The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-02
DOL. MATSON RENOMINATED.
Disaffccted Stragglers Prove Unable to
Cope with the COlonel's Regulars.
Matson Renominated on the Third Ballot-A
Stormy and Disorderly Convention, Leav-
ing Much Bad Blood Among the Faithful.

Special to the Indianapolis JournaI.
GosPoRT, Ind, June 1.-The Fifth district
Democratic convention met at this place this
morning, went through a stilted and mechanical
performance which resulted in the denomination
Of c. G. Matson for Congress, and went home,
leaving the circumambient air redolent vii /.
The perfumes of stale beer and streaked with
Iteel-blue profanity. That is, in nutshell. the
result of this much-mooted conclave of Demo
cratic hosts.
The indications for several days past were that
the opposition to Matson's denomination was
gaining strength, and surface view tended to
sonfrm the claim of his opponents that they
had secured enough votes to defeat him This
rosy estimate, however turned out to be a bar
zen ideality, and, while the disaffected element
was noisy. and formidable as a whole. it was
lacking in the essential details of organization
and leadership. 1t was struggling force of
nalcontents, with very little purpose poorly dis
iplined and utterly void of courage, and against
It's guerrilla warfare the trained forces of the
summing Congressman stood as stone wall The
pnti Matson men were prolific of speech
and valorous to a degree on dress-parade,
but when brought face to face
with their foe in the convention they
bent the pregnant hinges of the knee and aban-
aoned themselves with characteristic sycophancy
70 the mercies Of this congressional Koko.
When once in his presence it was observed that
their Wanted purposes were dropped with dull,
Bickening thud, and it was painfully apparent
that, after all their blow and buster they didn't
have enough moral courage in their whole com
bination to organize dog fight 1t was only on
she vote for permanent chairman that the oppo-
sition showed any crystallized. strength, 96a
votes being cast for Ed Henderson tMatson) and
BOZ for Judge Robinson (anti- Matson. J
The action of Henderson in allying
himself with the Matson men was
She cause of the first open outbreak of the day.
Mr. j. V. Mitchell, of Morgan county, was a
candidate, and by all the rules and customs of
politics Henderson should have favored him, but
he did not. In response to serenade at his no
tel early in the morning, Mitchell denounced
Henderson as a traitor and an Migrate and of
being guilty of the rankest perfdy. Henderson
succeeded in having himself elected chairman.
nevertheless, and all the schemes he and his con-
freres had concocted were successfully con-
gummated.
On the call of counties for nominations, five
George w. Cooper, of Bartholomew c. C. Mat
sl Johnson q anA9 John lh0W w. susk Mo0eo o.
Monroe, and J. V. Mitchell, of Morgan. The
FIRST ballot resulted as follows: Mitchell, 235;
cooper, 49, Matson. ST. Wooden, %; Buskirk,
IL Eighty nine votes being necessary to nomi-
nate. A second ballot was ordered which re-
R1nl "a hls 6rct I'm he ipH hall
Monroe county broke away from Mr.. Buskirk, in
manner most humiliatng to that gentleman,
and a footing of the vote showed that Matson
had received ninety-fve, and was nominated
In the meantime, however, there had been some
noisy and turbulent scenes, one delegate becom-
lug SO vehement that 1t was found necessary to
have him forcibly removed by the police. Another
sensation caused when majority Of the
Monroe delegation cruelty deserted their candi-
date, Mr.. Buskirk, and went to Matson. Bus
kirk Immediately got the attention of the chair
and denounced in unmeasured terms what he de
clared to be the treachery and perfdy of those
who had pretended 10 be his friends. His speech
was made without any show Of passion, but it
was withering rebuko to the faction that was
perpetrating the gross injustice of gaining their
ends by means fair or foul His manly appeal
for decent treatment won the sympathy and ap-
plAuse of the outsiders. but the delegates intent
on Matson were callous to the justice of hin
Dause, and they Quailed not at seeing the
mans pride Inundated and trampled upon by
brute force of numbers. The real sensation of
the day was the speech of Samuel Ralston, an
anti-Matson delegate from Spencer He pre-
sented a magnificent address and from the be-
ginning to the end of lengthy speech ostensi-
bly, TO second the nomination of Mitchell, the
speaker fairly fayed Matson alive His fusillade
of inyectiye against the Congressman was ter
rife. He was greeted with howls, Kisses and
groans, and was threatened with personal vio-
lence, but amid all the din he maintained pla-
cid composure that few men could
have done under similar circumstances.
In the face of the angry and
boisterous crowd ne remained as impurturbable
as granite column, and he continued his speech
to the end, though frequently interrupted. He
denounced Matson as trickster and demagogue,
and declared that the plea that the people were
demanding Matsons denomination was "a libel
upon Democracy" Replying to the asser-
ton that the soldiers would not be satisfied
with any other nomination than Matsons, the
speaker said: Il wish to plant myself on the
rock of eternal truth in defense of the soldiers,
and hurl back into the blasphemous lips from
whence it came this monstrous he." Con-
tinuing, he said: IF the soldiers of Owen
county are clamorng for Matson, why is it that
our delegation does not assume different COM
plexion. There are twenty delegates from Owen
county who are the first issue of cohaoitation
between pension agents. postmasters and med
lcal boards, and who would have been for Mat
BON to a man had it not been for few abortions"
de further stigmatized Matson as "a man whose
treachery leaps the boundary lines of thought
and thought the district ought to be repre-
Bented by q man who had ability enough to
grasp national ISSUE Colonel Mat
sons time for six years has been
devoted to class legislation and to polit-
Ical trickery in his own interest," During
he delivery of Raston's philippe pandemo-
nium reigned. It is alleged that some of Mat
sons most desperate followers had planned to
. pffer personal violence to the speaker, and that
they were only prevented carrying out their
Resigns by the presence of the Mitchell men, a
hundred or more of whom carried ominous-
looking hickory canes. When Matson's nomi-
nation was finally accomplished he made a speech
Of thanks. which did not create any great amount
Of enthusiasm. His opponents felt that they had
been badly treated, and it is not extrava-
CANT to say that the Democrats of the
Fifth district are far from being harmonious or
satisfied with the work of to-day. The Repub-
deans have renewed their faith, and express con-
hdenee of defeating Colonel Matson.
>a0TRC OF THE QONVFNTION