or 18 is two-thirds of 27, and two-thirds of
the people in that house district are very
likely to be in Kent County, and they are
going to control the area.
THE CHAIRMAN: Are there any
further questions?
Delegate Bennett?
DELEGATE BENNETT: Mr. Gilchrist,
I do not know whether you have had an
opportunity as yet to read the report of
the Committee on Local Government.
DELEGATE GILCHRIST: I have not,
sir.
DELEGATE BENNETT: There is a
proviso in there, as you know, or a sug-
gestion that there might be such things as
multi-county government, and in that case,
if that were adopted—
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Bennett,
would you hold the microphone close to
your mouth, please, sir?
DELEGATE BENNETT:—if that were
adopted, would that not change the thrust
of your argument considerably?
DELEGATE GILCHRIST: Not at all,
sir, because this is totally adaptable to an
amalgamation of counties. It is simply re-
lated to the senatorial districts.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Hanson?
DELEGATE HANSON: Delegate Gil-
christ, since we did not have an opportunity
to discuss this in Committee, I wonder if
it would be possible under this plan for the
delegation from one large county to decide
to use the four-to-one ratio and have single-
member districts, and a delegation from
another district, to decide for the slot sys-
tem, another to prefer a multi-member sys-
tem with residence districts and still an-
other, a multi-member system with winner
take all.
DELEGATE GILCHRIST: Of course,
the legislature is going to have to deter-
mine what this will be. You just partici-
pated in one in which you let the legis-
lature have free reign as to anything it
wanted to do with it, and this is more
restrictive than that.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Hanson.
DELEGATE HANSON: Thank you, sir.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Beatrice
Miller.
DELEGATE B. MILLER: Delegate Gil-
christ, you indicated in answer to a ques- |
tion of Delegate Sollins that it was possi-
ble, though not probable, that all counties
could be represented under your plan, using
the same system. If the most unfortunate
circumstances were to happen, how many
counties could be unrepresented under that
plan?
DELEGATE GILCHRIST: If you could
persuade the people of Somerset close to
Wicomico and Dorchester all to vote for
the same person from one of the counties,
unquestionably you would have three coun-
ties unrepresented in that district. The
same thing is true if you got into Talbot
and Caroline, Queen Annes and Kent, but
it seems to me that it is improbable.
DELEGATE B. MILLER: How many of
the total would there be of such a proba-
bility or possibility?
DELEGATE GILCHRIST: Obviously
you can run into a probability range that
would be about 7 or 8.
THE CHAIRMAN: Are there any
further questions of the minority spokes-
man? If not, if he will return to his seat,
and we will take up the consideration of
Amendment No. 5.
The Clerk will read the amendment.
Before the amendment is read, are copies
being distributed?
Please strike out the printed language
"to Amendment No."
Amendment No. 5 to Committee Recom-
mendation LB-I. The Clerk will read the
amendment.
READING CLERK: Amendment No. 5
to Committee Recommendation LB-I, by
Delegates Gilchrist, Bushong, Anderson,
Linton, Gleason and Della: On pages 1 and
2 of Committee Recommendation No. LB-I
strike all of Section 3.04. "Composition of
the Legislature" and insert in lieu thereof
the following section:
"Section 3.04. Composition of the Legis-
lature.
The General Assembly shall prescribe
by law the number of members of each
house of the General Assembly, but the
total membership of both houses shall
not exceed one hundred and eighty. The
General Assembly shall prescribe by law
the ratio of the number of members of
the Senate, but the ratio shall not be
greater than four to one. The state shall
be divided by law into districts for the
election of senators. Senatorial districts |
