New-York tribune., 1896-01-26
volve himself in the remotest chance Of strand
Ing his vessel
THE "U4N" FISH BOOM.

THE CHAM" FISH BUM.
Amid the'calm delights derived from the dffu-
sion Of the cheering reports that come to us from
all nonts of the compass concerning the success
Of thc Morton boom-such, for instance, as that
brought back by Otto Irving Wise from the re-
mote South. where he has lately been travelling
and quite incidentally dropping hints from his
large capa ;ous mouth rs to the political duties
of his fellow-men which hints have been i'm
mediately taken up and acted on. and are likely
TO result in great accumulation OF power To the
Morton boom-as perhaps. also, to the otto
Irving Wise pull-amld all these encourage
mcnts there comes with great abruptncss the
announcement that Hamilton Fish. the present
Speaker of the Assembly. will refuse renomina-
tion to the Assembly. We call it abrupt. And
vet. when one stops to consider. it is not 50
absolutely abrupt For it leaves his constituents
time to stop and consider 1t is, to be sure,
somewhat early for n member Of the Assembly
TO refuse denomination, which, considering all
the possibilities OF snap conventions, must be
at least nine months off. But Speaker Fish is
probaby more considerate Of the feelings OF his
constituents than any statesman who ever sat
on n lonely height and drew pay for public ser
vice in an absolutely unsclish way. lie desires
event-of his withdrawal from public life. SO,
at this long distance from the point of time when
the catastrophe-Avill occur, he gives fair notice
to his constituents that he is to be no longer
at their service We speak Of it as a catastro-
phe-it will be that anyway-but, unheralded
and sudden. it might have taken on the pro
portions Of a calamity. Speaker Fish is entitled
TO the thanks of his constituents for having led
fl,.1 saCCn
to the contemplation of what all of them must
consider political bereavement
In Putnam County the absence OF Hamilton
Fish from the political arena would be some
thing like the failure of the standing crops.
Men would go cropping and gaspng and beat
ing the air and saying, "Whcrc are we now!
and rs there any hope left for free insutu-
tions?' But all is not lost. To the thoughtful
patriots who consider with what unSelishness
and devotion Hamilton Fish has served them for
so many years the suggestion that he cannot al
ways be at their command; that some time they
must forego his services and select his sue
ceSsor comes. Of course, with a sensation or
main: something indeed, which can only be de-
scrbel adequately as Il dull thud. lie has been
SO able and so enierprising; versatile, and
withal. SO successful. Seldom has a man exhibit
cd in public life such ductiliy such readiness Of
resource. such willingness to adapt himself TO
circumstance such submcrgcnce Of self in the
great purpose Of serving in general way the
common veal. and. incidentally. the best good
Of the best citizens Of Putnam County. Of whom
he has never disguised from himself the fact
that he was one Of the chiefcst and best No
one knows better than himself that the loss of
Hamilton Fish from public life would be one
Of those stirring events for which flags would
be set at haf-mast and minuteg guns would be-
fired In many places. II IS difficult. Indeed -
contemplate it with calmneSs Mr. Fish himself
realizes the awfulneSs Of the situation when hc
gives his constituents nine months notice that
his long period of self sacrifice is ~ an end; that
he will no longer immediate himself upon the
altar Of his love of country. In giving this long
notice Ham" Fish-if We may be permitted In
this parting hour TO indulge in familiarity, and
the terms Of endcarmcnt which AT such time
rise upon the lips Ham Fish has exhibited
in an unusual degree that profound appreciation
Of his public relation which has characterized
his whole official life.
Others would have waited. and let the blow
fall Ham" Fish prepares the public mind for
IL hy gradual approaches. SO nine months on
he lets people know that after his present term
Of service aS Asscmhlyman he Will have no more
Of IT, Then what happens; Why OF course
what needs no auglIr or sOothsayer 10 predict.
an eager people, through the medium II a space
writer. saws: But Mr. Fish. wouldn't You con
sent 10 be Iieutenant-Govcrnort' And llamil
ton Fish, with the argc-hcarel sincerity which
has characterized all his public service says:
NO: | would not be I.eutenaniGOvcrnor. And
vet-and yet-thcre Is one hope left. There l.
the office of Governor. Would you." says the
persistent purveyor Of political intelligence,
would YOU take the office of Goycrnor|' Then
-ah. then. liam" Fish hcsitatcS o hopeful
hesitaton-bctwccn his desire for n quiet life
and his unalierablc determination 10 serve his
people and his country 10 the butts end. and
makes no answer. Let Us not crowd him. Let
us appreciate his reluctance. and try 10y some
means insdlouS perhaps, but in The end com
! mcndable-to overcome his reluctance 10 con
tinue in the public service Let us remember
direction was eventually overcome by the siren
uous efforts Of probably the Biggest -Four lhat
ever made sacrifices for their country. and let
us hope that somewhere in the near future some
other -Four not. of course. biz. but biz enough
will, as they say in the Bowery. "lay right
down" on Ham" Fish and compel from him
! his consent TO be Governor Of Ncw-lOrk