Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1909-01-29
IT'S A GOOD LEGISLATURE.
Promise that the Tenth Session VIII Put
Up Some Good Laws.

what might be expected at this ses-
sion.
In general, the outlook is very
good indeed. There is better har-
mony between the legislature and
the governor and the whole corps Of
state officers, than there has been
for a long time. This of itself argues
much for right thinking and acting
Fights, of whatever kind, are bad
for sober action, and the absence of
fights should show in some sound
legislation.
Speaker Clagstone. of the house,
is proving a very capable officer.
Handicapped with a brilliant educa-
tion, at Harvard and Columbia col
Ieges, and with great wealth in his
immediate family, he has yet made
himself very popular. From all oy-
er the state, from every faction and
every variety of partisan, comes the
recommendation that he is square"
that he gives every man on the
floor a fair deal. There could be no
higher praise than this. The house
is not a society of swells, but a body
of many plain citizens. Many Of
these men, good, hard-headed busi-
ness men they aree, too, have never
worn pumps or a fancy fried shirt,
or a claw hammer cUat-and proba-
bly, they never will, but they know
timber, or sheep, or agriculture, or
the store, and what the state should
do to meet the needs of those indus
tries. That they find in the speaker
a man who meets them helf way on
their own ground, is a good thing
for the state.
Lieutenant Governor Sweitzer,
who presides over the Senate, is a
Yale man. He hasn't a million dol
lars, though he has fine farm as
anything in the state. 1t is whis-
pered hat he and Clagstone, both
ath letes and from rival colleges,
are practicing secretely with the pad
ded mits, preparing to give the cap
ital a dizzying battle about the close
of the session. They are the best
OF friends, but they could battle for
the Yale blue or the Harvard Grim
son at the drop of the hat. Sweet
ser is making good in every stage Of
the game, and if he were called to
succeed Governor Brady. the state
would still know that it had gov
ernor.
There are some interesting char
acters in the legislature. From Ida
no county come two men who came
TO Idaho with ox-teams, overland,
before the days of railroads. Ano-
ther Idaho county representative,
thin, silent old man, has a war re-
cord that would make some OF the
heroes of history sit up and take no
tice. He is the patriarch of the
House. Representative MOrbeck, of
Shoshone county, is the youngest
member. one might think him a
school boy, until you talk to him and
found how old and far-seeing a boy
he is. There are a good many leave
overs from the last legislature; they
are largely honored with important
places on committees. Judge Nc
Cutcheon, of Bingham, is one of the
strong thinkers of the body, as he
was in the senate two years ago.
there are all competent men in
both branches, and they are in bet
ter positions to do good work this
year than ever before.
There is little doubt of the passage
of an effective local option law-it
has already passed the house-and
a primary elction bill that will pro-
badly serve as model of its kind.
Two or three of these have been
presented. The joint bill from Idaho
county is generally conceded to be
the best yet proposed. Since the
legislature has kept its word and its
honor in the matter of electing
senator. it is only fair to believe
that it will keep every promise, and
90 the state one better by passing
other good legislation that was not
pledged.