The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-04-08
OFF FOR THE ISLANDS.
COMMISSIONER BLoUNT TALKS
TO A REPORTER.
An Interesting Interview in San Fran
cisco with the Georgia Statesman.


nolulu he was interviewed by a ChyoH-
icle reporter as follows:
81 have never discovered any reason
for being afraid of newspaper men,"
said Mr.. Blount, "and hope none OF
them have any reason to be afraid of
me. When / was selected to go to
Honolulu on the Grand on which |
have been sent | knew that the public
would want to get all the information
they could about it, and know pretty
well about how much | can say can
hardly be expected to detail my method
of procedure when l get to the islands,
and l could not do so If | would, for it
will depend largely upon what find
there. AS | understand my mission, it
is to ascertain, as far as | may, the
situation in the Hawaiian Islands, and
to do this satisfactorily must adopt
the best means that may present them
selves when | reach the scene Of my
work. Just now, however, let us go
into the dining car. Mrs. Blount and
Mr. Mills have led the way, and we can
talk as we eat"
after twenty years of continuous
service in Congress" said Mr.. Blount,
81 had fully determined to retire to
private life. l managed to escape re-
election last year and thought | would
settle down quietly in my home in Ma
con, Ga, and attend to the practice Of
law. When the summons came from
President Cleveland | had an idea
what it meant, and when | talked it
over with Mrs Blount she insisted on
my acceptance. l had previously de.
Clined an appointment on the moneta
ry conference, and she scolded me
little for that, SO there was nothing left
to do in this case but to take the Job
and bring her with me- She always
has her way"
"Not always" said Mrs BIount. "If
l had had my way this time | would
have started from Georgia instead of
from Washington. | would have been
better prepared for such a long Journey,
and there would have been five in the
party instead of three. | did not like
to leave my two daughters behind, but
Mr. Bount thought there was no time
to be lost, and it seems that we have
fairly flown across the continent"
The commissioner and his wife
speak the family name as if it were
spelled Blunt. 1t is the Georgia pro-
nunciation. People in Washington call
it Blount, and the owners of the name
do not care which way it is spoken il
they are kindly spoken Of There is
little risk in such a condition, for the
commissioners bronzed face, gray hair
and clear blue eyes bespeak the man Of
sterling character, and his wife, hand
some and homelike, will help him win
friends wherever they go. This honest,
happy couple are the parents of -four
children. One son is lawyer in Ma
con, where the two daughters, one past
20 and the other girl of IA, also are,
and there is another son who has a
fancy for the legitimate drama and is
making a trial of the stage.
81 had often said to Mr. Blount,
said the wife of the commissioner at
the breakfast table, that when we made
the fortune, we had often talked about
making when We left Congress, want
ed to 20 to California. We are here
now and he says we cannot stop, but
hope on the way back from Honolulu
we will be able to spend few weeks ir
San Francisco and other parts of the
State"
Mr.. BIount said he hoped to be able
to arrange his plans SO that this coulo
be done, for to visit California hac
been one of the dreams of his life, anc
he had never been able to do SO unit
now. The entire party were greatly in
terested in all they saw coming down
from Sacramento. The blossomlnE
fruit trees, the green meadows and the
verdure clad hill-sides looked beautiful
indeed to eyes that had but the day be
fore looked out on snow and ice in tia
mountains of Nevada, and all this, afte
breakfast, suggested comparisons with
what they were to see in Hawaii ant
thus was the conversation led arounC
again to the subject of the commission
er'S errand.
81 had paid but little attention to tn
history or condition of the Hawaiian
islands" said Mr.. Blount, until tn
news reached Washington that Their
had been a provisional Government
established and that the Hawaiian Con-
missioners were on their way to tn
capital The subject was then inform
ally discussed in the Committee o
Foreign Affairs in the House, and on
of my Democratic fellow members {
the committee suggested that
might be well to know how the Pres
dent-elect looked at the matter befor
we made up our minds what we ougf
to do 1t was suggested that | 60 an
see Mr. Cleveland, but did not d
so. 1t was generally understood tn;
John Carlisle was to 60 in the Cabne
SO | preached the subject to him. H
probably felt Cleveland's pulse on ii
proposition, for it soon became prett
well known that the President ele,
thought whatever action was to b
taken ought to be taken only after du