The Monroe journal., 1922-12-26

VI SAdNdAApnt tue ISOuIueT court. Let
Sheriff Griffith be the recorder, in
fact, all the county officers except the
coroner and standard keeper, as
know, he would not want to fool with
as little office as the coroner's or the
standard keepers.
Now, Sheriff, if you will join me in
this l believe We can save lots of the
lear peoples money. When we start
out with this new petition ! want you
% hrst take IT into the clerks office
or Mr.. Lemmond to sign, then to Mr..
.ong. then to Judge Lemmond, then
o Sheriff Fowler, then to the county
ioard of education. | know they will
j sign. They will not do as Mr.. Me
Rae did, refuse to sign. And then we
should ask that the office of superin-
tendent of education be turned over
to the county commissioners. They
could manage this as we'll or better
han Prof. Funderburk and attend to
all these other offices too SO let's go
the whole hog or none. Dog gone this
half way or piece-meal business. Ev-
erybody would join us in this.
The Sheriff has bolted the majority
and is going to if possible force the
majority rule on the people. Secrest
and Bivcns, two experienced commits
s!oners, two commissioners who have
made most excellent records, say it
will not do. Yet we have one commits
sloner who has had no experience,
who has not even yet learned the du-
ties and workings of the office much
less the duties and workings of the
road commissions office, saying it
will do and is determined to force the
people to his way. Men and breth-
ren, don't it beat all. Just stop and
think for just one minute. Just sup
pose that instead of Griffith doing as
he has, that on the 4th of December
that McRae, Collins and Thompson,
the road commission in session, had
discussed the idea of getting up a pc
tition asking that the office of the
county commissioners be abolished
and that their duties be turned over to
the road commission. That it turned
out that McRae favored such a
scheme, but that Collins and Thomp-
son did not. That McRae then be-
came bull-headed and declared that
ne would do it anyhow whether Col
Inns and Thompson favored it or not.
That McRae would have then put out
lis petition. and would have walked
INTO the county commissioners office
and Rave asked Sheriff Griffith, A. A.
Secrest and w. d. Bivens to head the
petition, to sign to abolish their Of
flee. DO you believe for one moment
that they would have signed? No,
they would not, and no other man
would have done it.
Now, where is the saving going to
come in? Surely the Sheriff has it
all figured out So let the public hear
in detail how much you are going to
save. If McRae's job and salary is
abolished, there would be no saving
there, for the Sheriff would get that.
If Collins is thrown out and his job
abolished, there would be no saving
there, for Secrest or Bivens would
get his salary, and if Thompson is
put out there would be no saving
there, for either Secrest or Bivens
would get his salary. | cannot see
where the county would come in and
get any saving, unless the Sheriff and
ne other two commissioners propose
% do the work free. So we have
gained nothing yet. You would still
have to retain your book keeper, un-
ess the Sheriff and the other two
commissioners will do it free. You
VII have to have superintendent of
hahn gang or abolish the gang, un-
less the Sheriff will do it free.
Say, but did you ever know a
county officer to work free when he
could get pay. Sheriff, did you work
free when you were sheriff?
1t might be that the Sheriff thinks
he can manage the office more busi-
ness-like, he might think that McRae
is not competent; if so he should say
SO and not use the other as a subter-
fuge. am free to say from expert
ence with and by observation that
do not believe there is batter quail
fled man in the county for road
chairman than J. d. McRae. He is
strictly honest and has at all times
the interest of the tax payers at
heart, and can say the same for Mr..
Collins and Mr.. Thompson. The COM
mission now is well distributed-one
from Monroe, one from the western
and one from the eastern part Of the
county. If the Sheriff's plans work,
Monroe will have the whole push.
Do you Monroe people think this is
tight? Do the country people think
his would be right? think the
Sheriff means right. He is fine old
gentleman, man l like and admire,
man of fine character; but in this
matter l think he is woefully in error.
This is matter that affects every
voter and taxpayer and they should
De free to speak out. The Sheriff
las brought on this fight and it is up
to the people to see square deal and
hat their interests do not suffer.
do not approve of either of the
Sheriff's petitions. think that it will
be the worse for the county, know
It will. see nothing for roads, nor
10 believe that we will get books any
cheaper. The cost of establishing
and running book store, firmly be-
lieve, will be more than ten per cent.
This will be an experiment and am
afraid costly one. know that the
present road commission can and will
manage the road business as cheaply
and as economically as any three men
ou can get in the county. Whenever
they see they can curtail any expense
hey will do it. So why all this stir9
I you eliminate the price you elimi-
nate all. We must have roads. We