The Monroe journal., 1922-12-19
GRIFFITH And MCRAE ARE
SUBJECT OF PEN PICTURE
Old Sheriff Is a Warrior Like Unto
the Old Tiger Of France and
McRae is Scothman
EACH AS GOOD AS THE OTHER
BUT BOTH ARE DIFFERENT
In Goodhumored Sketch. "Onlooker"
Describes the Contest over Petition
to Legislature to Change Duties of
Road Conmissioners-Pays Fine
Tribute 70 Sheriff but Thinks He
Looks Back 70 Past Teo Much.


Tribute 70 Sheriff but Thinks He
Looks Back 70 Past Teo Much.
By Onlooker
The fight is on; the pleas Of preach
ers cannot stay il, the protestations
of political peacemakers cannot pre-
vent it, the solicitations of friends
cannot allay it. The hats are in the
ring, the opposing factions have dof-
fed their coats, donned their armor,
girded up their loins and rushed to
the conflict. It's now root hog or die,
sink or swim, the best man or the
best cause wins, or as Shakespeare
and Major Heath have said: Lay
on McDuff and damned be he who
first cries hold enough" Get off the
fence, ye laggard souls, and join the
strife! Be either for or against!
What's more delightful than poll
tical row? Conversational topics are
on the wane, but now that the fight
has begun the holidays will be mer-
rier and more eventful in old Union,
because forsooth there's something
OH the political horizon to talk about
On the one side is ex-sheritf Grif-
filth, veteran of many political cam
paigns, with an immense personal
following and with a reputation of
never having lost a political fight.
His helpers and cohorts are SURVIVING
over the county for signers to his
petition. With his sparcely white hair,
his snow-white mustachios, militant
cane, dauntless spirit and inherent
honesty of purpose, the old sheriff
presents a picturesque figure. One
that might have been fittingly i'm
mortalized on the pages of fiction
perfect picture of an old Southern
gentleman, fighting against new
tangled IDEAS" the high cost of living,
extravaganza and waste-a veritable
Don Quixote fighting against wind
mills.
He is worried over the tendency
of the times; he fears the bankruptcy
Of the county. He believes we are GO
ing forward too hurriedly, too swift
ly, alas too precipitiously. He seems
TO want to yell out in stentorian tones
"S.and no! Hold fast!" his motto
probably being MAKE haste slowly"
His is the attitude of grizzled age,
the attitude of men who have lost
the restlessness, the ideals and pro-
gressivism of youth, the desire for
change and reform that is rampant
in the heart of youth and progressive
mankind. He wants to go back to the
old ways, the economies; figurative-
ly speaking to hog, hominy and mo-
lasses. 1t is not so much that the
sheriff is old as it is that much water
has run over the dam since he was
youthful. and while he has stood still
and chung to the old things and the
old ways, new world has been born,
a world that is stirred onward to do
bigger and better things, a world
that sees the ignorance, utilities and
stupidities of the past, world that
wishes to take counsel of the good
things of the past and build anew,
bigger grander and nobler.
Sheriff stands somewhat in the
same shoes of the venerated Glenn
enceau, who comes to this country
with the memory of the wars of 1870
and 1914 in his heart He remembers;
he is dogmatic in his belief that it
will all recur again. He is trying to
stir up the blood and sinews of this
country to do his bidding, to prepare
against (what he thinks isl the cer-
tainty Of German unregeneracy, of
future German militarism. He is
skeptical of the future, remembering
the past. He has seen more, done
more and been a closer part of history
than anyone n his audiences has been
or is likely to be. Bnt he is old and
grizzled. Because of having lived in
the past, his thoughts are in the past;
because of his meagre expectancy in
life he does not and really cannot look
to the future with sure, far seeing
eyes. "He is experienced, but not
wise; he is old, but it is the hand of
time rather than that of death that
lies heavily upon him. He will go
back after having scolded us in a
frank and friendly way, probably
leaving US admiring, affectionate
even, but unconvined; will leave US
to preserve in our minds eye the pic
ture of a short, white, dauntless fig
ure with sabre toothed mustaches,
the perfect impersonation of an
cestral voices prophesying way"
Arrayed against Sheriff Griffith is
j D. McRae, a man of stubborn cou-
rage and lofty sense of honor coup
led with a high order of executive
ability-a loyal, kind, lovable, old
Scotchman. A man who in spite of
his grey hairs, has managed to keep
pace with the progressives, who
looks forward rather than back
ward, a man who is square, clean and
straight and white, clear white in
side" He knows not the wiles and
subtleties of politicians. He is mere
" straight from the shoulder sort Of
fellow. He is a man of forbearance
and temperatures of judgment.
There is nothing little about the soul
of J. d. McRse.
While he is liberal in his viewpoints
he is a conservative, safe and sane
conservative, "a man that you can put
your finger on and know how he
stands" Now Sheriff Griffith is also
a conservative but an ultra conserva-
tive. That's the difference. One
might be called progressive conserv-
alive, the other a radical conservaa-
tive or a reacionary. Both are men Of
honor, alike vet different.