The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-01-12
From the Albany Herald:

us UTI6I anu starting message |
was flashed from Dawson shortly |
after 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon.
1t reached Albany by telephone with
in a few minutes after the beloved |
congressman had breathed his last |
and it was realized by his family and |
those who had been hastily sum-
moned that he was really dead The |
news spread rapidly throughout AL
bany, and soon The Herald office was |
besieged with inquiries by messenger |
and by telephone as to whether it |
were really true that Congressman |
Griggs was dead. People were 10th |
to believe the report, and hoped that !
there might be some mistake about |
it. But alas! it proved to be only |
too true.
In an experience of nearly forty |
years as a newspaper writer and |
chronicler of current events the edi- |
tor of The Herald has rarely APP
preached a subject with a heavier |
heart or more conscious trepidation |
than he experiences as he is called |
upon to pay what he realizes is a
last tribute to the close personal and
political friend whose brilliant ca
reer the silent hand of death so sud
denly closed Yesterday tribute
which, it is also realized, must seem
both inadequate and imperfect.
Judge Griggs resigned the judge
ship of the Pataula circuit to run
| for congress in 1896, and had been
continuously in congress as the rep
resentative of the Second district up
| to the time of his untimely death.
And after these years of public SER
vice we believe it may be truly said
| that there is not in the district today
man who can ever fill his place
in the hearts of the people. There
was a personal charm and magnetism
about the man that drew the masses
to him, and he numbered his warm
personal friends-men who would go
their length for him or fight for him,
if necessary the score in every
county of the district. And loyalty
to his friends was one of his most
Conspicuous traits.
The people of the Second district
have lost in the death of Congress
man Griggs a representative at the
national capital whose place will be
hard to fill. 1t was not only on the
floor of the house of representatives
| that he served his constituents with
! fidelity and distinguished ability, but
in all the departments of the national
government he was popular and in
! fuential. He perhaps did more for
| his constituents and obtained more
appointments and favors for people
in his district than any other mem
Der of the Georgia delegation in con-
gress. And the humblest man in his
district could enlist his sympathy and
friendly assistance
| Endowed with brilliant intellect
quick wit and sunshiny disposition,
gifted in repartee and with a pleas
| ing personality, Judge Griggs was
we'll equipped for the life of a pub
! lie man. He had the happy faculty
of adapting himself to any company
and making himself agreeable and
companionable, whether in the cour.-
room among lawyers and court Off
Gals, in the select company of dis
tinguished men or with a group OF
the wool hat boys in the rural dis
tricts. And, yet, there was a serious
| side to the man that made him
! patriot and statesman. He was rec
ognized as one of the strongest men
on the democratic side of the house
of representatives, and was honored
with important assignments in de-
bate when questions involving party
principles and constitutional law
were under consideration. He was
also given conspicuous recognition in
the committee assignments. He was
leading member Of the house com
mittee on postoffices and post roads
/ for several terms, and at the begin
ming of the sixtieth congress was
honored with a place on the most i'm
pOrtant committee of the house, ways
and means. He was twice made
chairman of the democratic congress
sional campaign committee by his
party colleagues.
The death of Jim" Griggs-that's
the familiar name by which thou
sands of his constituents called him
has cast a gloom over the Second
congressional district, and through
out the entire state his name will be
spoken in measures tones of sup
pressed emotion as the news of his
death is received. The Second dis
trict has lost a representative in con-
gress whose place will be hard to
| fill, and the state one of her most
| brilliant sons.