The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-03-20
The Germans in Paris.
SUMNER AND FISH.

Curious Story of the Origin ef the Trouble.
The Capital contains long article purport-
$iDg to give history of the Misunderstanding
between Messrs. Sumner and Fish. Some of
IMr. Summers friends, while discaiming any
Responsibility for its language, declare its main
hverments substantially correct. The following
paragraphs 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 committee, and the two
became cquaintances-indeed, friends. When
General Grant rediscovered Mr. Fish on the
banks of the Hudson, and made him Secretary
of State, the venerable Knickerbocker fled to
1.-The chairman of Foreign Relations for advice
<and help. Mr.. Sumner retains letters from
Secretary Fish, asking for the loan Of his brains.
Mr.. Sumner, who had meantime had the eXpe-
RfieDce of the State Department during the war,
! and who never fell out with Mr.. Seward or any
fother gentleman of that department, wrote the
! instructions for Mr.. Motley himself, wrote the
outline of the leading papers on the Alabama
kclaims and named the person who should write
the letter of instructions to the British Govern
ment reopeniDg those claims. The only other
person Mr.. Fish could get to give him any as
+ 81, tance was Bancroft Davis" etc.
''Mr. Fish and Mr.. Sumner, as we have said,
never personally disagreed. even about the Santo
Domingo matter, until the military ring around
General Grant resolved to go into this job. Then
/ the President made the point with Secretary
Fish that the Senate Committee must be mauipu-
| lated through its chairman. Accordingly. in
. the first week in June, at 9 o'clock in the even
| lDp, MT. FISH went 10 MT. sumner B mouse, and
after arguing with him for three hours or until
after midnight, to cease his opposition to Santo
Domingo, he said, If you cannot please the Pre-
sident in this, If you cannot cease your attacks
upon Santo Domingo, at least get out of the
! way. You need not stay in the Senate. There
. is the English mission; / offer 1t to you-it is
yours. Go away, and we can carry this Santo
Domingo business behind YOU Mr.. Sumner
waived the matter off as the mistake of an old
and blundering friend, aud replied: :-'Oh, Fish,
we have the best man we can get now at Lon
don, and you want to make no change there.
Mr.. Fish left Mr.. Sumner house a baffied,
mortified man, and he at once set Bancroft Davis
\ TO work, in his sfnost malignant vein, to worry
/ Mr. Motley and insult Mr.. Sumner.
'Mr. Fish seems to have lost all his intrepidty
a as the time approached to spring this insolent
Moran letter upon the public and his friend.
When ii did appear, he dared no more face the
Old Bay State Lion, but sent Senator Patterson
to fathom 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
| replied: Because he feared the rebound of my
\ heart!" Mr.. Sumner replied, through Patterson,
that he would see Fish at the State Department,
at the Senate, or at the house of either, freely
fully, and at any time, on the public business,
but, he added, tell him that / feel that he has
done me cruel wrong At this Mr.. Fish was
j enough Dutch courage to go to Mr.. Sumner S
I house on the occasion of a conference with Sir
! John Rose, the courier and pioneer of the
British Government, on the terms of new set
tlement. The evening was passed, as Mr..
Sumner only could make II pass in its perfection,
pleasantly, intellectually, proftably. But after
midnight, when Fish had departed, Mr..
the quiet of his library, resolved
that his self-respect would compel him to dis
criminate between Fish the Secretary and Fish
the friend. Therefore, when, some time after
y wards, they met on private occasion at the
!. Hon. Robert G. Schenck's, and late in the eve
ming Fish addressed across some ladies, frivo
lous remark about duck and partridge to Mr.
Sumner, the latter merely looked at him and
made no reply. Fishs weak nature felt tn,
shock. He dared no longer face the NumidiaI
lion, and he arranged with the crew of Chandler
Nye. and the other boys who fight for bitter
apples, to complete his cowardly warfare BY
driving Mr. Summer from the head of this com
mittee so that he might no longer meet him"