The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-28

After they have spoken, Reed is one Of
the first to congratulate Cochran as
Cochran is one of the first to congratu-
late Reed, and as soon as they can get
away they will go out IN the speakers
lobby behind the House 10 smoke to-
gether, or down to the House restaurant
TO lunch together, or, as on last Saturday,
after they had been fencing in the de-
bate, they will leave the capitol and walk
down Pennsylvania avenue arm in arm,
as happy as two boys just out of school.
Cochran will not be 40 until the 18th of
next month, although he looks older.
Reed was 81 last October. but he is as
young as Cochran in his feelings and his
actions. They are both tremendous work
ers, although naturally indolent when
they have no particular thing to do.
They may put it of till the latest possible
minute, and then work all night to COM
plete it, but they will do it thoroughly
and completely.
BOTH ARE NOW TEMPERATE.
Both of them are now very temperate
men. Cochran, l believe, is a total alb
stainer from intoxicating liquors. Both
when younger were in danger because of
their convivial habits, Cochran, indeed,
being for time a heavy drinker, whose
career seemed to be at an end on that ac-
count. He deserves the greatest credit
for having suddenly and sharply broken
the chains of this habit and for having
kept free from it ever since. 1t had
brought him at one time to such state
that l was told by a gentleman living in
Albany at the time he Subsisted on petty
fees given him by Tamnany for odd jobs
around the New York legislature, and
was actually unable at times to get a
pass, much less to raise the money to
go down to New York city when
the legislature adjourned, as it did
every week from Friday until
Monday, so that the New Workers might
go home. Again and again my friend has
seen the charitably -inclined Tammany
men in the legislature get pass for
Cochran and then make up a little purse
for his incidental expenses on the trip to
New York. 1t seems incredible that this
should have been not much more than a
dozen years ago. But he has left all that
far behind him; he has made a national
reputation in public life; he has taken a
high place in his profession, and he has
married a rich, beautiful and accom-
plished woman. They live here in a
handsome house, and are conspicuously
in the most fashionable society. In point
of worldly success Mr.. Cochran has done
so well that if he ever thinks of his old
days he must pinch himself to see
whether he is not dreaming. To be sure,
he was disappointed in not being elected
to the Senate, but he is young yet and it
will be hard to keep him out of the Senate
If he goes on as he is now going.
Nothing in Mr.. Cockran's unique career
is more interesting than the sharp
changes in his relations with President
Cleveland. Mr. Cochran got his first ma
tional prominence as one of the Tam
many orators who denounced Mr.. Cleve-
land at Chicago in 1884. Thomas F.
Grady, then regarded as Cockran's
equal but who is now far behind him in
| the race for fame, and Bourke Cochran
were the mouthpieces of John Kelly.
They visited and addressed all the state
delegations and in the convention rose
at Kelly's nod to make motions or
| speeches to which John r. Fellows, at
Daniel Manning's nod, rose to reply.
Yet after saying the most bitter things
| about Mr.. Cleveland Cochran, when he
| afterward came to Washington, was on
good terms at the White House. At the
| Chicago convention of last year Cochran
was the foremost opponent, so far as
oratory went, to Mr.. Cleveland's renomi-
nation. His after-midnight speech on the
night Cleveland was nominated was the
strongest presentation of the anti-Cleve-
land argument possible, futile though it
was. Yet Mr.. Cochran is now almost in
| innate with President Cleveland, and is
| certainly one of his especial representa-
| tives in committee and on the floor.