The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1889-01-15
APPOINTMENTS AND PROJECTIONS.

snip theories regardless OF practical
considerations, that all vacancies in
the public service should be filled
by the appointment of the person
next below. Now this mode of pro-
ceeding is in many instances right
and proper, just to individuals, as
well as beneficial to the public. But
it is by no means always so, nor
even generally, in such conditions as
have existed in the public service OF
this country for the last year and a
half
The appointment of Mr.. Foster
as Police Justice may be admitted
to be an excellent one, though we
have never understood that clerks OF
courts were in the direct line of
promotion to the bench. If he
makes good judge, as we have no
doubt he will, it will be mainly by
reason of his mental and moral
qualifications and of legal educa-
ton which he did not get in the
position he has just vacated. We
presume Messrs. Smith and Reist
are perfectly qualified for the posi-
tions to which they have been re-
spectively advanced. Such being
the case their promotion is to be
commended. But we deny that any
possible length of service in the
routine of clerical work will afford
any presumptive evidence OF either
of them being qualified to exercise
judicial functions. They may or
may not be, but nothing can be
proved either one way or the other
by any such test. We have nothing
to say against Judge Bickerton's
record in his present position, but
the fact that he had been Police
Justice for three or four years, or
even ten times as long, could neither
make him nor prove him qualified
to deal with the higher, more COM
plicated and very different questions
which come before tie highest legal
tribunal in the Kingdom. If he has
proved a good judge, let US be
thankful, but we suppose the hon
orable gentleman himself would be
quite willing to admit that equally
good appointments have often been
made direct from the ranks OF the
profession. According to these
theorists, a great injustice was
done, and the public service received
a vicious blow, when, upon the death
of Judge Fernandez, Judge Dayton
was passed over, and S. B. Dole,
Esq, who had never had any judi
cial experience, was appointed to
fill the vacancy. For our own part,
although we have high regard for
Judge Dayton, we fail to see either
the injustice or the impolicy.
1t may be admitted that among
those doing ordinary routine work
Of similar character, in any of the |
departments, promotions should be
made generally, though by no means
invariably. in the regular line of |
succession. But when We get out
side the range of these cases, of |
which the Clerks Office OF the SUI |
preme Court furnishes a very good |
example, we shall find this much |
rule subject to so many and |
such striking exceptions as to be
practically no rule at all, 1t is
rule which men of ability and sue
cess are never found adopting in
their own business, except in a very
limited aud modified way.
As regards most branches of the
public business, there is a deal of
humbug about the wonderful value
of years Of practical training in the
and the superlative results
IF "long training in subordinate
positions in the same department"
Very fine words certainly, but they
very moderate amount
If fact. In all the ordinary routine
positions in the public service, there
S nothing mysterious, complicated,
II profound. Any man possessed of
fair degree of aptitude and good
powers of application can master the
ietails of such work in a short time,
md be just as efficient with a few
months OF experience as he would in
IS many years. Another class Of
positions, considerable in number,
md vital in Importance, require
.ither special professional training,
II the possession of certain personal
qualifications, such as energy, organ
zing power, executive ability, the
I