The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-04-11

in that body. He thought his youth
and enthusiasm with his future before
him was in his favor
Mr.. ". j. Crosby, OF Cftra. candidate
for the legislature. followed Mr. Cros-
by told of his residence in Florida all
Of his life, and in Marion county for
twelve years, where he had made all
he has from the soil; that he was a
plain farmer and fruit grower That
four Years ago the people of his dis
trict elected him to the board of coun-
~ commissioners, one of the most i'm
portant Offices and most difficult to
NIL in the county, and while he did not
attribute. all of the success of the
board in its administration of the
county's affairs for the past four years
to his own efforts. he felt that he had
done his full share and his full duty in
the good work accomplished. and he
thought his training was a most ex-
cellent one for man who aspired to
represent his people in the legislature;
that he was well fitted in every way to
represent the people there, intelligent
". honestly and in business-like
way, and probably knew the wants and
needs of the common people as well as
any man in the county: that he would
be in constant attention on the body IL
elected, would keep posted on what
was going and do his full share of
the work He stated that it was nearly
la year before the legislature would
convene, and if he should be elected, he
would carefully study all measures
likely to come before that body and
measures that he thought were for the
good Of the people. and be prepared to
act intelligently on them. He believed
in law of equal assessment of all
values, favored the improvement of
our great public school system. He
believed in good roads and the work
ing of convicts on them, but only as
far~Sas the finances of the state and
counties would admit; that the matter
Of employing all the convicts ON the
roads at once was impractical and the
counties could not afford it; that it
seemed to him his own board of COM
missioners had solved the problem as
well as it could be, by partly working
and partly leasing Them thereby maxi
ing the convicts sustain themselves.
Favored the election of T. S. senators
by direct vote; favored submitting the
initiative, referendum and recall to
vote of the people: was not in favor OF
bonding the state for roads, unless by
a vote of the people. He favored the
income tax and increasing the powers
and scope of the railroad commission.
| Mr.. L. S. Light of Reddick, the other
| legislative aspirant, was introduced.
He was unfortunately not a cracker
but a Pennsylvania Dutchman, but the
| fact that he had lived thirty-fou of
his fifty-six years in Marion county,
married a cracker girl, raised a cracker
/ family, made all he had out of cracker
soil, etc, should make him now a
cracker and such he was. He then
gave the audience little jolly on their
crops-the best he had seen and that
the Anthony section was especially
| beautiful and we'll cultivated. When
he first came to Marion he worked for
sixty cents a day, and instead of send
! ing home to his father for money, he
stuck it out and in these same fields,
where he commenced work for Others
at sixty cents a day he had made a
living ever since. He thought his six
teen years of trying to break into the
Legislature had made him a better man
for that job than he could have pos
sibly been if he had never aspired to It,
and he never once referred to the fact
that he was once successful and had
made fine record for his county in
the one term to which he was elected
He had prepared a circular letter and
mailed it to every voter, stating what
he would do and would not DO if sent
to the legislature. This circular would
tell them all these things better than
he in limited time could He thought
the people should use good judgment
in selecting their men for the legisla-
ture AS to his ability. honesty, etc.
he referred to the solid vote received
in his own precinct every time he had
run. He knew before hand as clearly
what he would do in the legislature as
S. T. Sistrunk knew the duties Of his
office, where Mr. Sistrunk could lay
his hands on any paper or information
on a moments notice, as he has proven
by experience: that his methods were
systematic and he had his information
and data a his finger tips and could
get results for his people IL he was
elected He was one of the original
members of the shippers association
that laid information before the rail-
road commission that secured a great
reduction in both local and carload
shipments and saved the farmers thou
sands of dollars in this county, and he
was the only man in the lot prepared
with data to get results. He was the
first man to bring the Southern Ex-
press Company before the commission
If sent to the Legislature he would
save the people in taxation and do his
best to lower the taxes two mills and
with the increased values and more
just equalization of taxes and the great
sum now in the state treasury he felt
this could be done. Much property in
! the state was now assessed at a 1.-THE
| of its value. and especially railroad and
Iother corporation properties. Favored
direct vote on the election of L. S. SEN
ators and abolition of the convict lease
system, but thought must go slow
in the matter. He admired the pres
ent methods of the county commission
ers in this particular; was not in favor
! of bonding the state, favored the ini-
tiative and recall.
Mr.. Payne then introduced Mr.. p. III.
Nugent of Gambler, candidate for coun-
ty clerk Mr.. Nugent made a short
pleasant talk, stating that there were
questions in his candidacy that he
would prefer to discuss in the pam
phlets he was mailing and giving to
1.-THE voters, as the matters would prove
long and tiresome TO the ladies. He had
been thirty years citizen of Marion
county and left the people to be the
Judges of his citizenship and persona