The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-05-01

CHARLES W. FOSTER. him working at
his desk in the same practical business
manner which he had in his Office in
Fostoria, and which he used when | knew
him as governor of Ohio. He is an easy
worker, and he is a type of the successful
practical business man of the West.
He passes upon things quickly, talks
freely with every one, and gauges
everything by the standard of
good hard common sense aided by long
life of practical experience. His gauge is
too broad to allow him to put on any airs
about his work, and in private life he is
one of the most delightful conversational
lists among the noted men of Washington
City. found him lying on a sofa in bis
little reception-room at the left of the
wide hall which runs through his big YER
mont avenue mansion, and he talked in
this position save when he became much
interested in the subject, when he would
sit up for moment and enforce his
speech with gestures. l asked as to his
work in the department and whether the
burdens of the treasury were such that
they had affected his health. The secre-
tary laughed is he replied
There is a great deal of foolishness
about the statement that public men are
killed by overwork. / don't believe that
good hard work hurts any man. 1t is the
worry and the irregularities of life that
kill US. | am feeling pretty well now, and
l have about regained my health since
went to Europe. l don't think my sick
ness was caused by overwork in the treas
ury. 1t came from the Ohio campaign of
last fall. l went out there to speak for
Mckinley, and / travelled about all over
the state. speaking at night in the open
air and keeping all sorts of hours. and the
result was my sickness. / tried to do at 90
what used TO do easily when | was 40 and
my system would not stand the strain. As
to the treasury, there is plenty of work to
do, and am there from 8 until about
every day, and it keeps me on the jump
all the time. / do not bother myself
about details, however, and have learned
that in doing business you have got to
trust others to do their parts of the work,
and do it. can drop my work as soon
as go away from the department, and
never bring it home with me-"
do you think the treasury killed Secre-
taries Folger and Manning?" / asked.
~ think not" was the reply. Seer
tainly not in one sense. Folger died
largely from his disappointment on being
defeated as governor of New York. He
tried to watch all the details of the de-
partment, and he carried his work home
at night with him and worried because he
could not do everything himself. As to
Manning, he came into the treasury
under very peculiar circumstances.
The Democratic party had been out of
Office for more than twenty years. and the
watch cry OF their campaign had been,
g.1 l.. n
made great fuss about wanting to get
at the books" and show up the corruption
of the Republicans. Manning was ex-
pected to clean out the department. He
found that he could not get along without
the Republicans TO help him run the de-
partment. He did not find the frauds he
expected, and the worry of these things
proved upon his mind and made him ILL.,
They say that Window also died from
overwork The truth Of it was that he had
heart disease, and his death at that New
York dinner was the result of that mo-
ment of over-exertion. Blaine says If he
had stopped his speech when he was about
half through he would be alive today.
The conversation here turned to Cover
nor Fosters European experiences, and
asked him as to the statement which was
published in America as to his referring to
the Irishman as ''our clam-mouthed inn
migrants. he Teplltu. ndu no inter-
view at all that day in London, but people
were coming in and out of my room all
day and / probably said something about
our immigration. / did not use that ex-
preston, however. for | would remember
il if had, but 1 probably spoke of the
wonderful. changes which our climate and
life makes upon the foreigners who come
here. Have you never noticed how after n
generation or two the Irish and Germans
lose even the facial expression which 10
characteristic of them ON the other side
of the water. and they assume the Ameri
can type? l don't think that this is-
so much so with the Italians, and
we want all the immigrants that we can
get that are of the best German and Irish
character. L understand that some of the
newspapers commented upon that inter-
view as an intimation that / thought the
Irish little below the Americans of the
United States in the way of rank and Gull
ture. But il would be ridiculous for us to
talk of rank in the United States, for mons
OF us can go back many generations"
by the way. governor, where did your
family come from, and of what nationality
are your"
II am Scotch Irish, and my people on
my father 5 side came from the north Of
Ireland. Foster is the abreviation of For
roster, and suppose the first of us had
the charge of a forest or lived in a forest.
In this country the name has been abbre-
waited TO Forster and Foster, and some OF
our family spell their name with an T to-
day."
when did the Fosters first come to this
country"
at was in 1892 the first American Fos-
ter settled near Boston. He had twelve
children, and each of those-so the story
goes-had six, and I come of about the
sixth generation from him. Ny father
was born in Massachusetts,, and he mar
ried my mother there, and she brought
him out TO ohio. She had gone out West
with her father. who was man of some
means, and had bought large tract Of
land near Tifiu, o. My mother had gone
back to Massachusetts, on visit when
father became engaged to her and married
her and went back with her. Ny mother
Is still living in Ohio. She has a farm Of
500 acres, which her father entered, and
which has been in the family since then.
Ny father was poor when he was married,
and the first year after his marriage he
worked for his father-in-law, and he got
500 for the years labors. He then
g.