People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1897-11-12
ED DURANTS OILY JOB.
State EmpIoye Gets $40 Hour
in Agricultural Department.
AN EYE OPENER IN SUPERIOR COURT,
A Sensation Produced by MIR. Ed Durant,s
Testimony-He Gives Sample of
How the State Lavishes Its
Money on Sinecures.

A small-sized sensation was caused
in Bibb county's superior court room
yesterday when the court forced Mr..
Ed M. Durant, an oil inspector of At
lanta, to divulge one of the secrets of
the agricultural department..
The evidence was to the effect that
for forty-eight hours work the state
pays an oil inspector S., 900, or $50. At
an hour.
This startled the court and jury, as
well as the people who were present in
the court room. because men who an
joy such snap are not to be found
every day, and because it would be
hard to make the average Ribb county
citizen believe that Georgia pays such
magnificent salaries to oil inspectors
when able lawyers can be found in
great abundance who are glad to work
as judges MANY hours more than that
for almost the same amount of money.
Judge FELTON, fl nched, and thought
how mean it was of the state to make
such distinction among her faithful
servants, and those who remembered
Judge Ross bill to increase to $1,000
the salary of the judge of Macon's city
court thought this pretty strong ar
gument in favor of the increase, be-
cause the city court judge has to work
eight hours a day for about eight or
ten months in the year and draws only
s2 600 for his services.
But Mr.. Durrant did not not, willing
ly give away the agricultural depart
ment's secret. and the court room
would have been spared the sensation
but for the persistent and qnick-witted
work of Mr.. T. E. Ryals, who was
cross-examining the witness.
It was during the hearing of a civil
suit, in which it become necessary to
know how Mr.. Durant employed his
time. The oil inspection job was trea-
ted by him in testim ,ny only as side
issue, and the opposing side, represent
ed by Mr. RIVALS, was insisting that
the duties of the office must require a
good deal of time and attention. But
it was important for Mr.. Durant to
prove the contrary.
WELL said Mr.. Ryals, ''just tell the
court and jury how much time it re-
quired.
Mr.. Durant promptly objected to the
question, saying that he didn't see
what bearing it could have on the case.
Mr.. Ryals argued to the court that it
had nsiderable bearing, and Judge
FELTON, showed that h9 was of the same
opinion by ordering the witness to an
81 don't decline to answer because
want to protect myself" said Mr. Du-
rant "but because want to protect
the state"
This was the FIST startling state
ment, and it prepared the audience
for something rich, as Mr.. Durant
showed by his manner that he was
capa bl OF deciding what are and what
are not family secrets. The court told
him to go ahead and tell about the
time he devoted to the work of inspect
ing oil.
About four hours a month";" said
the witness.
After this he was asked about the
salary for the work.
About one thousand nine hundred
dollars year" was the reply.
This was the eye-opener. 1t was
nothing short of what had been ex-
pected. All saw in an Instant what 1t
meant that the agricultural depart
ment was paying an emo mously fat
salary for an astonishipgly small
amount of work. In other words, that
an oil inspectors job in Georgia is
about as fat as that of Brer Rabbit
when he got dollar mint" for watch
ing Brer Fox's persimmon orchard.
The general comment was that steps
should be taken to have oil inspectors
given reasonable compensation for
their work, and let the balance of their
present fat salaries go to supplement
the niggardly salaries of some of the
other state officials
Mr.. Dursnt's is probably not the
only Klondike job in the gift of Com
missioner Nesbitt. There are quite a
number of others perhaps.-Macon
Telegraph
noted coincidence in their death; Bro.