THE PRESIDENT: Is there any discus-
sion?
Delegate Sosnowski.
DELEGATE SOSNOWSKI: Mr. Presi-
dent, on behalf of the nine counties who
may now and forever lose their voice in
the Maryland State Assembly, I would like
to go along with the eight minutes.
THE PRESIDENT: Is there any further
discussion?
Are you ready for the question?
(Call for the question.)
The question arises on the motion to
amend the debate schedule to allow an addi-
tional four minutes of controlled debate to
Delegate Gleason and an additional four
minutes of controlled debate to Delegate
Gallagher.
All those in favor signify by saying
Aye; contrary, No.
The Chair is in doubt. Roll call vote. A
vote Aye is a vote in favor of amending
the debate schedule to allow an additional
four minutes of debate to the proponents
and opponents. A vote No is a vote against.
Have all the delegates voted? Does any
delegate desire to change his vote?
(There was no response.)
The Clerk will record the vote.
There being 95 votes in the affirmative
and 34 in the negative, the motion carries.
The debate schedule is amended.
The Chair recognizes Delegate Powers.
DELEGATE POWERS: Mr. President,
I move the Convention resolve itself into
the Committee of the Whole for the pur-
pose of resuming consideration of the order
of the day.
THE PRESIDENT: Is there a second?
DELEGATE POWERS: Under the
amended debate limit.
THE PRESIDENT: Is there a second?
(Whereupon, the motion was duly sec-
onded.)
THE PRESIDENT: All those in favor,
signify by saying Aye; contrary, No. The
Ayes have it. It is so ordered.
(Whereupon, at 3:32 P.M., the Conven-
tion resolved itself into the Committee of
the Whole.)
(The mace was removed by the Sergeant-
at-Arms.) |
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
NOVEMBER 8, 1967—3:32 P.M.
PRESIDENT H. VERNON ENEY,
PRESIDING
THE CHAIRMAN: The Committee of
the Whole will please come to order.
For what purpose does Delegate Mentzer
arise?
DELEGATE MENTZER: Personal
privilege.
THE CHAIRMAN: State the privilege.
DELEGATE MENTZER: The teachers
from Prince George's County have gone
home. They were here to see our debate on
the composition of the legislature. I know
the legislator from the first district of
Prince George's and his wife, Delegate
Delegate Arthur Dorman and his wife, are
here.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Gleason.
DELEGATE GLEASON: Mr. Chair-
man, 1 apologize to the members of the
Committee of the Whole for having to take
any more time than is necessary to discuss
this issue, and as I am sure everyone
agrees, this is a vitally important issue to
this Convention, and to the members of the
larger as well as the smaller counties.
We are dealing here with the sovereignty
of the people of the State of Maryland.
The question really is how shall that sover-
eignty be exercised with respect to one
branch of the government, the State legis-
lature?
Not too many years ago there was an
English historian of some note, a political
scientist, if you will, a man of great dis-
tinction, great intellect, by the name of
John Stuart Mills. Mr. Mills wrote several
essays on the question of representative
government. At that time, in England, the
House of Commons was composed of men
selected from clubs in London and else-
where, and he was campaigning for a rep-
resentation for the minorities. His motto
was that there would be and there could
be, and there was, in fact, in the legislature
in London and in England itself a tyranny
in the majority.
We are not arguing here today. The mi-
nority report does not argue the case for
one vote per county, but it is arguing
against this Convention putting in the
Constitution itself, if it decides to try, after |
