Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-08-30
Vermonter the Power Behind the
Mikado's Throne.
For Thirty Years Hc Has Held nm I'm.
pOrtant Place in the Toxic Foreign
ell Life M n Department
Clerk In Washington.

hi"to VI u WOTlu untll tne Tune OF inc
Portsmouth peace conference. is really
the power behind the throne. There have
been aliens beside and behind other
thrones, says "A writer in T. p. O.. Mr..
T. =. O'Ccnnor's new English weekly.
but in no modern State does there live
a man bearing the relation to his gov
eminent and exercising the wide and
beneficial influence with Its powerful
~neighbors that Denison does in Japan.
For nearly thirty years he has held his
post in the foreign office in Toxic.
He is a modest man, this Deniscn; one
who has always kept himself in the back
ground, and his work for a quarter of a
century is merged, unidentified, in the
general accomplishment of the govern
ment which he serves.
| II circumstance were different, says his
English admirer who has written the APP
probation of him. his name would prob
ably be as familiar in London as those
of Lansdowne, Grey. Hay. Delcasse, Won
Bulow. Lamsdorff and the rest, for he /!
of their rank.
DcnisCn prefers the satisfaction that
comes from work well lone rather than
the praise of the world. He lives quietly
in one of the smaller official residences n
Toxic, almost II r~ecluse save to his inti-
mate friends. to whom he Is said to bring
n charming simplicity of manner, a SPLEEN
did measure of warmth and genialty and
Il delightful fund Of wit and humor.
He is said rather to avoid the social lift
of the city and manifestly to shun the
inevitable Intrigue and personal political
play of the diplomatic capital. He rarely
absents himself for a day from the fore
ign office. to which he goes early and at
which he frequently remains until far in
to the night. Outside of an official list
that shows that he ranks next to the
minister of foreign affairs in Japan. that
he is a Judge of the Hague tribunal ant
that he was officially included in the Jap
anese peace embassy at Portsmouth, moth
ing official concerning him can be found.
Born in Vermont some time in the '40s,
he went to Washington as a youth from
college to take Il departmental Clerkship
and there he remained through the Civil
War.
Progress in the department was slow. no
one seeming to detect genius in this I'M
assuming young New Highlander, and dis
couraged by the humdrum life Denison
sought and obtained a consular clerkshiT
at Yokohama.
Japan was Just then opening up to our
world and upon the few known facts of
the country had been builded romance
that chained the imagination of the young
departmental clerk. He crossed the Pacific
late in the SOS upon n journey that was
to open to hin his great career in life.
These consular days really prepared Deni-
son for his career.
There were extra territorial rights in
those days. and from those rights and the
first unfair treaties negotiated with Japan
grew a vast number of intricate legal
questions.
Denison's inclination was to the law
First a student of it because of the neccs-
stiles of his work, he later became n mas
ter Of it through his growing love for It
The possessor of a completely balanced
judicial mind. a judgment as dispassion-
ate as a machine and a memory almost
as accurate as the graver's art, he made
splendid progress ian the law. and within
a few years he resigned from the con-
sular service to practise law privately
among the foreign community in japan.
Frequent examples OF his talent brought
him to the notice of the japanese govern
ment, and In 1850 Count Inouye, one OF
the elder statesmen Of Japan. then min
lister Of foreign affairs. invited him to
ioin the permanent staff of his office.
In those years there w-ro hundreds Of
Western teachers, experts and guides OF
various kinds in the employ OF the gov
eminent teaching the people the ways of
the West: but the pupils soon became
masters and score by score the instruc-
tors were dropped. Only a handful now
ran,oip and DpniSOp iG their leader In
rank, pay and consideration.
Denison has broadened and progressed
with his work until In his knowledge Of
international law. the history of diplo-
macy. usage and custom and the genera
science of government he is the eQua'
of any living man. 1t is difficult to sin
gle out the particular achievements o
this wonderful, silent. reserved man who
stands forever in the background, but
there has not been an important foreign
affair for twenty years in which he ha.
mot been consulted.
Throughout the troublesome days Of tn,
war with China he was ever at the sid,
of Count Mutsu. then minister OF foreign
affairs. Dcnison's part in that piece o
history will probably mover be known
All that we know Of 1t is that at tn,
| ilbSt VI w ""i 'iii'' was
to court to receive n handsome grant o.
money and the thanks of the royal family
In the afair with Russia he was con
%stantly at the side of Baron Komura, ant
a British diplomat was heard to declar,
that Denison wrote IN behalf OF Jap
/, the bulk of the wonderful correspondence,
from Toxic. pithy, incisive. clear and logi
cal. that preceded the war.
The same British diplomat was author
lity for the statement that Dcnison ad
. vised the Japanese government through
. out the negotiations for the first treat.
alliance with Great Britain.
Denison played an important part IL
the treaty revision that, ten years age
claimed the attention of the world. an
there have been few domestic concern
of high Importance in which his wonder
full knowledge. judgment and resourc
have not been used to great advantag
nv the Japanese government. At Ports
mouth. when Witte and Komura had con
cluded peace, Dcnison was designated, o.
behalf Of the Japanese, to frame tn
agreement and treaty that were late
signed.
There have been changes innumerabl
in the government OF Japan since Denise
first entered the service, but each succeed
ing cabinet has recognized his worth an
insisted on his retention, He has receive
the highest decorations granted b. tn
crown to those who are not princes O