The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1899-03-21
WI o. sMitn.


nr8 tsF arrfpri un sttufisJ huI Nr
Henry y Cooper has exchanged obi.
once ~ Mlu sicr ~ F0roEn Ana.r Co.,
,hs, % Attorney Gcnsrai
Thusa Who we're in NJ smiths con.
ad.noe have Fn0wn for several years b.
has mos earnestly desired % retire
from o.ca. aud devote himself 90 bis
private anars. Ills family urged him TO
10 B1. as he was a man without Office
hours 1r In other words be was qui'
a. willing and ready 10 serve the gov
ernmont at midnight. as be was dur
ing the customary Oflir,al hours As
Attorney General supervising the
criminal business ~ the Courts In an
the Islands. his time could have been
fully occupied. As the head o. 'h" Pc
lice force. his time could have been
'adyauta gcOusly occupied. A Presid at
u the Board OF Health his time also
could have been exclusively and Intel
hgcntly devoted TO the sanitary con-
ditiuns OF the Islands. As a member
Of the Cabinet and Executive Council
he could have devoted all Of his time
| 10 the many and perpleXing questions
| before IT, for many Of these questions
/ involved matters which belonged TO the
Finance. Interior and Foreign depart
ments
But he did his duty wei. in all Of
these various offices He was always
prompt. tull OF resources, willing 20
face obstacles, and always fearless.
Some lnRrmIties in manner often Great
ed the impression that h" was unjust
and arbitrary. But even these inhrmi-
ties. slight as hey We're are usually
conspicuous in mon Of marked eNecu-
live ability In matters relating to his
offices. his most intimate friends found
him absolutely devoid Of any sentiment
Of friendship, and had no more infu-
ancc over him than q stranger seeking
for fayOrs.
There is no occasion for making any
comparisons between his character and
that of his colleagues. All that need
be said is that, by reason of the many
offices he filled. he had a larger bur
den placed upon him than upon any
of them and at times upon all of them
together. and his colleagues will bear
testimony to the efficient way he car
ried that burden. The word "shirk"
was not written in his lexicon.
II was largely due to him that the
improvements on the Island OF Ha-
wall were begu-. His duties compelled
him to visit that Island, and he was
the first, we believe. who recognized
the Justice OF the demands of the people
OF that Island for more consideration
from the government. But he never
claimed, so far as we know, any spe-
cial gratitude for what he did. He .rich
10 remove that serious defect of our
government-that political absurdity.
the administration Of small local af-
fairs by departments in Honolulu. One
of the last measures he proposed in the
Executive Council, and it was adopted.
was the handing over to the intelligent
Road Commissioners OF Hilo, body
of most competent men, the amount
appropriated for road Improvements
in that place, who should be and are,
more competent TO distribute the fund
than men residing here, and with much
less knowledge than those commission
erS of the needs of the place.
Nr. Smith Is one of the trustees Of
the Bishop estate. Its properly Is rap
idly increasing in value. The outlook
Is that 1t will have great power for
good or evil in the Islands. The usual
experience. during the past hundred
years. is that such charitable estates
suffer grievously from dry rot" Men
Of wealth seeing the feeble uses Of
such estates hesitate TO aid them or
establish others of the same kind. The
cry in these later days IS for their ad-
ministrltion by live men.
As one of the trustees of this estate,
Mr. Smith has before him bOundlesS
field OF usefulness II he can prevent he
| lry IOl iToH TOUCHING IL iosl"h! anu
know what the best methods OF Cdu-
cation are Is not an easy task, especial
ly in a community of mixed races. But
it must be done, or the result will he
great charity existing in vain. We
; believe that Mr.. Smith will find his
, hes. work hereafter, aside from the
conduct of his own business affairs,
in preparing young men and women,
through this charity. TO become good
citizens, and members Of this commu-
, nifty
THE NEW ATTORNEY GENERAL