The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-09-27
GRIGGS' FIRST GUN.
The Republican Candidate
Already Looks Tired
Of Life.
RETHREsHING OLD STRAW
Bergen Hall Packed With Office
Holders-Flayel McGee Agress-
i've Towards the Liquor
Trade.
RETHREsHING OLD STRAW

ave 1UWdIuS tllG LIN uVl
Trade.
John W. Griggs opened the campaign
| for the Republicans last evening with
speech at Bergen Hall, this city. 1t was
not convincing speech. 1t was not
even inspiriting speecn It created no
real enthusiasm among the Republicans
who heard him. If there were any Dem
| ocrats in the audience, it assuredly made
no impression on them-unless it were
one of disgust.
| Mr.. Griggs had large audience to
hear him. The entire force of the Street
and Water Board was there. The men
from the pipe yards wera mustered IN
force, and the off-gang at Belleville was
on hand, too. Commissioners Harding,
Hooker ard Kaiser were there to count
noses, so there was no shirking. Johnny
Brennan was there, too, so it is sur
of buffaloes in the crowd. Judge Blair,
James c. Young, Major Pang5orn and
Editor Benson gave a leaven of respect
| ability to the crowd on the floor. The
| platform was altogether given over to
+! officeholders Young Mr.. Higgins of the
| Sheriffs office occupied two-tIirds of it.
The rest was parcelled out between Sher-
| iff Toffey, Alderman Vermilye. Commits
sioners Hooker and Harding, and the
| speakers of the evening, Mr.. Griggs and
| Flavel MCGEE.
Mr. Griggs looks like the Right Hon.
| Joseph Chamberlain, "Brummagem
joe" brought down to narrow gauge. He
is a narrow gauge man, elegantly tapered
off from his shoulders to his head and
his feet. AS he first faces the audience,
he reminds you of an image in YER
tical cylindrical looking glass. The mar
you study his eyes. They are very char
acteristic eyes. They are SO close to-
gether that there is hardly room for the
narrow bridge of his nose between them
They are set at such an axial pitch that
they seem to be eternally focused on
point one inch in front OF the tip of
Mr.. Griggs' nose AS he talks, these
eyes fascinate you. They seem to be
reading what he says from that focal
point-just one inch in front of his nose.
and as the words penetrate your sense,
A. Of biS
minds eye is also one inch in front OF
his nose.
Mr. Griggs' voice seems to fit his as
pect. 1t is rather high pitched. cold and
oddly muff1ed, like the voice of a man
talking through a narrow aperture. His
manner is polished but cold. For the
first half of his speech he kept his left
hand in the pocket of his light English
cut trousers while he sawed the air
with his right. When the right got tired
he put it in his pocket and worked the
left until the very close of his speech.
when he went back to the right for
greater effect. 90
Mr.. Griggs' young looking face wore
a strange look of utter fatigue. His
voice sounded worn. His manner was
that of a man tired of life. His speech
in every part lacked animation and fer
vor, though it was always earnest, and
once or twice sort of fanatical convic-
ton was observable. such as Salvation
Army enthusiasts are apt to display.
Once, Mr.. Griggs was charming. 1t was
Governor Werts' expense at which every
body laughed. For a second he. too.
broke out into a boyish laugh, which
was very taking and which helps to ac-
count for the number of people who are
opposed to John w. Griggs and who
fear his principles, but who will yet tell
you he is q good fellow.
The speech was a lawyers speech |
1t was built on the jury plan. Mr.. Griggs |
picked out a number of facts, damaging |
to the Democratic party. He connected |
these with a tangle of differences of mis-
own, largely unwarranted. He put out |
of his sight every qualifying crcum-
stance, and, of course, ignored every |
thing damaging to himself or his side. |
The result was a sort of ragged fabric |
of many pieces and colors, which only
needs a shake to reduce it to tatters.
When he spoke of the ballot box frauds
in Hudson he had not one word to say
about the Democratic Grand jury, the |
Democratic Prosecutor or the Democrat
ic Judge who sternly punished Them
When he spoke of the Senate muddle
in 1894, he gave no word of credit to- the
bench of Democratic judges who un-
hesltatingly enforced the law and the
right He exaggerated in general terms
the picayune frauds discovered by the
Voorhees, Committee, but he had no
word to say of the load of debt left on
the State in 1883 and wiped out during
Abbett's administration; he made no al
Iusion to the surplus built up after the
debt was paid. and he gave no credit
for the great works of public utility and
completed simultaneously. He
said the watchword of the Republican
party was retrenchment. but he had no