will then escort
the group to committee rooms or to the
Convention galleries. It will be the duty of
the staff tour leader to be familiar with
the particular topic being discussed by the
committee or the Convention at the time
of the tour so that he may inform the
visiting group about it and answer any
questions which may be asked.
Nearly two weeks ago, your officers and
the chairmen of all committees had a
lengthy session at which we reviewed the
organization of the Convention staff and
considered a possible timetable for the work
of the Convention. We are all agreed that
the work of the Convention must be
planned for completion within 90 days so
that the possible 30 days additional which
may be authorized will be available as a
cushion of time to provide for unexpected
contingencies. To achieve this goal of com-
pletion in 90 days, we must plan our work
on a schedule of five days a week from
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. beginning immedi-
ately.
I will not attempt this afternoon to give
you all the details of the program, except
to point out that very roughly we contem-
plate 30 days for hearings, 30 days for
drafting and discussion, and 30 days for
debate and decision.
At the early stages of our work there
will not be a necessity for lengthy sessions
of the Convention and no necessity for ses-
sions of the Committee of the Whole. Ac-
cordingly, in order to allow as much un-
interrupted time as possible f or committee
hearings, the daily sessions of the Conven-
tion will, for the present time, be sched-
uled for 2:00 p.m. For the most part, they
will probably last only one-half hour or a
little more. This will permit committees to
have continuous hearings from 9:00 a.m.
until lunchtime and then to resume for a
discussion or study period following the
recess of the Convention until approxi-
mately 5:00 p.m. I have no doubt that even
with this schedule longer and later sessions
will be required toward the end of the 90-
day period.
Each of you knows from the memoranda
heretofore sent to you that your two vice-
presidents and I are each assigned as
liaison members to several committees and
that members of the Committee on Style,
Drafting and Arrangement and members
of the Committee on Calendar and Agenda
are also assigned as liaison members to the
several committees. This is for the purpose |
