The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-06-30

in the premises IS not measured by your
mere legal contractuaI rights It should
be measured by the high obligation OF a
public officer. You were therefore in
honor bound by all that has preceded to
continue TO perform your duties upon
the isthmus until such time-a year at
least-as would have afforded US rea-
sonable opportunity to select a COM
petent successor and prepare him for
the great duties OF that Office.
You make not the least complaint
against your ssociates-superior or IN
ferior-U know Of no possible ground
for any. You are influenced solely by
your personal advantage
Great fame attached to your Office,
but also equal responsibility, and now
you desert them in an hour Even from
a profound mistake If you could with
draw from your new arrangement
which do not suggest, L could have
no confidence. (since I know now your
conception Of duty) that you would
not in the future repeat the same. at
moment even more critical when the
consequence might be even more en-
barrassing and injurious to the govern
ment-
Demands Resignation
Under these circumstances Mr. wal
lace, and with great personal pain and
disappointment 7 am bound to say that
I consider the public interest requires
that you tender your resignation at
of your office to the chairman Of the
commission
Mr.. Wallace replied that he was
deeply disturbed at the view taken by
the secretary that he had considered
that he had a right to retire when he
chose. but that he was DESTROYS Of talk
ing it all over and making some ar
rangement whereby the government
could use his services in some capacity.
The secretary answered:
Further talk is useless. 1t would be
to dicker. I can not dicker on such a
grave subject. I have assumed that
you had given this subject the greatest
consideration and you have approached
It deliberately and stated to me your
action in definite terms. You have IN
mista kably announced your purpose to
accept q position 50 attractive that you
could not possibly afford to decline Il
and that you would not henceforth per-
form your duties for the government as
inconsistent with serving your new mas
ters who require your constant pres
ence in New York. and therefore that
you could not and would not go back TO
Panama as chief engineer"
Mr.. Wallace again stated he deeply
regretted the secretary's point Of view
was different from his and said he
would send his designations as soon IS
he got back to his hotel and would
address them to the president through
the secretary. While there is a differ
ence between u.s. he added, ''as to the
point OF view we take concerning my
duties, consider there can be no ques-
ton that have performed my full duty
Up to this hour
The secretary replied that he did not
consider that any man can divide such
a duty up to any one point where it
suits him 70 stop and then claim that
he has fulfilled II By merely performing
it up TO the point Of his own selection
In my view q duty is an entirely and
is not fulfilled unless it IS wholly full
filled"
His resignation as commissioner, chief
engineer and as vice president. general
manager and director Of the Panama
railroad was then submitted.