The Van Buren press., 1871-04-18
The Trouble between Fish and Sumner
A Curious Story

Tue Capital, Don Piatt and G.. A
Townsend's paper, Of Sunday, contains
long article purportng to give histo
ry Of the misunderstanding bctweer
Messrs Sumner and Fish. Some of Mr.
| Summers friends, while dsclaiming any
responsibility for its language, declare
its main averments substantially correct
and the ~ Y Tribune says that though
evidently biased it is known to have ele
mcnts of truth F." The following para
graphs contain the substance of it,
Secretary Fish and Mr. Sumner were
sworn into the Senate together, in 1851,
and served some time on the same com.
mittce, and the two became acquaintance
indeed, friends. When Gen. Grant re-
discovered Mr.. Fish on the banks Of tho
Hudson, and made him Secretary ol
State, the venerable Knickerbockcr fed
to the chairman Of foreign relations for
advice and help. Mr.. Sumner retains let
ters from Secretary Fish, asking for the
loan of his brains. Mr.. Sumner. who had
meantime had the experience Of the state
department during the war, and who
never fell out with Mr. Seward or any
other gentlemen Of that department,
wrote the instructions for Mr.. Motley
himself wrote the outline OF the leading
papers on the Alabama claims, and named
the person who should write the letter OF
instructions to the British government
re.opening those claims. The only other
person Mr. Fish could get to give him
assistance was Bancroft Davis, DC.
MIR. Fish and Mr Sumner, as we have
said, never personally disagreed, even
about the Santo Domingo matter, until
the military ring around Gen Grant re-
solved to go into this jeb, Then the
President made the point with Secretary
Fish that the Senate committee must be
manipulated through it chairman. Ac-
cordngly, in the first week in June, at 0
o'clock in the evening, Mr.. Fish went to
Mr. Summers House, and after arguing
with him for three hours, or until after
midnight, to cease his opposition to Santo
Domingy, he said; Ifyou cannot please
the President in this, ifyou cannot cease
your attacks upon Santo Domingo, ut
least get out of the way. You need not
stay in the Senate. There is the English
mission; / offer it to you--it is yours.
Go away, and we can carry this Santo
Domingo business behind you." =" Mr..
Sumner waived the matter off as tho mis-
take Of all old and blundering friend, and
replied: 90 Fish, We have the best
man we can get now at London, and you
want to make no change there. Mr.
Fish left Mr. Summers house a bafiled,
mortified man, and he at once set Ban
croft Davis to work, in his most malig-
nant vein, to worry Mr.. Motley, and in
suit Mr.. Sumner
Mr.. Fish seems to have lost all his in
trepidity AS the time approached to
"spring this insolent Moran letter upon
the public and his friend When it did
appear, he dared no more face the old
Bay State lion, but sent Senator Pattcr-
SON TO iathom the shoals, and ascertain
what his (Fish's) reception would be.
When, some days ago, Mr.. Sumner was
asked why Fish did not come in person
to attend to public business, and why he
sent Senator Patterson, Mr.. Sumner re-
piled Because he feared the rebound
Of my heart. " Mr. Sumner replied,
through Patterson, that he would see
Fish at the State department, at the SEN
ate, or at the House Of either, freely, ful
ly, and at any time, on the public bust
ness, but, he added, tell him that feel
! that he has done me cruel wrong! AT
this Mr.. Fish was the more distressed,
but still he mustered up enough Dutch
courage to go to Mr.. Summers house on
the occasion of conference with Sir
johnson Rose, the courticr and pioneer
Of the British government, Oh the terms
Of a new settlement. The evening was
passed, as Mr.. Sumner only could make
it pass in its perfection, pleasantly, in.
tellectually, proltably. But after mid
night. when Fish had departed, Mr., Sum
ner, calmly sitting down in the quiet o.
his library, resolved that his self.respect
would compel him 10 discriminate be-
tween Fish, the secretary, and Fish, the
friend. Therefore, when, some time af.
terward, they met, on private occasion,
at the Hon. Robert {. Schenck's, and
late in the evening, Fish addr ,ssed. across
some ladies, frivolous remark about