78                       JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS                         [Jan. 7

guished gentleman, who for the last half hour has been serving as Acting Governor. The Honorable William Smith James of Harford County has been working in this building for 22 years. During this period he has built up an extraordinary record of very solid achievement. In the spectrum of political ideology, it would be my personal judgment based on very long observation that Senator James should be listed as a moderate liberal. He is not a flamboyant liberal, he is not a doctrinaire liberal, but he is a man who has conceived, sponsored, and carried through to fruition an impressive array of strong legislation for the good of the people of this State. Progressive, innovative, imaginative legislation. I would refer you to his bills, which incidentally have always found their ways into the records subsequently claimed by a whole series of Governors as what they have done, but they include legislation creating the community college system in Maryland; legislation that finally broke the horrible knot on reapportionment and got it on the road, so that we could do it rather than some court; the Unsatisfied Claim and Judgment Fund; the Nursing Home Construction Aid; the School Incentive Fund Act of 1955, of enormous importance; the original water pollution control legislation of 1957, the first real legislation of any meaning in that field in this State. I could go on at considerable length but that is a sample of the kind of work that this distinguished man has turned out. I am not going to give you a lot of biography, you know Senator James too well. But let it, suffice to say, in the loose use of terms that occurs so frequently down here, if anybody can truthfully be called a real statesman in the true sense of the word, a gentleman and a scholar, a scholar of government, and a man of total integrity, I give you Senator James; and it is my high honor to place his name in nomination for the Office of Governor."

Read and journalized.

Senator Harry R. Hughes seconded the nomination of Senator William S. James, as follows:

"Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen of the General Assembly, and the people of Maryland:

"During the years you serve in Annapolis, as you well know, you make many close friends and you acquire respect for many of your colleagues. I found during my fourteen years in Annapolis that my closest friend is Bill James. I have worked closer with him than any other member of this General Assembly, and I must say that during the years, I have acquired the highest respect for this gentleman. Bill James is probably the greatest student of government that we have in the General Assembly and maybe in the State of Maryland, and I would say 'yes' in the State of Maryland. He is able, he is conscientious, and he is a man of tremendous integrity. As you know, he has served as the Presiding Officer for the Senate of Maryland for the past several years. I know of no one that would disagree with the statement that Bill James has been not only an able Presiding Officer but one who has exercised tremendous administrative ability and throughout all the trials and tribulations has been a fair Presiding Officer. I am aware of the legislation that Senator Lee has mentioned to you, which is only a partial list of this man's accomplishments, and it is a tremendous indication of his foresight and his enlightened attitude towards government and what government is for. To sum it all up, I would say very simply that I know of no man who deserves to be Governor of Maryland any more than Bill James, and I know of no man who can fill that office any better than Bill James can do it. Therefore, it gives me great honor to second the nomination of William S. James."

Read and journalized.