The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-12-02

/ Peculiar Doings ct "MS special Com-
missioner"
IL is becoming known 10 Washington
that President Cleveland's action ~ re-
/ CARDS the Hawaiian matter ~ based
solely upon the report OF my special
commissioner James II. Blount of
/ Georgia. Whcreat there is much sur.
/ prise and several wpll-knuwn Democrats
/ have oppressed astonishment that the
Administrator should he content to
formulate u olicy with this report and
nothing else ~ n groundwork John l..
| Stevens was Minister to liawdii tor
| four years, Yet his reports are thrown
into the waste basket, and those % my
! special commissioner, who was six
months on the Islands, used instead.
Wo,se than that, the Georgian is al
lowed To contradict Mr.. Stevens. and
the contradiction is used as perfectly
reliable
Men who have known eN-tOngreRa-
man Blouui aie NOW letting some strange
stories which amply illustrate hil mar
iuw -uindedness. Outside of Georgia
politics and the routine ut Washington
lite he never stepped until he was
rpeeded to Honolulu on one of the most
important diplomatic missions of the
| age. 1t is SAID that while a member of
| the House Committee on Foreign At
fairs his frequent bulls caused his
comrades much amusement. But IL was
when on his own foreign mission that
my special commissioner" shone in the
| light of an end man in a minstrel show.
1t will be remembered that he went
! from San Francisco to Honolulu on the
revenue cutter Richard Rush. 1t was
his first trip on the ocean. but one would
naturally suppose that a member OF
Congress would know something about
"a steamer, especially at a time when
naval affairs were constantly coming up
in the House. But the third day out
| from port, which was his first day on
deck owing to seasickness, he ap.
preached the officer on watch and eX-
claimed:
where's the whirling thing, the
thing that goes round and round and
makes the ship go? Where is it To-
Gated p
You mean the propeller
Yes"
"Ihat's at the stern, near the rudder."
''Oh! lis that so? Thanks
The next morning my special com
missioner" was on deck when the men
were washing down.
Where do you get the water from
for that?' said he.
The officer pointed at the ocean.
II reckon you think you are smart"
exclaimed the Georgian, and he dove
down below.
There were two men whose missions
! 70, l,,l, H., al h,,
those tn re last spring. One was
Charles Nordhoff, the other was James
II. Blount. The day the former landed
he said Il have been sent out by the
New York Herald to down annexation
and am going to do it,
MIR. Blount said nothing, but his every
action proved that this one aim was to
be little and discredit Minister Stevens
in every manner.
The dining room of the Hawaiian
Hotel was usually crowded the evening
when my special commissioner" made
his first appearance, for of course every
| body wanted to get a good view of him
AT one table sat Major Wodeho use, thu
British Minister, and family. Atanother
was the French Consul. General and
MIR. fugii, the representative of Japan.
AT other tables were naval officers,
members of the Provisional Govern
ment. men who had held high offices
under the monarchy and members of
the Supreme Court. Louis, the head
waiter, sensible to the comfort of all
the guests, had placed the table whereat
my special commissioner" was to sit in
a position where every one in the room
could see it without that conscious turn
ing OF the head. 1t was admirably done.
and some limited that Louis had been
tipped to do so.
Soon in walked the Georgian and
took his seat. Soup was easily disposed
of, but when it came to the fish-''Mam-
ma, he is eating with his knife, said
little girl.
OF course, it was all over town within
"A few hours. A man may he a good
diplomat and eat fish with his knife,
but it was one of the many little things
that go TO make up the whole.
Within a week Admiral Skerrett gave
a dinner to Mr.. Blounr, inviting Presi-
dent Dole and members of the Cabinet
to meet him. The next day this was
the sentence that was passed from
mouth TO mouth: ''Just think. the
United States Commissioner attended
wearing an old sack coat"
There is another story about the diff
ferences between my special commits
sioner' and Admiral Skerrett which
caused them to act coldly toward each
other, and finally resulted in the Rear
Admiral being transferred to the China
station. 1t is that the naval officer
limited to the diplomat that it might be
well for him to wear dress coat upon
such occasions. Whether that is so or
not it is known that at similar dinner
given by President Dole fortnight
later my special commissioner wore n
.'swallow tail," and it was made by a
Honolulu tailor.