The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-09-25
WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER Is. 1895.
This paper is Democratic IN principles
and is Independent an its uieos o. q" local
questions.
Griggs, Fatal Defenders.

ftepubtlcdH oIeS' iACy JUDS ~
around and tear their hair and call THE
Jersey City News" names. They are
mad clean through and through. It's
all about Griggs. Poor Griggs. His
record is an awful agony to his news
paper supporters and even a casual allu-
sion to it drives them into .spasms.
The Estate Gazette in particular
bowls. Mingled rage and terror make
its cry ear-splitting. 1t sounds like a
hyena caught in a trap. 1t is the mis-
fortune of the state Gazette to lose
its temper the moment it is confronted
with the truth. When it loses it's tenn
per. it is always coarse. When it Z is
coarse. it is never rational. 1t is very
coarse this morning.
W. could forgive the State Gazette
for being a prevaricator. 1t cannot help
that. THAI is the essence Of Republican
Journalism. But we cannot forgive it
for being a fool. When it tries to set
away from Griggs' record, it reminds
us of the tabled ostrich. The more
dignifed course would be to stand by
the record and AXE the consequences.
But what is the stat Gazette, if not
n~ndignihed. raie3 + las
In common with the rest of its party,
It is engaged just now in an unsee.nly
cramble for the liquor vote. It is
willing to disavow the whole past policy
- -, ,aI .ro~of-at o1.-+Isva - ont
everything to the rum sellers if they
viii only array their strength on the
side of the moral and independent lobby
list of the East Jersey Water Company.
As a first step to this. it is necessary
to crawl out from under the High Lii
cense law of 1883. This the state
Gazette" starts in to do in this fashion,:
One or two Democrat tic editors have
gone 80 far as to express mock sym
patty for Mr.. GTiggs for having been
the Naify Maguire Of .Tbe jersey City
News charges him with being a eau
Gus Ioei." and wiki "smothering his
conscietace aid stultifying his intellect
at tie crack Of the party whip"
Mr. GrsggSi loyalty TO his party has
never been questioned and he has been
loyal because the party of which he is
q member is foGrded on sound and hon.
est principles tlat ne has always been
eager and proud to reflect. If in his ac-
Mr.. Griggs was unvise; If he did my
thing calculated to lower the morals OF
welfare of this Commonwealth, then the
responsibility of it must be borne by
the party whose spokesman he was.
Well. we will let it go at that. Griggs,
we will assume on the Estate Gazette's''
authority, was a good friend of the liquor
interests in his heart. It was the Re
publican party which was determined to
suppress the traffic, and which, as the
Estate Gazette says, must bear the
responsibility now.
We simply ask:-Has Griggs ceased to
be a Republican? Is he less loyal to his
party now than then? Or can the
liquor men, can antique Nose voters
generally discriminate now between the
responsible party and its irresponsible"
spokesman, when he is once again put
up as its standard bearer and chosen
representative? Does not the Estate
Gazette dimly perceive that its position
is ~asinine?
We are sorry-sincerely sorry-to see
the baby act pleaded for Griggs. We
hope, when he takes the stump himself,
he will assume a more manly tone He
had cut his eye teeth in 1888. Either he
did believe in the liquor law of 1888 or
he did not. but he certainly so far pro-
moted it that it is written down in his,
tory as the sGriggs Law" If he did not
believe in it. he is from the very facts
condemned as an u-hscrupulous poll
tician, a conscious advocate of wrong,
a perjurer as a legislator and a betray-
er of the people. This is what the Estate
Gazette" in its desperation, is trying to
make him out to be.
If he did believe in the law. on the
other hand. he is an oppressive Roose-
veltian crank. He is an unsafe man to
trust with the liberties of the people.
lie is the enemy not only of the liquor
interests+that is a trifling matter-but
of the personal rights of the people of
this Stat. This alone should be sufficient
to secure his condign defeat at the polls.
THE camden Courier also is driven
into commissions by our d~enunciatfon of
Graggs as a corporation tool by nature
and by purchase. 1t amusingay says
The whole life of the man, official and
otherwise. and known to all familiar
with State affairs, gives the lie to such
a statement, and it is surprising how a
newspaper man. who is supposed to be
properly posted upon the subject on
which he writes. should give currency
to it.
1t would be waste Of time to reply at
any length to this nonsense at this time.
We viii print. at an early day, prob
ably next week, some of Mr.. Griggs'
own speeches. After reading them, the
scouriers will search the State for a
hole to hide in.
A Surplus I'm Sight.
AT this interesting conjuncture, thes
news comes from Washington that the
Wilson tariff is en- the point Of vindi-
eating itself in It's last doubtful aspect.
The end of the deficit in the National