1894 JOINT RESOLUTIONS.

other States, and from there to all public lands and natural
resources, and so destroy our present system of dual sover-
eignty and constitutional government; and

WHEREAS, the claims of those who would extend the Fed-
eral power are sought to be plausibly and immediately
masked under the needs for defense of natural resources, in-
cluding oil, and the necessity of Federal power over marginal
seas for national defense; and

WHEREAS, actually the establishment of the open seas at
a point within three miles of the shore line may, in many
cases, if not all, materially weaken the position of the United
States in international law and thus hinder national de-
fense; and

WHEREAS, the Congress of the United States has hereto-
fore passed a Bill (which was vetoed by the President of
the United States) to retain in the States their formerly
undisputed sovereignty and rights with the saving provision
as follows:

"Provided, however, That nothing in this Act shall affect
the use, development, improvement, and control by or un-
der the authority of the United States of said lands and
waters for the purposes of navigation or flood control or
the production or distribution of power, or be construed
as the release or relinquishment of any rights of the
United States arising under the authority of Congress to
regulate or improve navigation or to provide for flood con-
trol or the production or distribution of power. '7
and:

WHEREAS, a majority of both Democrats and Republicans
in the Congress, since the decision of U. S. v. California,
have always favored the passage of such a Bill; and

WHEREAS, similar Bills are now pending in the Congress
of the United States; now therefore, be it

Resolved by the General Assembly of Maryland, (1) That
the State of Maryland is emphatically in favor of continued
State ownership and control, subject only to constitutionally
delegated Federal powers of lands and resources within and
beneath navigable waters within the boundaries of the re-
spective States and requests Congress to pass suitable legis-
lation to that end;