New-York tribune., 1879-06-03
FOSTER AND HIS HOME.
THE OHIO CANDIDATES. ANTECEDENTs.

OF FORMER LARGE DEMOCRATIC MAJORITIES.
IFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUSE.l
CLEVELAND, MAY 31.-The Republican candidate
for Governor of Ohio lives in the bright. stirring
little town of Fostoria which lies the lines
of Seneca. Wood and Hancock Counties II was
named in honor of his father, Charles W. Foster,
who came out from the East in 1882 TO what
was then little better than a wilderness dotted with
a few log cabins Northwestern Ohio was settled
very slowly on account of the heavy growth OF tim
her covering the soil. Even at this day there are
extensive districts Toledo where the settlers
little clearings have scarcely made q beginning
toward subduing the virgin forest The country
around Fostoria is unsurpassed for fertility and
after the era of railroads it developed rapidly.
When Foster senior built his log cabin, there were
two petty rival Villages close at hand, separated
only by less than mile of fields and woods, one
called Rome and the other Risden. Midway be-
tween the two stood a great barn-like Methodist
Church, where the good people Of both hamlets
worshipped together. In course Of time the two
villages grew together and became one. and
then there question as to which name should
be given TO the united town. The Rome people did
not like the name of Risdeu, and the MethOdiss of
Risden had religious prejudice against the name
of Rome. Finally compromise satisfactory TO
every body was hit upon and the sOnOrous title OF
L
leading citizen of the place. Foster senior was in
his day an admirable specimen of the class of men
who build up new communities. Honest, laborious,
sagacious and enteTprising in lifetime of hard
work he accumulated handsome property and en-
loved meanwhile the confidence and affection of
the people around him. He had six sons the oldest
of whom and the only survivor is Charles. The old
gentleman is still living. He is over seventy now,
and long ago retired from business to enjoy
serene Old age and to live his lie over again
in watching the prosperous career of his son. His
house is handsome brick structure close by the
smaller frame dwelling Of the exCongTesSman. 1t
is an interesting fact that the son has never been
able TO persuade the father to break the quiet uni
fcrmty of his life long enough TO visit Washing
ton.
Charles Fosters house stands upon the site OF the
log cabin his father erected forty-seven years
1t is a plain twO-stOTy structure, built after the
manner of the better class of NewEnGland village
homes that ante-date the era of mansard roofs and
fnicaI ornaments-large low rooms. gable toward
The street and an I in the for the kitchen and
wOOdshed. In front there is lawn, with shade trees
and flowers and either side are fruit trees, behind
which the kitchen garden suns ITS patches Of ycge-
tables and its of curraut and raspberry bushes.
The house is comfortably furnished, but there is
not the least attempt at elegance or fashion. The
Posters, father ana son, plain country people,
aud have mind TO change their simple habits be-
cause fortune has smiled upon them.
Fos;oria, ! should have said before, is town Of
45OO inhabitants. looking very much like hun
drod other towns Of Ike dimensions in the belt Of
New-England settlement which stretches across
Northern Ohio, Southern Michigan and Wisconsin,
Northern Indiana and Illinois TO Iowa; that is TO
say it is clean, enterprisng well-shaded and
well-bchavCd. In these towns maple-trees rose
bushes and greensward take prominent place in
the popular ideal of a pleasant home, and
there ~ much pride in the possession Of fine
schOolhoUscs and handsome churches. One OF the
principal business blocks Of FO,toria is that oc-
cupicd by the National Bank OF which Charles
Poster is president and the mercantile firm in which
he is n partner. The finn sells drygoods, 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 increased
from year to year. He helped start number of
manufacturing enterprises TO build up the town,
put up a stcanl-mill. aud took stock in railroad.
IN short there was scarcely an important business
enterprise started in the place III which he was not
a chief mover thus he worked and thrlved
through his early manhood, devoted 10 business
and his home circle, prosperous IN all lls underta Ak
inrs very popular III the town and the surrounding
country, but taking no interest I'D politics beyond
that OF an earnest Republican,, always ready to
subscribe to a campaign fund cI help get up pub
nc meeting He had passed the halfway mile
most of life before he made any figure IN public
affairs In 1868 he nominated for the State
Senate without any knowledge on his part that
any such movement was on loot. lie was away
from home at the time, but returned ana made an
active canvass Ii the Nailandigham cam
paign. and party feeling ran high. The ono De
InOcracy at that time openly sympathized with the
rebelhOu and many of the young men wore
n,ns made of butternuts TO svmbolIze their disOy-
atty At one of Fosters meetings squad OF Dem
ocFats decorated with these badges OF treason inter
rupted the proceedings. wounded soldier who
accompanled Foster in his stumping tour tore the
pin from the shIrt-frOnt of one of the assistant
rebels. and row followed. Foster and ms brave
friend narrowly escaped with their lives from the
infurIated Democratic crowd The result OF the
canvass was the election of Foster, but the Demo
cratic officials IN one o. the counties IA IA 1ne Dis'Ilco
threw out the soldiers votes so he did not get the
seat. HIS lively experiences IN 1868 gave hlm no
great taste for politics, and he did nor
come before the public again until 1870
when the Republicans OF his District in
sisted on his making what seemed a hopeless race
for Congress. The Democratlc majority was oyer
3 1000 but Foster made the fight and won II by his
personal popularity and by a remarkable talent
for practical political work and organization which
had a still harder contest, the Democrats and Lib
erals uniting on q candidate to run against hiIn
His victory was even more brilliant than before.
In 1S74 he was reelected once more, and again IN
1876 though the district still heavily Demo
cratic. In 1873 bis county of Seneca was thrown
into new district with Democratic majority OF
1000. He was solicited to run in the adjoining
Toledo district where there chance of sue
cess but he decided TO stand by his own people and
make hopeless fight for the sake OF the
Sfate ticket. He put Just as much hard work into
the contest as though there were prospect of sue
cess. and reduced the hostile majority to 110O:
III was in that campai On that he took the ground
that President HayeSs policy of cOnciliston to-
ward the south, which he had sustained. was a
failure because of the refusal of tho Southern
leaders to carry out their promises of respecting the
constitutional amendments and of protecting the
colored people III the exercise of their political
nights Like most of the friends OF the policy of
kindne.s MIR Foster is now one Of the most stalwart
OF Republ in his views OF the Southern Ques-
ton.
I'm person Mr. Foster is little above the medium
nl md hrna hnul Ii red with