Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-06-19
New Series-Vol. 1o. No. %.

The firm sells dry goods, groceries and
shoes, and buys butter and other farm
produce. Before he got into politics,
Foster used to manage the business, and
worked as hard as any of his clerks
The fortune his father gave him in
creased from year to year. He helped
start number of manufacturing enter
prises to build up the town, put up
steam mill and took stock in railroad.
In short, there was scarcely an import
ant business enterprise started in the
place in which he was not the chief
mover. Thus he worked and thrived
through his early manhood, devoted to
business and his home circle, prosperous
in all his undertakings, very popular in
the town and surrounding country, but
taking no interest in politics beyond that
of an earnest Republican, always ready
to subscribe to campaign fund, or help
get up public meeting. He had passed
the halfway mile post of life before he
made any figure in public affairs. In
1858 he was nominated for the State
Senate, without any knowledge on his
part that any such movement was on
foot. He was away from home at the
time, but returned and made an active
canvass. 1t was the Vallandigham cam
paign, and party feeling ran high. The
Ohio Democracy at that time openly
sympathized with the rebellion, and
many of the young men wore pins made
of butternuts to symbolic their dislOy-
atty. At one of Fosters meetings a
squad of Democrats decorated with
these badges of treason interrupted the
proceedings. A wounded soldier who
accompanied Foster in his stumping
tour tore the pin from the shirt front of
one of the assistant rebels, and a row
followed. Foster and his brave friend
narrowly escaped with their lives from
the infuriated Democratic crowd. The
result of the canvass was the election of
Foster, but the Democratic officials in
the district threw out the soldiers votes,
so he did not get the seat. His lively
experiences in 1858 gave him no great
taste for politics, and he did not come
before the public again until 1870, when
the Republicans of his district insisted
on his making what seemed a hopeless
race for Congress. The Democratic ma
jOrity was over 5000, but Foster made
the fight, and won it by his personal
popularity, and by remarkable talent
for practical political work and organi-
zatiOn which nobody had suspected him
to possess. In 1872 he had still harder
contest, the Democrats and the Liberals
uniting on q candidate to run against
him. His victory was even more brill
liant than before. In 1874 he was re-
elected once more, and again in 1876,
though the district was still heavily
Democratic. In 1878 the county of
Seneca was thrown into a new district,
with Democratic majority of 1900. He
was solicited to run in the adjoining
Toledo district, where there was chance
of success, but he decided to stand by
his own people and make a hopeless
fight for the sake of the State ticket.
He put just as much hard work into the
contest as though there were a prospect
of success, and reduced the majority to
1,100. 1t was in that campaign that he
took the ground that President Hayes
policy of eonciliation toward the South,
which he had sustained, was a failure,
because of the refusal of the Southern
leaders to carry out their promises of
respecting the constitutional amend
ments, and of protecting the cOlered
people in the exercise Of their political
rights. Like most of the friends of the
policy of kindness, Mr.. Foster is now
one Of the most stalwart of Republicans
in his views of the Southern question.
In person Mr.. Foster is a little above
the medium height, broad chested and
broad shouldered. with a large head.
brown hair and whiskers, bright hazel
eyes, heavy brows, wide. high fore
head, nose just little disposed to be
aquiline, and an expression of strong
will, tempered by sunny, genial dispO-
sition. He is frank, cordial and sOciable,
and has faculty Of turning his ae-
quaintances into fast friends by his IA
miliar, hearty ways. Those who have
known him longest and best speak of
him as whole souled man." "a broad
gauge man." "a man you can tie to-" and
a glorious good fellow" His admirable
personal qualities, his unassailable rec
ord and his talent for political organiza-
tion and work make him an exceedingly
strong candidate. Ipredict his election
by $4,000 majority. E.V.S.