The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1931-01-22

tives to government jobs may be
as reprehensible as our farmer-lab-
or friends claim, but some of the
most conspicuous of the farmer-la-
Dor statesmen do not seem to see
anything wrong in it. Mrs. Tom
Schall is Tom Schalps secretary
and draws most or all Of his $1,000
allowance for clerk hire, and Tom
was nominated and elected by
farmer-labor votes. We cannot
vouch for it, but we are told, that
Mrs. Henrik Shipstead has at times
been Senator Shipstead's secretary,
and if there is a god in the farmer
labor party, Senator Shipstead is it.
The only farmer-labor congressman
from Minnesota, Representative
Kvale, was for years his fathers
official secretary in congress.
Moreover, while farmer-labor
spell-binders in the house illuminate
against the wickedness Of nepotisnl,
the farmer-labor party in the house
secures the appointment Of five of
the sixteen relatives named this
year as house employees. mas
much as the farmer-labor strength
in the house is not more than Is
per cent of the membership, the
farmer-labor members scored, in
proportion to their strength, one
and one-half relatives for each re-
lative placed by the republicans
and democrats combined. If there
is anything in the rules of arith-
metic, that makes the nepotic wick
edness Of the farmer-labor party
in the legislature fifty per cent
greater than the wickedness of the
regulars" Anyhow they seem to
be just as human as the rest of us.
How The House Voted
Representative Youngdahl of
fered his resolution to outlaw ne
potism, but failed to press it, so,
after a week had gone by and
nothing done, in order to bring the
matter to- a head, we moved to
indefinitely postpone the Young
dahl resolution. The motion car
ried by a vote of u to IS. The
farmer-labor forces failed to offer
any argument on behalf of the
Youngdahl resolution, but later in
discussion of resolution by Repre-
sentative Starkey, farmer-labor
leader Of the house to require af-
fidavits Of unemployment from all
applicants for house jobs, the
whole subject of nepotism was
threshed out in rough and tumble
fight. The Starkey resolution was
decisively defeated by a vote Of
101 to %. Whereupon Speaker
Swenson complied with the re-
quests of members to the extent of
naming 70 house employees, Of
which number 16 are relatives of
members and 5 of the 16 are rela-
tives of farmer-labor members.
Minority Well Treated #
In both house and senate the
minority members were given good
committee assignments. In the
house many of the committees
were almost evenly balanced as to
majority and minority strength,
but none of the farmer-labor
minority were given chairman
ships. The house with 46 chairman
ships and IS old members cannot
supply the regulars" with all the
chairmanships to which they are
entitled. In the senate the liberals"
were still more literally treated.
The determination of Lieutenant
Governor Arens to pack" the rules
Committee with farmer-labor men,
bers and to remove many of the
veteran regulars" from posts Of
Importance forced the senate ma
jority of regulars to depart from
custom and name the committees
of the senate thru COMMITTEE
on committees" Very generous
treatment was accorded the far
mer-labor minority, which was Civ
en- complete control OF ten COM
mittees, including civil administra-
ton, which will handle Governor
Olson's program, labor and agricul-
ture. Governor Olson's spokesman,
Senator Bridgeman, of Beltrarni.
was made chairman of the civil adj
committee. Thus, as
the senator from Washington,
Senator Sullivan declared, eff
Governor Olson's program is
smothered, it will be smothered in
the house Of it's friends" Papers
have been saying that Lieutenant
Governor Aren's stiff-necked at
titde is due to the desire to be
made political martyr, and thus
lay one more foundation stone for
the campaign of 1882. But the SEN
ate majority, by yielding so many
key committees to the minority,
has given the farmer-labor pro-
gram an unobstructed course to run
in, and at the same time has re-
moved the crown of martyrdom
from the brow of the lieutenant
governor.
Wet Propaganda
1t is announced that Representa-
tive ]. Adam Bede, "the whimsical
philosopher of the legislature" as
the radio announcers say, will
broadcast the doings of the legis-
lature every evening at six o'clock.
Mr.. Bede is just as pleasing of
voice, just as witty, just as keen of
mind, as he was when he was a
congressman. Contrary to the US
ual rule, j. Adam Bede is as dry as
dust personally and as wet as sop
politically. When he writes, wet
propaganda pours from his pen,