New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-08-23
HOKE SMITHS RESIGNATION.
HE WILL PROBABLY LEAVE THE CABINET
BY THE FIR T OF SEPTEMBER.
PREPARATIONS FOR HIS REMOVAL TO HIS HOME
IN ATIANTA-HIS vARIEGArED RECORD
on THE CURRENCY QUESTION.

that the Secretary OF the Interior has handed
in his resignation. and that II has been ac-
cepted by the President The only question Of
uncertainty apparently is 10 the time the
resignation is to take effect BY some usually
well-informed people It is asserted that the
Secretary will shake the dust Of the Capital
from his shoes Immediately after the adjourn
ment of the indianapolis convention. From
others IT is learned that he Will remain at his
post until the appointment Of his successor.
Still others are disposed to think that he may
consent to finish some official business In hand
before returning to the jungles of Georgia. The
great man himself refuses absolutely to discuss
the subject in any way.
For some days shipments have been made to
Atlanta of his books and papers. The house
which he leased here during his incumbency
will be given up at the expiration Of the lease
early In September. 1t can safely be assumed,
therefore that a successor will be IN charge In
a very short time.
The administration OF the Interior Depart
ment under Hoke Smith, while neither brilliant
nor, indeed, conspicuous for the execution or
much h-heralded reforms had, at least, this TO
commend It to the country, that. unlike the
Administration In the first Cleveland regime
It was comparatively free from corruption and
scandals There was neither a Sparks to make
II ridiculous nor an Atkins to bring 1t into utter
disrenute II never assumed the burden OF a
Pan Electric payroll. The genius or Hoke
Smith, so artlessly depicted in his autobiography
furnished to THE Congressional Directory,
was content with a policy Of non-nterference
The heads Of the bureaus were practically LEFT
to do as they pleased while the Secretary spent
his time cantering on horseback about the
streets of Washington or evolving benevolent
schemes by which faithful cooks and other
trusted household servants might cater TO MS
wants and vet feed from the public crib at the
same time. on the whole. the arrahgefneht
worked well-infnItely better, no doubt than If
he had attempted to meddle in business ne
knew absolutely nothing about.
HIS SHIFTING CURRENCY VIEWS
r-r ~ the meeting Of the Chicago Convention
tIoke Smith was an ardent champion OF the gold
standard His ardOr was that OF a recent convert
n whom a fathery hand had shown the error OF
his wavs In his paper. The Journal, ne
espoused the cause Of sound money with an en-
thusiasm which made his patron smile ana MS Ola
friends grieve. Those who knew him pest pre-
dicted that his conversion would not last long.
Others moved by envy, no doubt, spoke OF MIN as
. convert by appointment" Indifferent to the
t,ons Of others. Hoke Smith basked for three
wears IN the sunshine OF consecrated favor. HIS
pull" with Cleveland-or what passed for it in
"Crackerdom '-silenced his opponents and gave
his paper a standing in the community which it
had never before enjoyed. In the opinion of his
neighbors Hoke a bigger man than "Old
Man Grover himself. The patronage of the
State Law at his feet. A few years ago an OBJ
scure but thrifty country lawyer. he now aspired
TO the United States Senate The seat once occu-
pied by Hill by Brown. by Gordon and by Col
Quit was none too large for HMM his opinion
All this. however is either history making, or
vet to be made Precisely what determined Hoke
Smith to abandon mis- professions of sound-money
principles and return 70 his earlier free-silver
hereses is not definitely known. That man who
fought with such uncOmpromising fury on both
sides OF the financial question can be said to pos
sess any convictions upon the subject Is propo-
sition too ludcrous to be entertained seriously for
a single moment. 1t is much more easy TO imag
inc that either sef-interest political ambition
has dictated his present course. Hoke Smith has
never been suspected Of being Of the stuff that
martyrs are made Of. and this explanation Of his
conduct. therefore. seems the more plausible one.
Self-nterest would dictate the advocacy of free
silver by The Journal; political ambition in
Speaker Crisp's ability
TO face neayy depreciation in value Of his
property-ts loss pcrhaps-Hoke Smith has
nett her the stomach nor the courage: to oppOs,
Crisp successfully upon the financial question
he possesses neither the ability nor influence
He can hope To reach the goal of his political
ambition only by devious and tortuous ways
and as a preliminary to this he is prepared to
cast his sound money professions TO the winds
and abandon the patron who dragged him from
obscurty to the tender mercies Of the ap-
preaching political storm.
HIS RELATIONS WITH THE PRESIDENT
The relations between the Secretary and the
President it is needless TO say. have not been
pleasant Of late The unexpected and migrate
full detection Of Hoke Smith is said TO have
deeply wounded Mr.. Cleveland. who imagined
himself entitled to better and more consderate
treatment The Secretary is anxious just now
to make 1t appear as if the old oordlality once
observed between the two men still existed.
but his attempts in that direction have not been
very successful There are too many people
I'm Washington who know the contrary TO be
the case No exchange Of formal and polite
notes Of regret at the severance OF the old ties
can obscure or obliterate this fact.
Ever since the rumOrs Of the probable reslg-
nation Of Secretary Smith. there has been more
or less gossip concerning his probable success
sor and at the Interior Department the name
~ Iohn NJ REYNOLDS the Second Assistant Sec
retarv of the Department. has been mentioned
frequently for the place Mr. Reynolds has
made an excellent executive ofhcer. he mas
had charge Of the difficult work OF review OF
nension decisions Of the Pension Bureau. and
has given general satisfaction He Is native
af ponnsvlvania The new Cabinet officer will
have ONLY a little more than six months to
eer,.e and Il is regarded as probable that Mr..
Cleveland would prefer to fill the vacancy from
the Department rather than by appointing some
ono who would be TO the work. which in
voIves acquaintance with great variety Of
matters affecting directly the public welfare.
ATLANTA NOT SURPRISED AT THE NEWS.
Atlanta. Ca Aug. % (specaD.-The announce
mont from Washington that Secretary Hoke Smith
had sent I'm his resignation and that 1t had been
accented does not occasion surprise here. 1t has
heen known among the Secretary's intimates ever
since he declared himself for Bryan and Sewall
that nc would nOt remain In Cabinet The under