The sun., 1893-05-27
Mr.. EOS7ER'S CAREER.
Anecdotes of Ills Nusiness md Political
Life-Few ir Any Creditors Here.

Ex-Sccrotary Fosters embarrassments
have little or no local interest here. Presi.
dent John NJ Crane OF tho Shoe and
Leather National Bank. in theEtewart build
ing. Broadway and Chambers street. said yes
terday that Foster & Co. had had an account
with the bank for twenty years. and that there
was still balance there In their favor. Mr..
Crane had always believed Mr.. Foster to be
worth anywhere from half million to mil
lion dollars.
President George F. Baker Of the First
National Bank. and others have had dealings
with Mr.. Foster. but not large dealings. and
oil are fully protected.
Mr. Foster has four bosom friends In New
York. Two are Democrats. Senator Calvin
Stewart Brice and ex-Gov James Z Campbell
OF Ohio. Two are Republicans. Henry W. Can
non. President OF the Chase National Bank.
and Gen. Sam Thomas. Treasurer OF the Re-
publican State Committee. Gen. Thomas in
old days was the partner Of Senator Brce ut
the Manhattan Club. the home OF the swallow
tail Democracy OF tho nation. All are younger
than the ex-Secretary. and all at one time or
another have had business relations with him.
as we'll as social relations. They are all sorry
to hear Of his failure.
Mr.. Foster is in his sixty-sixth year. His
father settled Fostoria and owned 10000
acres Of land thereabouts. 1t was said in
Wall street yesterday that the ex-Secretary
still owns about 5000 acres OF the land. In
his boyhood he became clerk in q country
notion store While there measuring cotton.
calico. and molasses his rosy face and pleas
ant manners won for him warm spot In the
OF sysry he s iew So1S y9ums
appeliation was not lost when he became State
Senator, Congressman, Governor. and secre-
Senator in 1853 and to Congress In 1870. He
served three terms In the House: He was for
mittee In 1879 he was elected Governor of
| Ohio by 17.12D plurality and 1882 majority.
h MI
eaney left in sRe aabnet BY the ,sHddeP death sa
ais ssissn IL devoted q, H. hls I. .asrsis.
aker was too strong Tor him. and. aided BY
ley. the Governor. who was permanent Chair
man Of the Convention. voting alone for Har-
pssn 'eS
auaintance at Grhlr Farm thnt he had been
to that
cord cord wish Mr. harrison. Two Years ago when zen
York bankers came to an understanding by
wne psr cent. tue All Ho% went We'll We'll until mi had
been extended at that rate. Then Mr. Herri.
sna sa Ut s Of Hsy me-
should be extended at 1879, per cent This
was against Mr.. Fosters protest. The bank
sons demand. and mis- Administration was
com pelled to redeem the remaining $4,000
In the closing days OF the Harrison Admin
istration Foster came to New York to make ar,
rangements for q bond Issue which lie believed
would Offset tha heavy ShiDmBIts OF gold. Ha
Which was to take s55:SoSTy9H9 bonds On q
to Washington Mr.. Harrison promptly rejected
The great political event OF Secretary Eos.
ters administration of the Treasury Depart
wSs tFs Foster % E
public Stores under ex- Marshal Louis +. Tayn
o yeaT M The wori
Erhardt said there were plenty who would do
the work ior sn0.ogo year, and refused %n to
ti"n became so hot that Collector Erhardt
sent his resignation to Ar. Harrison. His sue;
to sign the Payn contract. and finally Mr.. Fos-
ter abandoned the project.
The ex,Secretary is good story teller. joval
TIA q 4. trial al, in I which S
To- Tor his side q the esss Toward the Close the
0"pSsI1 Tr. Foster. s did You ever pay =" nam
ing party on the other side Of the suit. the
saoant be was to receive under such and such
mo, ,sir;, never did" came the answer,
Mr.. Foster lovkod puzzled and little indig-
nav s"'%hy. theis It Is in your answsFSyoa swore
~ Mr.. Foster Seized The document inratient-
ly. and as his eye ran over it rapidly he re-
"Wsli. I. asked my lawyers when. they
brongh this thing to me how many c2nf9und;
cd lies they wanted to make me teli Ihad
n4 ONE ! 81 Mr. N Fosters own stories concerns his
early BUSINESS relations with, with senator M ,i ,Brife
sna MheR r M Bes Ssd ss busnass IS
matters for several years. Mr.. Brlee's enter
got too big r hs snd ss
away it was found gr. Foster was endorsed
on Mr.; Brlce's psEer fer for about S5o,ooo
Mr.. Foster In telling the story "Brice. who
was then living IN Lima, came over to F1storia
TO soas nse T asdet eSW MS nSt
10 hopeless for him to try to do business With
so he proposed 70 turn over 70 ia me a al his his
worth $1,000 or $1,000. and Al sorts Of odds
na Sna' hsd sarssed
business ability-Enew that be was sharp
ana shrewd and an indefatigaDle w9IkeI. 80 81
said: 1 don't want your traps. Brice. ~
OF lust about your size to- help me IN lot OF
business have on hand and Il yoI,m, ya,statf agree
tell you TO do III furnish the money and wel
divide tho profits aud I'll sign any release you
want. to boot. It didn't axe him long to draw
y foreelose on the OHIO Central. a road which
Tom Ewing had graded from Columbus to
Toledo. but which had neither bridges. ties.
nor rails: He did that in Fix, months time.
and We aiteIward sold tho road to George l.
fully at everything. and at the end OF the four
years he was IN pretty good shape. He then
went to New York and began his career there"
Senator Drice 10 now said to be worth
$l.OOO.000.