Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-04-20

Washington, April 1.-THE news from
Honolulu this morning has caused a
decided sensation. To everybody ex-
cept the president and his cabinet it
was profound and complete surprise.
It is doubtful even if it was not a sur
prise to every member of the cabinet
save Secretary Gresham. Otherwise,
it is believed, Blount's action would
not have been kept secret so long The
state department has received no con-
frmatiOn Of the report that Blount
hauled down the stars and stripes, but
there is no doubt that Blount acted
according to the strict letter of his in
StructiOnS
Secretary Gresham declined to talk
about the matter He said he could
not, for he had no official information
to talk about. He has read the papers,
but that was all he knew. He didn't
seem to be much interested in the
news, not half so much as he did about
the storms damage to the worlds fair
buildings
The Honolulu news caused a great
deal of talk in the navy department,
and it is no exaggeration to say that
this talk plainly indicated the existence
of much disgust. The officers of the
seemed to regard Commissioner
navy attached to the department
Blount's action as something in the line
of "a reflection upon them. They saw
in the Hawaiian incident possibilities of
a little glory.
The landing of the BostOns men was
very gratifying to them and they all
l0nged for an assignment to the Haw-
allan islands. 1t gave the honor to the
navy, and they basked in the sunshine
of reflected glory, faint though it was
now they believe that not only is that
sunshine gone, but that it will not re-
turn.
1t is possible, however, that they are
undalay discouraged 1t is not al
together unlikely that Commissioner
Bl0unt's action may contain greater
possibilities for glory than anything
that has yet been done 1t will depend,
however, upon whether some other
nation attempts to gain the advantage
which this country had and has volun-
tarily relinquiShed. In other words,
whatever the outcome of this act, so
far as annexation itself is concerned,
this much is certain. No other country
will he permitted to annex the islands,
Whether this country anneXes them
is now purely Il matter for conjecture.
AS a correspondent was informed to-
day by one qualified to speak, one
might rs well decide according to the
toss of Il penny as to base a prediction
on the present information. There is
good reason to believe, however, that
the islands will not be annexed. That
the islands will not be annexed appears
today to be almost certain, if the desire
of the Cleveland administration is &C
quiesced in by other governments
The idea of this government is that
the Hawaiian people should be allowed
to govern themselves as they see fit,
with the understanding that no other
government is to take any step toward
anneXing them or toward exercising
prrtectorate over them except in
conjunction with the United States.
Should it be discovered, however,
that it would be unsafe to leave the
islands to possible annexation by sine
other power this country may annex
then Y % i,reSi-
delt Cleveland's wish He does not
want the islands He believes that
their acquisition would keep this country
In hot water all the time.
He is aware of the advantages Of an
neXatiOn, but he does not believe that
the advantages would offset the obi
cations which this country would incur
In anneXing them.
The Next Move
New York, April IA Boston special
says: Hawaiian Minister S. Mott Smith,
who is in Boston, says the provisional
government of Hawaii will now appeal
to England or Germany for support
and each of these nations stands ready
to reSpOnd to any OVeTtJlraS