The Washington herald., 1911-06-25

mon. of Ohio. and Foss, Of Massachu-
setts. Politically, foss may be described
as Foss man, in that he uses parties
for definite policy OF his own. He was
a Republican until recently; he still be-
lieves in the doctrine of protection, but
is in Office by the votes of Democrats.
A strange mixture Of currents, but con-
sistent and beaming in the joy of his ac-
complishments, as well in his outlook and
physical strength When had talked
with him for an hour 1 was driven to
ask: DO any blue days ever come into
your life?"
MY wife says not" he replied, calling
in witness whose testimony settled the
case.
"A busy manufacturer, = I said, 'presi-
dent of several great corporations, and
a director in many more, you took up
politics either for its honors, its enter
tainments, or its speculative possibilities %
You are wrong came the answer 'T
got into politics through a fire. Fact
through a fire. About one-third of our
factory at Jamaica Plain was burned in
1902. The rest was badly damaged We
had to build anew. Men whom I knew
at banks and elsewhere said they sup
posed we should move West. Everybody
was going, they declared, and they feared
should follow the rest
My mind went to work at that point.
/ meant to take a citizens part in poll
tics at the time / left the road, but busi-
ness became so absorbing that / thought
of nothing else. Our fire brought me face
TO face with a new economic problem:
set me to thinking outside of my regular
lines. Why were manufacturers leaving
New England? Now that l meditated
upon the subject, realized that we were
rapidly losing business through perfectly
logical causes and were becoming the
summer resort for the remainder OF the
country. Shut of from a domestic mar.
ket on the last by the Atlantic Ocean,
and halted at the north by the Canadian
boundary, only the South and West re-
mained for the sale OF our manufactured
products. That was plain.
Freights Were killing New England.
Il saw that Cincinnati, Pittsburg. 81.
Louis. and Chicago could sell in four di-
rections. Also that our raw materials,
lumber. iron. wool, hides. and cotton,
came from the South and West We
paid the freight to New England, con-
verted the raw materials into furniture,
machinery, shoes. and textile fabrics,
and then paid another freight back to
the cfrcumscribed markets at the in
tSAtSA "a AtAC OOQDlet IfelGntHRG,
you see, and mostly to single line of
railroad
1T seemed TO me that we ought to
get some of our raw materials nearer
home-lumber from the neighboring parts
of Canada and coal from Nova Scotia |
Moreover. we needed markets toward the
North. Al the outset. only thought of
the disappearing trade Of Massachusetts.
saw the whole OF New England, as
the subject grew In my reflection UIti-
mately. my vision took IN the entire
country. Reciprocity in business with
all the world, believed, would be to
the advantage OF every American
The FIRE. as have said, put me to
thinking and TO investigating. in
formed myself as 70 what different
statesmen had said in the past on the
subject Of our commercial relations |
resd James O. Blaine on his policy of
reciprocity with South America; also Nc |
speech at Buffalo. the day he
was shot. The Dlngiey tsrin law. Re-
publican measure found, provided for
trade arranEemenss John A. |
KRsSan. learned had negotiated tslir
teen treaties mostly with France having /
been delegated 70 do the work by e |
Republican President The tIeatlez !