The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-07
4 SRANE AND A DISGRACE
RUKARD HURD THUS CHARACTER
ICES LAW GOVERNING OIL
INSPECTORS FEES
EoT SHOTS AT HIS OWN PARTY
Young Ramsey County Member Gives
His Colleagues Il Lecture That
Makes Them Feel
Sorry.

such law is shameful disgrace to
any political organization and would
damn the party that was responsible for
its passage"
Briefly, this is what Representative
Rukard Hurd thinks of the law that
made the Office of state oil inspector a
fee-paying position. He maintains that
these fees are enormously eXtravagant,
and therefore denounces the law in the
bitterest terms and severely arraigns the
Republican party, of which he is mem
her, for enacting the law
The fight on the Hurd bill, which pro-
vides that the chief state oil inspector,
at present Fred c. Schiffmann, shall re-
ceive salary instead of a fee remunera-
ton for his services, was launched in the
house yesterday afternoon, when the bill
was taken up from the general order.
After rain of conflicting sentiments, the
hill was, by the committee of the whole,
recommended to pass, and will be taken
up this morning from the calendar. This
action caused general surprise, as it had
been suspected the bill would be at once
permanently disposed of in some way or
other. 1t is now conceded that If the
house. had the power of settling this mat
ter Fred c. Schiffmann would receive a
stipend of something like 81, 400 a year in
stead of from $15.O0O to $25, coo for his
services in this position. But the meas
ure has poorer prospects in the senate.
HURD HITS HARD.
Mr. Hurd took up some fifteen minutes
I'm defending his measure. His speech con-
tanned some strong points. He said that
his proposition was purely business one,
and ought to commend itself to bus ness
men. The speaker used some strong
terms in giving expression to his views,
and his colleagues on the Republican
side, who were opposing him, called h m
to task for being Incorporate"
Said Mr.. Hurd: 1.-The present law by
which this injustice is foisted on the
taxpayers is nothing short of criminal,
and We as the peoples representatives
should kill that law" He declare in the
most emphatic language that the office
was mere "cess-pool and sewer for the
accumulation of campaign funds I tell
you gentlemen he continued, 1.-The Re-
publican party should hide itself in shame
for instigating and maintaining any such
vile method of raising their campaign
funds. We have no right to that money;
We ought to raise our money honestly as
any other party does
This kind OF language, coming from the
lips of Republican, penetrated the very
heart of his partsans many of whom re-
piled to Mr.. Hurd's remarks with all the
passion of speech they could command.
But he went on: 1T is said of me that
am young in politics; this 1 VII admit,
but l am not so young but that I can
recognize an open-handed, cold-blooded
game of graft like this when | see it.
This law which enables our party to
foat the peoples money into its campaign
fund is outrageous and criminal since it
provides for obtaining money under false
pretenses."
JUST. LIKE FINDING MONEY.
Mr. Schiffmann, the newly appointed
I'll inspector. was in the lobby of the
house and listened with rapt attention
10 these remarks from his brother Re-
publican Turning his face in the dire2-
ton in which Mr.. Schiffmann was stand
Ing, MI. Hurd, lifted his voice a round
higher and declared: "Why it's lust like
Ending money to be state oil Inspector
lie SAID gray matter was not needed 10
earn this prlncely amount as it is in
LtEer vacations and asserted with great
Nehemence that the state was being
3uncoed every time this sum was filched
from its eXchequer and made to bear
I'aruaI expense Of political party's cam
paign.
About half dozen ardent Republicans
fcbbed up at once, the moment Mr.. Hurd
tcok his seat, but Sherman S. Smith of
Hennepin, gained recognition from the
chair. Mr.. Smith did not think the bill
was legal, he said, and wanted it re-
fered back to the judicial committee with
!iISI ucIiOlS 10 report Wllnln TWO days.
MI. Burns looked upon the affair as a
pretty scheme of st. Paul Republicans
to satisfy grudges and said it ought not
take up the time of the house.
1t remained for Mr.. Rich of Ramsey,
to take up the gauntlet thrown down by
Mr.. Hurd. He summoned all the force
he had and then exclaimed that Mr..
Hurd was wrong. The Republican par
~, he asserted, is neither a ess pool
nor sewer, and he thought it was
unbecoming in one of its members to
fling this harsh charge at the G. O. P
Mr. Riley, of Jackson, sided with Mr.
Hurd in his charges on the Republican
party for prostituting the office to it's
own financial gains.
A couple of motions to dispose of the