Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-01-20
BIaiue's Foster.

Many greet men have been cursed
with nemesis in the shape of fellow
mortal, who has proved their destruc-
ton. For instance, VIM. r. Taylor
had his Farr, Julius Caesar his Bru-
tus, Charles his Cromwell, and now
poor Blaine has his Foster who is
likely to ruin him, though not mean
ing to. The New York Tribune has
the following exceedingly witty des-
cription of the newly famous Foster
and his wonderful letter
JOHN Y.-But yesterday John Y,
was scarcely known. He had shined
upon New jersey, it is true, in a
somewhat large and discursive and yet
limited local way for years, but had
not bulged upon the world To-day
he fills the worlds large mouth, wags
on the great public tongue, dwells in
the ear of mankind. L was John Y.
who wrote ''the Foster letter. He
is no longer New Jerseys; he belong
to the country---to history. The more
we consider him and go round him and
ponder him, the more struck we are
with him. The general public seems
struck with him. The Hon. James
G, Blaine also is struck with him.
Possibly likewise by lightning. It is
so strange, so passing strange, that
John Y. should have 50 long blushed
unseen and wasted his sweetness on
New Jersey air when he had things in
him that the race waited for. And
that he should blossom out in this un-
expected manner in a letter to MIR.
Blaine which should happen to fall in
to the hands of newspaper editor,
who should fling it abroad regardless
And yet there it is; a great historical
fact, with John Y. at the bottom of it.
Should he never put pen to paper
again. he may even now reckon him
self among the immortals. With the
proud step Of ColnpIote Letter
Writer he marches in the most stately
and impressive into history It is too
early now to discern whether he bears
scalps at his belt, or, if any whose
we may only dlmly descry his pro-
gress and be sure he is historic and
heroic. No man can make the gener-
Gus offer John Y. did in his letter to
Mr. Blaine without at once stepping
like a cataract or some such ophthal
mic disturbance into the public eye.
Il told you," said John Y. in the his
toric epistle which all the world has
read 'eighteen months ago I told
you that you could have New Jersey
in 1876" History records but one
such instance Of generosity, and that
occurred upon the top of high noun
tain whence all the kingdoms in the
world, including possibly Newark,
New Jersey, were in sight
Is it any wonder that the country
turned its face at once to the tableau
John Y. from his place of sentinel
on Freedoms ramparts putting forth
his large benevolent hand through the
medium of the Post Office Department
to Mr.. James G. Blaine of Augusta,
Maine, and saying, ''Here is New
Jersey: take her and be happy"
Not only that. John Y. bestoWs ad-
vice when he gives away State.
Says John GA potent factor in onr
next convention will be the secret
anti Catholic order. Grant is a mem
Der, and it has good deal Of strength
in Congress. And he adds in what
must be whisper-it reads like a
whlsper-the very type in which it
stands looks muf3ed and mysterious
81 think, you ought to go in s.Tbe
order, he says, ''is spreading widely"
and he THINKS eve can hold the coun-
try" Not for any hap-hazard candi-
date; that he says is ''hardly worth
the candle; )" what he wants to hold it
for, he tells Blaine, and tells him as
zone OF a vast multitude," it is s.for
you" Observe, he gives him New
Jersey outright, and proposes 60 hold
the country for him. Only. the whis,
pers to him, Il think you ought to 90
in to the secret anti Catholic order.
1t was to bad that liberall whole
souled letter like that. full of advice
and information and consolation
should have leaked out into an oppo-
slhon newspaper Because it has
made 1t necessary for John 7. to
write several other letters to explain
1t. tt has made him famous-but has
confused him. The sky-rockety man
ner IN which he ascended into notriety
bothered his intellect little at first,
SO ne was not quite certain that he
had ever written any letter to Blaine,
and he was very uncertain about what
was in it if he had. When he did al
last pull himself together and write
the explanatory letter published the
other day in The Tribune, he talked,