staffed by a carefully selected
judiciary.

For the first time all Maryland
counties will have "home rule"
to enable them to solve their own
problems without the necessity
of seeking solutions from the
General Assembly.

The new Constitution itself is
only one-third as long as the pres-
ent document and its language has
been updated to make it more
understandable to its readers.

Following careful study of the
new Constitution, Marylanders
must make an important decision.
In doing so they should keep in
mind the words Benjamin Frank-
lin spoke in 1787 when he decided
to vote for the Constitution of the
United States:

"... I doubt whether any other
convention we can obtain may be
able to make a better Constitu-
tion. For when you assemble a
number of men, to have the ad-
vantage of their joint wisdom,

you inevitably assemble with
those men all their prejudices,
their passions, their errors of
opinion, their local interests, and
their selfish views. It therefore
astonishes me, Sir, to find this
system approaching so near to
perfection as it does ..... Thus,
I consent to this Constitution,
Sir, because I expect no better,
and because I am not sure that
it is not the best."

Like Franklin, some Mary-
landers may not agree with all pro-
visions of the Constitution which
has been adopted by the Conven-
tion. However, Maryland citizens
must judge the entire document
and decide whether or not the new
Constitution as a whole will serve
our State and its citizens more
effectively than the present docu-
ment. After a thoughtful review
of the new and the old constitu-
tions, Maryland voters will be pre-
pared to make this important deci-
sion for Maryland on May 14,
1968.