The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1910-01-27
GRIFFITH CALLED
CANNON IDOLIZER.
Stand Patter, Who Seeks Dear
mOnd's Place, Supported Negro
Against Democrat.

Greenfield, Mo-, Jan. Phil S. Crit
fifth, whose nomination to succeed the
late Congressman David A. Dear
mond, in the Sixth District, was
Steam-rollered through the conven-
ton of Republican PostmaSters at
Butler, will join the parrot brigade in
Washington if by any chance he
should defeat former Senator c. c. |
Dickinson at the special election
February |,
Griffith is a standpatter of the un-
adulterated brand. His worship OF
Uncle Joe Cannon may be likened to
idolatry. He preached the virtues of
the 'Danville sage" when the Speak
er was spoken of as a presidential
possibility and has been boosting him
ever since. Griffith views the House
insurgents or Republican progress
sives in the light of traitors.
AT least, that is what those init
mately acquainted with him say and
an interview with the congressional
aspirant failed to indicate otherwise.
1t is a pretty safe prediction that
Griffith, should he be sent to Con-
gress, would be as subservient to
Cannon's wishes as Senator Warner
is to Senator Aldrich' S now.
Griffith's rampant partisanship is a
topic of general comment in Green
field, where he edits The Vedette.
He can see only RepublicaniSm, and
his definition of that term is ''regu-
lar" and not "insurgent." 1t makes
no difference to Griffith whether the
: ticket he supports is national, state,
. county or municipal. He insists that
S every Republican must vote 'er
straight. This story, told by Grit
i fith's fellow-townsmen, is said to be
typical of his rabid partisanship. His
i father-in-law, known to all of Dadt
h county as "Uncle Jack" Johnson, 8
bank president and leading citizen,
. became the Democratic candidate fol
County Judge. Griffith opposed him
in his paper and is said to have voted
against him, although hundreds Of
d Republicans supported him.
- Holds Party Above Family.
e Mr.. johnson was elected and /!
l. now the Presiding Judge of the Dadt
County Court. Subsequently broth
er-in-law of Griffith, who is also
banker, was put up as the Demo
r. cratic treasurer. Griffith again pu
partisanship above family and person
al regard and fought his brother-n
IdW, WIN NdS uClCdtCu'
On another occasion negroes gain
ed control of one of the wards o
le Greenfield and nominated one OF thel
race for Alderman. The Democrats
&c of course, nominated a white man
r. Griffith, it is said, wrote long edito
= rials in advocacy of the election of tn
entire local Republican ticket, not ex
r cepting the negro aldermanic candi
ID date. The negro was beaten.
Uncle Joe Cannon, as Champ Clar
ol recently said in a speech in this dis
trict, will welcome with wide gri
lg the advent in Congress of such Re
publican regular"
The Republican convention tn;
nominated Griffith, it is charged, wa
" largely made up of PostmasterS VIII
receive daily lessons in politics, alon
lg with instructions on Governmel
lg business, from Postmaster Gener
Frank Hitchcock, who is chairman {
ut the Republican National Committe'
II and originator of steam-roller met
m ods.
ut This convention indorsed the Payn
Aldrich tariff law, Republican extra
agance and everything else Republ
can that the progressives will nj
=, stomach, in a broad resolution tn
- might have been written by Hitcl
nv cock himself.
1t was one of these "a-king-can-d
-. no-wrong" documents and include
~ - in this category President Taft, Sen
- tor Aldrich, Speaker Cannon, Payl
- ct al.
Condemned by Papers.
he 1t was this platform, and Griffith
as declaration on it, that caused co
demnation by the strongest indepen
,yt ent newspapers of the state.