The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-10-30
AN USFoRTUNATE DISTRICT.

among the most intelligent and progressive
to be found anywhere. But 1t has been pc
| culiarly unfortunate in the men who have
represented it in the last five Congresses.
For eight years this was Col. CORTLAND c.
Matson, and for the last two years 1t has
been afflicted with George William Cooper,
whose broncho-like freaks have gained for
him the designation of the Wild ASS OF
the Indiana Prairies" The more one is ac-
quainted with this gentleman the more ap-
propriate this title appears. Stupidity vain,
as only an empty-pated ass can be, wrong
headed to the uttermost whenever there is
chance of laundering, wildly noisy for no
other purpose than TO merely attract atten-
ton by deafening bray, and fooled with
the greatest ease into doing the dirty work
of shrewder men, what more complete ass
could he be? Only, he has dull, shallow
malignity, never seen in the true ASS, and
which seems to connect him more closely
WIN IHc Misunderstanding bIouthO.
He and his predecessor are alike in but
one thing: incurable tendency to treachery
toward the veterans. Both are full of sound
ing professions of affection for the soldiers,
but both are "jugglers," who keep the
word of promise to the ear, but break 1T to
the heart" The likeness ends there. Mat
son is q vastly ADLER and more specious man
than Cooper. He has genuine abilities,
where Cooper has only noisy pretense.
While setuated by the same animus against
pensioners and the pension system, Matson
would meyer have made the incredibly silly
exhibitions which gave Cooper a National
reputation. Matson would never have al
lowed the cunning old politicians of his
party to fool him into doing something that
they had too much sense to attempt. If he
wanted some chestnuts raked out Of the
partisan fire, he would have used the paws
of some young greenhorn like Cooper, and
kept his own unsinged. he would have
been beaten in the end, just as Cooper was,
but the worst that could have been said of
him was that he was not quite smart enough
to keep from being found out. He would
not have been jeered at as an ass, as in the
general comment of Cooper.
The harm that these two men In their
widely-differing ways have done the cause of
the soldiers has been incalculable. When
Col Matson, for his own purposes, chose to
play the role of an active friend Of the vet
ersn, no man rendered better service, and
we took frequent occasion to praise him in
the warmest terms, as we did all others
Republican and Democratic, without regard
to party-who upheld the cause OF the vet
Grams upon the floor Of either House. We
can point to very many strong cOmmenda-
tons of Col. Matsonis acts and speeches, as
also to those OF J. Logan Chapman, of Mich
igan; Gen. Ben. LeFevre and George Z.
Seney, OF Ohio; Gen. Frank Wolford, OF
Kentucky; the late Z. w. Townshend, of
Illinois; Senator Voorhees,, Of Indiana, and
other prominent Democrats who did yeoman
service for the veterans in Congress Our
readers will bear witness that we were very
reluctant and long-suffering with Col. Mat
son when we saw that he was betraying the
veterans for the advancement Of his selfish
political ambition. Long after it had become
apparent TO everybody that be was selling
out the soldiers 10 get the influence Of Cleve-
dacy for the GoVernorship Of Indiana, we
withheld our hand, and adjured him to be
true TO the veterans and secure the passage
Of the Disability Pension Bill, which he
had it in his power TO do, as Chairman Of
the Committee on Invalid Pensions He
was wholly responsible that that bill did
not pass fully three years ago, and the Ma.
tons justice be bestowed on the tens o.
thousands who sick at heart with hope de-
ferred, have since then died In despair
Cooper's enormous injury TO the veteranl
has been wrought in another way, as differ
ent from MatsOn's skilful poniarding as
rapieT-thIust is from stroke with q club II
the hands Of a rufian. Using his position as
Representative, and with his mouth filled
with hypocritical protestati0ns Of friendship
for the veterans he has managed TO delay th'
work Of the Pension Bureau immeasurabIy
and keep hundreds of thousands out of tn
prompt allowance Of their claims. With
lot Of trumped-up charges, for which b
could not and did not produce scintilIa 0
proof, and for which he had no supper
whatever but malignant partisan gossip, h
put the whole pension system upon tria
before the public, and did whatever hi
meager abilities, aided by the rancor of ever
pensiOn-hating paper in the land could d
10 shake public confidence in the administr
ton of the Pension Bureau. Could he an
they, under any pretext whatever, hay
overturned the whole pension system, an
put an end TO the allowance Of all9ension
it would have been triumph that woul
r.. RI1al