| Volume 138, Preface 9 View pdf image (33K) |
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FOREWORD This compilation of study documents is published by direction of the Constitu- tional Convention Commission as a complementary volume to its report of the constitutional convention commission (1967). Although formal publication of this volume comes after the close of the Con- stitutional Convention and after the special election of May 14, 1968, on the ratifica- tion of the Constitution, nevertheless the material in this volume served its primary purpose of being a workbook for the Convention delegates. These study documents were used by the Commission during the course of its activities and were available to the delegates to the Constitutional Convention either in typewritten form or in offset duplicates of printed proofs. A complete set of all documents was available in the Convention library and, in addition, copies of the pertinent documents were made available to the chairman and staff adviser of each committee of the Conven- tion. Also, research monographs on subjects which were debated in the Committee of the Whole of the Convention were reproduced and distributed to all delegates prior to such debates. The voters of Maryland at the special election on May 14, 1968, rejected the proposed new constitution which had been approved by 133 of the 142 delegates to the Constitutional Convention and had been adopted by the Convention on January 10, 1968. The final vote was 284,033 for ratification and 367,101 against; the total of 651,134 represented very nearly 46 per cent of the total number of registered voters of the State. However, the rejection of the new constitution leaves unresolved the pressing problem of necessary constitutional revision and the Legislative Council has created a special legislative committee on constitutional revision. Also, during the ratification campaign and since, many persons, including some who had strongly opposed ratification, voiced the opinion that there were many provisions in the proposed constitution which were highly desirable and non-controversial and that plans should be made to adopt these provisions as amendments to the present con- stitution. It appears, therefore, that efforts at constitutional revision in Maryland will be continuing. It is hoped that the documents included in this volume will be of assistance in such future efforts and will prove to be a useful contribution to an understanding of the need for and to a further study of constitutional revision in Maryland. As indicated on page 18 of the Report, this volume, there referred to as "Volume II—Source Materials," contains the research monographs prepared for the Com- mission, monographs and addresses relevant to constitutional revision which are pertinent in Maryland but which were not prepared especially for the Commission, position papers addressed to the Commission by various individuals or organizations, and the full text of each of the prior Constitutions of the State of Maryland. It was originally planned to include an index comparison in parallel columns of the present and the three prior Constitutions. This however has been expanded to an actual section-by-section comparison in six parallel columns of the four Maryland constitu- tions as originally adopted, the amendments to the 1776 Constitution and the Con- ix |
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Constitutional Revision Study Documents of the Constitutional Convention Commission, 1968
| Volume 138, Preface 9 View pdf image (33K) |
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