Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-02-25
THE NEW SECRETARY.

President Harrison has appointed
Elk Gov. Charles Foster, of Ohio, as
secretary of the treasury, TO fill the va
cancy caused by the death of Secretary
Window. Foster won the title calico
Charley" in the'gubenatorial race, some
six or eight years ago, and is better
known by the nickname than by any
other. He is a stay at-home warrior.
Calico Charley" is after HarrisOn's
own heart. He is the kind of a man
exactly whom it was predicted after
WINDOWS death Harrison would ap
point; that is to say, a western man with
eastern ideas. Foster is opposed to
the free coinage of silver. He is op
posed to tariff reform. He is a radical
in everything. In the convention
which nominated Harrison in Chicago
in 1888 Foster was one of the first of
the Ohio people to make a break for
Harrison, and consequently Benjamin
owes him something. Besides, Foster
is shrewd and INSCRIPTIONS politician
and not presidential candidate.
Harrlson's requirements for the head
of the treasury department are, first,
man who will not be a candidate for
president; second, man who is OPP
posed to the free coinage of silver; third,
a man who will stand by the tariff bar
ons; fourth, man who will meet with
the approval of Wall street; fifth, a man
who has no respect for popular de-
mands; sixth, a man who despises poor
people, working people and combina-
tions of poor people and workers who
endeavor to secure their rights under
the government; seventh, man who
would work the department for all it is
worth in the interest of Harrison's re-
nomination for the presidency and his
subsequent reelection.
All these qualifications Foster is sup
posed to possess. AS head OF the treas
ury department it is safe to say that
Foster will have every collector of Gus
toms and every collector of internal
revenue, every treasury agent, every
gauger and store-keeper-in fact, every
man in the employ of the government
under the jurisdiction of the secretary
of the treasury-at work actively in the
interest of Harrison's denomination.
Foster has been friend of Sherman
and understands perfectly Sherman 8 old
southern machine. His knowledge of
that branch of politics will be valuable
to Harrison. In the last convention, it
will be remembered, Alger invaded
Sherman's southern preserves at the
cost, it is said, of more than 100000.
This Disguised Sherman and he resolved
to never again be a candidate for the
presidency. Alger has made no such
resolve and Harrison has no idea of
spending 100000 of his own, or, for
that matter, any other amount, in cap
turing the southern delegations to the
convention. If any of Harrison's
friends care to invest in southern ne
groeS at the convention, the president
will not object. The function of the
secretary of the treasury, however,
will be to see that the treasury officials
in the south will allow none but Harri-
son men to be sent to the national con-
ventlon, and for this kind of work
'CallcO Charley" is eminently adapted.
He will boss the collectors and the
gaugers, the store-keepers and the ma
val officers and the sub-treasurers
throughout the country, and will rate
them according to their service in con-
trolling caucuses and conventions.
Aside from this as secretary of the
treasury he will do whatever Harrison
wants him to, which means that he
will take orders from Wall street
and do what the fnanciers of that
region require of him. Because of these
characteristics and attachments of Eos
ter, the general belief that he was made
secretary of the treasury. 1t has been
reported that some of the silver repub-
llcans of the senate have suggested to
the democratic free coinage men that
they join in refusing to confirm any
man for secretary Of the treasury who
is opposed to free coinage. The demo-
Gratis, however, think that the president
has right to appoint his own immedi-
ate official family, and will make no
contest against his selection. So it is
reasonably certain that "Calico
Charley he will be promptly con-
firmed.