Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-01-11
Some Little stories and
Gossip of the Legislature

Chief Clerk John Cochrane of the sem
ate, is one of the most popular officials
Of this and two previous legislatures.
The reason is not far to seek. His earl
lest work was as a route carrier on the
Capital journal when Col. and Andy
Hofer were running it in its early days.
With such start it is natural that any
position that needs filling, and filling
right, is open to him. "Johnny" had
the habit of getting there long before
he discarded marbles and the diminu-
tive Johnny and like Minerva leaped
fully armed as John D. into public no.
tiee and well deserved position,
4" Andy" Ho,fer told the writer of John
W. get-there-activeness, before doing
the Minerva stunt, Johnny came
through the front office one evening
carrying a big bag of Capital Journals.
He was leaning well over to one side to
balance the weight of Col. Hofer's
heavy editorials, and Andy noticing him
called out: "That's pretty heavy
bundle, Johnny. Don't they make you
tired2"
"Me tired answered the coming
chief clerk. "Noh, | only peddle 'em,
don t read 'em.
Phil Bates, the moving picture Adonis
of the northwest is shedding the light
of his continuance and considerable in
formation as to tourist travel scenery,
good roads and the necessity of calling
the attention of the balance of the
country and tourists to the fact that
! this section ardently desires the first
has our unequalled quantity and unriv-
allied quality of the second and is
rapidly accommodating the last, He is
also suggesting this to the members OF
the Legislature only, that a modest sum
spent in advertising the scenery, of the
northwest, would be splendid and
profitable investment.
A proposition is on foot to advertise
the northwest, idaho, Washington and
Oregon uniting for the purpose. From
this it seems probable that Philip has
some figures in his pockets that will
become public property before the ses-
sion is half over.
J. S. Stewart, known throughout all
the bunch grass country as Jim -
who lives in Fossil and prizes out the
Fossil Journal weekly for all in Fossil
dom, is as he says. "just kinda lookin'
after things" up about the state house.
| Jim halls from Fossil, but is no nearer
being fossilized than when the writer
first met him in The Dalles 80 years
ago. He is the hvest and hveliest relic
of the paleozoic age that ever mounted
the hurricane deck of a Cayuse and
chased the double, ,iointed coyotes over
the rimroeks of Wheeler county. What
he is after is not known, but whatever
it is, Jim viii get it, or if he doesn u
he will always think he ought to have
done so.
When it was suggested during the de-
bate over the number of clerks that
should be employed on >the engrossing
and enrolling committees that it was
better to hire them now while they
were plentiful than to wait until the
middle of the session when some of them
might get away, there was mutual
interchange of grins between some hun
dreds of interested spectators, The
idea of applicants for positions in the
state house giving out seemed to touch
many funnybones at once.
| You wouldn't t suspect in looking at
the governor that he was humorist but
he deceives his looks. He remarked
yesterday that it was much better for
the state to have a republican governor
acting in harmony with republican
legislature in enacting needed legisla-
tion of sound, sane character, and ac-
complishing it without strife or turmoil.
History shows it is the legislation
that is enacted without strife that is
generally the very worst kind. To have
everything running along without a
hitch is the ideal condition for the gen
tlemen with axes to grind. Parturition
without pain is nos possible if healthy
little Bill is to be born, The kicker and
the ohjeetor are the salvation OF the