The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-03-16
THE RESIGNATION.

The resignation of w O. Smith from
the position of attorney general will
be regretted by a number of people,
even those who have had occasion to
disagree with the views of the gentle
man.
The exact cause which has made Mr..
Smith throw up his portfolio in a
furry, in lieu of waiting till full ar
rangements for his retirement could be
made, is a matter which is open to
discussion, and whether he was or was
not justified in all his actions, or
whether he has been the catspaw of
another, as many clever and forceful
man has been before, is a subject
which will be viewed from both sides,
and which will doubtless call forth
much acrimony and yield little ad-
vantage or little good.
But setting this unfortunate incident
apart, the country owes a debt to Mr..
Smith. He has been an indefatigable
worker both in his own department ami
in the bureaus over which he has had
supervision. In the matter of the po-
lice he has chosen good subordinates,
and has done everything in his power
to assist and support those under him.
He has striven to enlarge his own
ideas upon his department and has en-
abled his subordinates to do likewise. In
point of fact, in spite of the narrow
surroundings of his early days, he
burst through the trammels and be-
came a thoroughly progressive man.
But whatever good service he did in
his own department, for which full
credit must be given him, his work as
president of the Board of Health is
on the community. The struggle to put
down the cholera and the final con-
quest of that scourge, will ever keep
his name before the public. At that
time all the citizens united in assist
ing, but his was the spirit that Animal
ed and the mind that planned. And in
all his administration of the bureau he
has aimed at Improvement, and has
gained many of his ends. There was
yet much to do, but he was making
an honest try at improvement, and it
was not his fault, but the fault of cir
cumstances that all reforms were not
carried out. In the management of the
leper settlement Mr.. Smith had had
great success.
1t is a pity that at this stage of the
history of the territory Mr.. Smith has
decided to resign. 1t would have been
better that the cabinet should have
hung together till the organic change
came. The cabinet as a body loses the
services of man of forceful charact-
er and of the courage of his opinions
That he was too forceful and that he
was, to use a vulgarism, bull headed
at times, both his friends and his en-
emies will agree. But these are quail
tiles which are of value if kept in
check. He had strong friends, and be-
ing a man of character, he had polit-
ical foes.
The position of Mr.. Smiths success
sOr will not be a happy one. The pres
ent government on sufferance does not
permit of any active policy being push
ed forward, ali that is to do is to wait
till Congress decides as to what shall
be done. Mr.. Smith could quietly car
ny on what he himself had initiated,
and wait; the new man will have to
learn what has been done before he
can follow out a policy, if it is even a
waiting one.
The Star had hoped that the swap
ping of horses would not have taken
place until the territorial bank had
been reached. 1t has taken place, how
ever. What is in the immediate future
in consequence is somewhat hard to de-
eide. President Dole has the power to
fill a vacancy, an interim, in case of
resignation or death, but President Nc
Kinley has the full appointment. viii
President Mckinley accept President
Dole's nomination, or will he make the
appointment himself, and if so, will
he overhaul all appointments? AS
long as the bundle of sticks was firmly
bound together all went WELL Will it
do so when there has been and still is
division, Later the real cause of the
division can be pointed out. 1t is not
what is on the surface.