Evening journal., 1913-01-09
MEM Nrmc nr urcrrDnsv
NLW i'LVS VI 1LoALnDHH
The Secretary Of State Who
Was the Hardest Worker
By uonand.

~"~-HN@--'@%
"Tho most modest man who ever
held high political position at Wash
ingt0n was. / think. Hamilton Fish,
said the late Colonel George Bliss at
one time United States district attor
ney for the southern district of New
York
Colonel Bliss was in very intimate
social and political relations with
Hamilton Fish after he became Sec
retary of state and with Chester A.
Arthur and Senator Roscoe COnlling,
His professional business at times
brought him TO the State Department.
~ do not recall a single instance
when during a call at the State De-
partment | failed to see Governor
Fish at his desk and not only at his
desk. but very hard at work, said
Colonel Bliss
81 spoke of this TO one of the old
time officers of the state Department
Just after the appointment of James
G Blaine as secretary Of state in Gar
fields labinot He had been in ar
tive service in the State Department
from 1861 until the time when | had
my conversation with him. He re-
Piled
"1 have been brought into very
close official relations with Secretary
Seward, With Secretary Fish and
with Secretary William NJ Eyarts
Mr.. Fish worked harder and more
hours day than did Evarts and Sew
ard put together The work of the
State Department was really carried
ON when Seward was secretary Of
state by his son, the assistant secre-
tary. Frederick w. Seward. So also
when Mr. lvarts was secretary Of
state the real work Of that department
was carried on at first by Fred Sew
ard and later by John Hay. But
there was never any question as to
who the real worker Of the State De-
partmont was when Hamilton Fish
was secretary of state.
He hated, however to be told
that he was working hard. He hated,
in fact. to be spoken to about any Of
his public services. He was so mod
est a man that he could not see why
anybody should be interested in what
he said or did
"This State Department official
told me- continued Colonel Bliss,
"that for about year after President
Grant appointed Governor Fish as
secretary of state he was diligently
occupied with some work the nature
of which even his subordinates of the
State Department did not under
stand
after Mr Fish had cleaned up his
desk each ay-and he never left his
Office until he had done that: not
leaving anything to he done on the
following day unless it was necessar-
ily unfinished business-he began to
summon his subordinates.
"He sent them to the archives of
the department and told them what
particular documents he wanted
brought He sent them to the State
Department. library and sometimes
the clerks of the department left him
at the close of business hours almost
completely SCREENED behind books and
/ Documents
Governor Fish never seemed to
be aware that the dinner hour had
\ arrived and when he was informed
by his servant that Mrs. Fish would
be expecting him he sometimes
showed a little irritation that he
should be disturbed in his work
"llo frequently took documents anC
]
and an hour or two Intercourse witt
guests he retired to his libray anC
frequently stayed there working unit
! or o'clock In the morning.
"He was always early in arriving
at the State Department and nevel
wasted a moment after he reached
his desk
Now what was all this extra ener
I I.l oh DrnG
ident Grant knew. but ! doubt any
body else i'm Washington knew unit
the work was completed.
what Secretary Fish was thus do
ing with almost infinite labor wa
disclosed in about a year through tn
publication of the proposition tha
the United States and Great Britain
should agree to a tribunal arbitration
TO which the claim Of the Unitel
States for indemnity on account o
the depredations of the Confederat
cruiser Alabama and others coul
be submitted
This preparation was a model,
continued Colonel Bliss 1T pave
the way for the first great interna
tional tribunal which was held a
Geneva But the curious thing abou
MIR. Fish's association with this grea
work was the fact that he alway
seemed embarrassed If any on
spoke to him in terms of commenda
tion about this service. do NO
think that we ever had a man at Oh
head of he State Department VIII
iaborcd SO hard and who so complete
ly subordinated his personality as di
Hamilton Fish
Copyright 1913, by r. J. Edwards
AN rights reseryed)
Tomorrow Nr Edwards will te
"Why William A. Evaris Retire
from Politics and business"