The Yazoo sentinel. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1878-1916, 1915-07-22
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF HON. S. S. GRIFFIN
COVERING PUBLIC SERVICE: HIS MAIDEN SPEECH

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sound judgment, and of the highest
scholarship, who differed with him;
for they shorten the terms only Of
those offices whose holders were Gus
todians of the public funds, not deem
ing this contrary to the best systems
of official administration.
The proposition that it is useless
to educate boys unless they are to be
given offices is absurd-only political
clap-trap and not to be taken serious
ly. County offices not being hered-
itary are open to any and all qualified
electors every four years, be they old
or young, rich or poor, the only thing
necessary being to get a sufficient
number of votes.
Any platform which incites class
against class, or youth against age,
is not sound but pernicious; the last
being against the Fifth Command
ment which is the only Commandment
with promise. And you young men
when you vote. remember the story in
Scripture of those boys who insulted
old bald-headed men and were eaten
up by bears for it.
Mr.. Lockard claims, I understand,
that his services in the office he now
holds have been such as to demand
recognition by promotion. Let US see
whether they have been transcendent
or surprising all others. The best
way to judge of any ones work is by
its fruits.
First: Are our schools ahead of
those of adjoining counties The an
swer is no; and from the speech de-
livered by the Superintendent of Simp-
son at Anding last year, they are far
behind those of that county in every
respect. And this gentleman impress
ed every one by his modesty; for he
claimed no special merit for himself,
but attributed the great improvement
of all schools in Mississippi to good
roads, telephones, rural routes, circu-
lating Libraries, liberal appropriations
by the State and counties, and the
great interest taken by the people in
education. He did not seem to think
that the County Superintendent had
any more to do with this grand march
Of the world to higher civilization
than the fly who sat upon the wheel
as it turned around and imagined he
was moving the whole wagon.
Second: Are our schools turning
out more highly educated men and
women than other counties? Judging
from the number of imported school
teachers, and the absence of Yazoo
teachers, with two exceptions, from
the County High School, the answer
must again be no; for, surely, they
would and should be given the prefer
ence. The two exceptions are, one
who teaches Domestic Science and the
other Music.
In conclusion, Mr.. Lockard appears
on the stump as the Champion of the
Young Men of Yazoo for political
perferment, and as a firm believer in
rotation in Office. This must appear
to all as huge joke. For though
mot clean past his youth. he has
some smack of age in him; some rel
ish of the Sadness of Time" Being
forty-two years of age or beyond the
meridian of life. And as to rotation
he has held four consecutive terms of
the office he now holds; or sixteen
put of the twenty years he has lived
with US. And he asserts the rights
IF the young native born men by con-
senting to take the prize, and will
serve them by giving to all the benefit
If his legal advice. Consistency is
said to be jewel. Where do we find
It, when a middle-aged gentleman
rom Lauderdale County, ornamented
With record of sixteen years con-
inuous Ofice-hOlding, appears as the
champion of Youth, and rotation; and
he triumphas, the plum is not to go
o them for whom he claims to con-
end, but to him.
In great city once, a large crowd
vas chasing a thief, with the usual
~, "Stop thief, stop thief, stop
hief." Among the pursuers was one
rho wore rather a short coat, below
he tail Of which about six inches Of a
sh that he had stolen was dangling:
Il unconscious Of which he was r.
ing faster and shouting louder than
nyone else. After the pursuit was.
yer, one Of the party stepped up to.
i'm and said, -See here, young fell
t, II you were going to join in this.
base. you should have worn a longer