The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-06-17
PRESIDING OFFICERS OF
THE NEXT LEGISLATURE
(St. Augustine Record)

MacWilliams of the 31st district,
composed of Flagler and St. Johns
counties, will be president of the
1921 Florida senate. He has a great
many pledges from the hold-overs,
while a number of the new senators,
some of them reelected, have prOmis-
ed to support him. The only other
two aspirants for the position, it Is
understood, were Senator John Moore
Of Walton and Holmes counties. who
did not offer for reelection, and Sen
is reported to have stated that he
would not oppose the st. Augustine
legislator for the honor, they being
warm friends of long standing. There
is no man in Florida more experienced
in legislature matters than Senator
Mac Williams, and it would be a
splendid tribute to ST. Johns county
and to him for his colleagues in the
senate to make him their leader. In
case of a vacancy in the governors
office for any reason, under the Flor
| ida constitution, the president of the
senate becomes the states chief ex-
ecutive There is seldom a fight sfor
the presidency of the senate, as there
are sixteen, (half of them), who hold
over, and they caucus among them
| selves as to their next president, who
| by reason of the constitutional pro-
vision as to filling any possible va
cancy in the governors office, must
| DC a new senator and not a hold-over.
| His term must last as long as that Of
| the governor whose place he might be
| called upon to take at any time. The
| hOld-Overs also caucus as to the dis
| tribution of patronage, the newly
elected senators having no jobs to
distribute.
| One of the surprises of the recent
primary was the election by Marion
county of two very able men to the
lower house of the Florida legislature
They are Nathan Mayo of Summer,
field, a merchant and farmer, and 9
W. Hunter. an Ocala business man
Hunter is a live wire. and hustler
from his heart. He has been a vita
factor for good, uplift and progress:
in the public affairs of The city Of
Ocala for the last seven or elgh
years, and had much valuable exper
fence before becoming a resident ant
| citizen of Marion county. He ant
Mayo are going to try to move thu
county up front in the matter of leg
isIative repreSe ntation, and airead!
thew have come to some sort of al
understanding with other progressive
members of the house of representa-
tIves as to legislation constructlv
| and conservative. They do not pla1
to play the game of politics, thoug
Mr.. Hunter is said to know its ever
twist, but we understand they vii
direct their efforts along lines tina
. mean more bread and meat with but
ter and sugar on the side. Mr.. Hunte
E may make the race for speaker of tn
house If he does there is no questlo
as to his ability to muster consider
. able amount of strength. 1t has bee
, positively announced that he is SCI
+ iously considering offering for thi
distinction. That he would make gooC
| be fair and win the respect of hi
colleagues there is no doubt. Alread
he is a formidable contestant fc
speaker, and has the advantage of nt
n having previously served in the hous
:. where S. D. Harris of Pinellas an
ether candidates for speaker hav
y rubbed certain members more or les
y the wrong way and established ce:
;, tain political alliances that are r.
membered in q thing that gets as h
y aa a speakership race.
! W. A. MacWilliams as president
the senate and C. w. Hunter as spea]
CT of the house would make pair
- presiding officers for the two branch
n OF the legislature of which all FloriC
\ might well be proud.