The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-10-31
Tha Case Of Mr.. Cooper.

10 men VINO are III lOucH Will ~ d.
tional problems, to men who believe
that the success of the nation is great
er than the ambition Of men, to men
who believe in the square deal and the
good sport, the really interesting fea-
ture of the election on next Tuesday
is the election Of a Congressman from
the First District.
We can see nothing unusual in the
independent candidacy of Henry Al
len Cooper. It is the natural thing to
expect 1t happens in the political
history Of lot Of men who have fed
long at the public crib. 1t is the de-
velopment that always comes with the
holding Of Office over long periods of
time. Men who are kept in Office by
the suffrage Of the people for long
terms usually reach the place where
they are convinced that they are great
er than the constituency that they re-
present. Men who have learned to
live the easy life Of the politician al
ways resent any effort to make them
get back into the working life which
is the part Of most of us.
The candidacy of Mr.. Cooper is
founded on disappointment and on
falsehood No man who has followed
the course Of the present campaign
will be brought to believe anything
else Mr.. Cooper expects to be re-
nominated for Congress. When he
voted against the declaration of
state Of war he voted that way be-
cause he failed to guess right the
sentiment of the district. Possibly in
the campaign which followed his adj
fvisers led him to believe that he had
guessed right and that the First Wis
,consin District was opposed to the ma
tion defending the rights of its citi-
izens on land and sea and was opposed
to this nation driving home the clinch
ing blow of world democracy. Mr..
Cooper could not believe after his
more than quarter Of a century Of
success in the District that he could
be beaten. His defeat came as bit
ter disappointment He had learned
to hold Office and when found that he
was defeated it was impossible for
him to adjust himself to defeat He
looked back over career of twenty
five years-yes nearly twenty-six in
which he had been paid by the nation.
lie felt strongly the loss of the pay
"a, To- ,F e l.
member of Congress. Then he sought
a way to get back into the game. He
found it through falsehood He be-
gan to shout conspiracy" "big
interests "profteers. " He called
about him malcontents who have made
it their rule to oppose the will of the
majority in other primaries and cleo
tions He made these men his adj
visers and under their advice he de-
cided that the only thing to do was
to run as an independent candidate.
He rose in his fury at losing his
place at the public crib and began to
shout out against every man who had
opposed his denomination Like an
autocrat believing in the divine right
of the rulers to keep in Office for a
life period he castigated these men
as "crooks" and conspirators. = He
saw visions of great sums of money
being used to defeat him., He at
tempted to draw into his imaginative
picture base motives and base me-
thods. No one knows better than Mr..
Cooper that this was his foundation of
falsehood for his campaign. Not salts
fed with being declared persona nom
grata" by the Republicans of the First
District he sought to cling to the name
of the party which had repudiated his
actions at the primary. Hundreds of
other men disappointed in politics have
taken the same course as Mr.. Cooper.
He feels that once out of Congress he
is out for good. That there is no come
back for him through the regular poll
teal channels and by deceiving the
people he hopes to hang on to his pro-
ftable job for another two years.
Mr.. Cooper must be put in the class
of ingrates. The Republican party
has kept him in Congress for more
than q quarter Of century. 1t has
made it possible for him to receive
all the benefits Of a large salary and
an honored position-and then-at the
first time the party tells him that it
prefers some one else Cooper flies in
the face of the decision of the people,
People believed that "Hal" CO.
oper was better sport. They had
seen any number of men beaten by
Mr. Cooper but not one Of them had
ever suggested that he run as an In
dependent candidate against him.
Cooper seems to care more for his
place at Tire public crib than he does
for his political honor and his politi-
cal craftsmanship
The world at large has little use
for welcher. Cooper went into the
primary knowing all the rules He