The Louisiana Democrat., 1891-03-25
"CALiCO CHARllE."
The dubious Prospect Before Mr. Win
dom's Successor.

Inc DuUIOuS ITUSpSCb 2SCAchO NHA' s'AAA
dom's Successor.
The appointment of Hon. Charles
Foster, of Ohio. as secretary of the
treasury, was a colorlessone, and if
it were designed to have any sig
niGcance, Mr.. Foster himself has
taken care to deprive it Of any
meaning by announcing in advance of
his departure for Washington that he is
''in accord with the policy of the ad-
ministration." AS ambiguous utter
ances, silence when speech was de-
manded, and forgetfulness of unequivo-
cal statements when made, have charac-
terized the policy of the administra-
tion," Mr.. Foster has put himself on
ground that cannot be supported or as
sailed because his position is masked.
In his personality and factional
standing in his party in his own state.
Mr.. Foster resembles Warner Miller
more closely than any republican we
have in mind. Since the ascendancy of
Foraker, which was brought to an end
only year ago, Mr.. Foster has been
an eclipsed Ohio politician. Last year,
to be sure, he was nominated for con-
gress and the canvass which he con-
Quoted was a much more remarkable
one than that which Maj. Mckinley
succeeded in making the center OF at
traction in Ohio But in spite of this
momentary burst into prominence
Foster is as essentially a political
"back number as is Warner Miller
Probably that was why President
Harrison chose him. Mr.. Foster, by
no effort of the Imagination, can be re-
garded as possible candidate for the
republican nomination for president in
1892.
The new secretary of the treasury
will enter upon the discharge of his du-
ties under the most embarrassing con-
ditions. He becomes part of an admin
istration which has just been con-
demned by the people in tones OF more
positive emphasis than they have used
before in many years. Furthermore,
the fiscal policy of the administration
has been the chief cause of popular
complaint, and it is that policy which
Mr. Foster will be forced to defend.
He goes into office as congress, con-
trolled by his party, is about to expire
"a congress more thoroughly obnox-
ious to the American people than any
which has assembled since the close of
the war, and his first recommendations
will be addressed to congress entirely
out of sympathy with those views which
Mr.. Harrison will force upon his secre-
tary of the treasury. His duty to
his party will compel him to present
doctored statements of the country's
receipts and expenditures; it will force
him to recommend schemes to benefit
individuals at the expense of the coun-
try, and Harrison himself will demand
that tie patronage of his great depart
ment he used to promote the renomina-
tion of president who enjoys small
er degree of popularity than any presi-
dent whom this generation recalls.
The prospect before Hon. Charles
Foster is thus dubious one. Virtual
ly political bankrupt, he is summoned
to task which calls for larger
amount of political capital and a larger
amount of brains than any republican
in sight seems to command. For the
next two years business will almost
tmn upon his word, and, for the gener-
al welfare, it is to be trusted that he
will prove equal to the position. But
he is merely politician of the Warner
Miller brand, with the additional Ohio
faculty of always keeping in Office
ALBANY Argus,