The Sheriff Who Would Be Governor
A political endorsement of John H. McGraw, framing his tenure as sheriff and his 'moral courage' as the ideal preparation for state leadership.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The nomination of John H. McGraw for governor by the state Republican convention at Olympia was the only thing necessary to victory in November. It never pays to fill an important public trust with a demagogue, but the worst possible use to make of a popular demagogue is to clothe him with important executive responsibility, like that of sheriff of a county or governor. The peculiar strength of John H. McGraw, in our judgment, is that he possesses in a high degree this quality of moral courage in office. As a sheriff, John H. McGraw manifested this moral courage during the riots of 1886, and he did his whole duty without fear, so that today he is without reproach. This moral courage in office no doubt decreased his popularity with the lawless classes and their sympathizers, but we do not make men sheriffs and governors in order to increase their popularity, but to protect the fundamental right of society to life, liberty and the legal enjoyment of property.
“We do not make men sheriffs and governors in order to increase their popularity, but to protect the fundamental right of society to life, liberty and the legal enjoyment of property.”
John H. McGraw served as Sheriff of King County during the 1886 anti-Chinese riots, an event that defined his political career. His aggressive, 'law-and-order' platform highlights the long-standing tension in Seattle politics between civil rights and the heavy-handed use of state power, a debate that continues to influence modern discussions on policing and executive authority.
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