will be more easily computed because I
think in the Senate there is more need for
representation of every county than there
is in the House. While I am in sympathy
with his motives and his desire to help the
smaller areas and the rural areas, I do feel
that probably we can approach the prob-
lem better by a plan in the Senate.
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any delegate
desire to speak in favor of Amendment
No. 9?
Delegate Hickman.
DELEGATE HICKMAN: Mr. Chair-
man, I would like to remind the delegates
who were favoring the fractional system
of voting if the former amendment had
passed, 108 and 36, that the values of frac-
tional voting would not have changed.
I would expect you, if you were sincere
before, and I am sure you were, to vote for
fractional voting now. It is the only way
people of the small counties have of getting
a voice into the legislature. We have heard
people say that the Committee on Local
Government is taking care of the local sub-
divisions by giving them more power. I
would like to say in answer to that, that
yes, if you want the people in the smaller
counties to go within themselves and take
care of the local problems and have nothing
to say about the running of the Govern-
ment of the State of Maryland, you are in-
deed taking care of these problems.
The only thing you have done is replace
the machinery for getting the legislation
passed. Whereas the local legislation was
passed formerly here in Annapolis it will
now be passed at home, and that is good.
But we also want some representation when
we consider taxation, the budget, the mat-
ter of capital improvements, et cetera.
We can not sit back in our little baili-
wick at home and decide these things, or
have any part in the decision.
I might say that a person who comes
from a county with 20,000 people and who
has one-half of a vote, or who is repre-
sented by a one-half vote, would have a
proportion of 1 to 240, and that would be
the same ratio as having two counties side
by side having 1-120 with each of the two
counties having 20,000 people and only half
of that area represented. So I would ask
those of you here who are going to vote on
this question today to take into considera-
tion that this is the only way we can have
fair representation in the smaller counties. |
THE CHAIRMAN: Does any delegate
desire to speak in opposition?
Delegate Borom.
DELEGATE BOROM: Mr. Chairman,
fellow delegates: There are two things 1
have a great deal of reluctance to do in
this assembly, one of which is to delay the
action of the assembly; the other to pose
a threat that if there are certain things
included in the new constitution the voters
will go against it.
Let me speak on the first area of con-
cern that I have. I am all for moving on
with the business of this Convention. How-
ever, just as some of my fellow delegates
are willing to delay the work of this body
in order to bring out certain provisions in
the Constitution—and I call this the "wear
them down" technique—I am willing to
prolong debate also on those matters
against which I may have strong feelings.
I would say two sides can play the game,
and I characterize the present effort as a
game. It is a numbers game. The evidence
of such shenanigans has no place in a
constitution. Our political slip is showing
right now. If we put this fractional item
in the Constitution the voters will know
exactly what we have been doing here
today.
I would also find that if we leave this
business of expansion, of fractional voting
in the Constitution, we open the way later
for amendments which will further expand
it. This is deception. This is a game.
On my second area of reluctance to
speak, I do not like the reference to the
fact that the voters may turn the con-
stitution down if there is something not in
there that we like, and yet I would find it
very difficult to say to my constituents, or
to explain to them and justify, or speak
in behalf of this particular amendment if
it were included in the constitution. I would
find it very difficult to say to them why it
was there, because if I did I would have
to reveal the actions of this body, and I
think the actions at this point are contrary
to the wishes of the voters of the State.
If we put such an amendment in the con-
stitution we are really insulting the in-
telligence and the dignity of the voters in
the State of Maryland.
I would go further to say that, were
the constitution drafted and put to the
voters with such an item in it, and my
constituents asked me whether I favored
the Constitution at that point, I would
have to say that I would not go for it. |
