The San Francisco call., 1898-08-21
BY ALICE RIX.
Special Correspondence of The Call.

Special Correspondence Of The Call.
 HONOLULU, Aug u-Twelve O clock and all is we'll. The whistles are sound Ing last noon for the Hawaiian flag. When the hands have gone around the clock again to midday the Hawaiian flag will have passed down a page of history to take it's place among the things that were.
 Tomorrow at 12 o'clock, noon, on Friday, August 12, 1898, the Stars and Stripes of America will be raised over her new possessions.
 This naked fact, by detail unadorned, has been given to the world. The pro gramme of the ceremony remains a tender confidence among officials and cannot be begged or bully-ragged out of them. Personally I have not had recourse to either of these methods, but I can certify that polite questioning availeth nothing.
 Since Admiral Miller sailed under sealed orders into Honolulu harbor, and was known to have sealed orders for United States Minister Sewan in his pocket, the seal has been distinctly fashionable in official circles. Not man moving in them will tell so much as the time O. day. The official walk has become a stealthy tread. The off ciaI voice has discovered a scale of whispers; the official eye doth darkIy wink and the official manner-Ai! We have no word, dark. bodefuI, mysterious enough, in our free, frank tongue to paint the off1- cial manner. It should be done in Dan lsh, to Peer Gynt music.
 I suppose there is some good and sufficient reason for all this and an other reason for not explaining that one. The United States Minister is doubtless acting under orders from Washington, and no one else can diVutge what he refuses to tell. Mir Sewall is too diplomatic to offend, too clever to have made this mistake. The form or government which shall succeed the present republic is fact which belongs to the people of Hawaii, to say nothing of the people of the United States. It is not entirely impertinent curiosity which seeks to lift the veil. Washing ton evidently thinks otherwise. But Tn the countenance of Mckinley l wish to remark that all this mystery savers more of court intrigue than Of the avowedly free methods of our govern ment of, for and by the people.
 The people, as here represented, are, largely speaking, furious. They want to know how they are to be governed 
 row when the proclamation is read and not before-not if the United States Minister can help it. In the meantime, since the coming of the Philadelphia, speculation has been wide. l was told by an authority next door to being su- preme that there will be little if any change in the internal administration executive or judicial-either now or on the coming of the Commissioners. The situation will wait on Congress.
 Meantime everybody will be In office who is in office now, except the Min ister of Foreign Affairs, WhoSe oIIlce' like that of the United States Minister, ceases to exist. It is confidently sup posed by everybody that place will be found or created for MT. SeWau by the administration, with which he IS so popular He denies that he will De Governor, and says there will be no Governor at all. Very few accept the statement as frankly as 1t is offered. As I am in the habit of believing people whose word ought to be worth some thing, I print his statement for fact.
 I would that I might also print his proclamation-for which l asked him penially and which he as genially re- fused.
 There Is something, l think, even in not getting what you want under agreed ble auspices.
 As far as may be determined by the unofficial mind, aided by the grudging information that can be raked and scraped together, the ceremony, so long expected, so enthusiastically awaited and for which a number of good people, including the present scribe. have journeyed two thousand one hundred and something miles to see and to record, will occupy perhaps ten or fifteen minutes-the time con -,,,,aa6 hv tho unara mechanical action of lowering one flag and raising an other It is even possible that the flag may be raised from the tower of the Executive Building instead of from the ground, when, of course, another five minutes can be chopped off to make the ceremony deeper still.
 The Annexation Club, which held over two tons of fireworks from the Fourth of July stock for the purpose of bombing, rocketing and otherwise exploding it's national joy and has planned for songs, speeches and exer- cises of the day, so dear to political organizations of all climes. was snubbed with the information that the programme would be strictly official and referred to the opera house and their new devices for whatever enter tainment pleased them best. Later an indignant delegation of the men who had given heart, blood and bone to the annexation movement waited on Mir. Sewan and put the case pleadingly be- fore him, and now I believe they are to be allowed in at the tail of the of ficial programme.
 Of course the passing of the Ha- waiian flag will receive the ironic cour- tesy of salute. The same that will raise our own flag above its fallen head It makes no difference to the cannon's' throat what tune it sings. Hawaii Ponoi'' and The Star spangled Banner from the band, joy to Americans and sorrow to Hawaiians, are what we may presuppose without official assistance. The natives in num- bers will shut themselves in their