The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-08-31
@attbmam 4 guurmaI.
Our Flag Oyer Hawaii.

States was performed at Honolulu on
Tuesday August 16. The New York
SUMS correspondent graphically de-
scribes the event. OF the occasion he
says;
America has garnered the first fruits
of the Spanish war. 1t was the echo
of Dewey's guns that was heard in
Honolulu on August II, when one
flag went down amid a roar of salut-
ing cannon and another went up to
to take its place. The sight was most
impressive, not because of the size of
the crowd, for it was not large, not for
tumult, for there was little noise, not
for length of ceremonial, for the exer-
cises were as simple as they should be
when one republic absorbs another,
but because one nationality was snuff
ed out like a spent candle, and another
was set in its place. 1t was but an
other roll of the Juggernaut car in
which the lordly Anglc-Saxon rides TO
his dream of universal empires. 1t
was not as Joyous an occasion as far off
America may imagine. When it was
over, women who wore the American
emblem wiped their eyes, and men who
have been strong for annexation said,
with throb in the throat, "How sad it
was"
AS for Hawaiians, they were not
there. 1t was self-denial on their part,
for the Kanaka dearly loves a crowd
and that invisible fluid that floats from
man to man and which we call excite
ment, but on this day of days the
Hawaiians were closely housed. They
were not on the streets, they were not
at the stores. They were shut up in
their houses and from the Queens
stately home to the meanest shed, the
open windows and closed shutters were
lonely and somber as places of death.
Those who were obliged to be abroad
slipped by through back streets and
narrow lanes. They wore on their hats
the twisted golden lima that tells of
love of royalty, or on their breasts
Hawaiian flags and badges. So few
Hawaiians were in front of the eXecu-
tive building that it might have been
almost any capital except Honolulu.
There were Americans, Portuguese,
Japanese, Chinese in numbers, but no
Hawaiians. About the ceremonies
there was all the tension of an eXecu-
ton. 1t was more funeral than fete,
more a solemn ceremony than a gay
event. There was something fine and
strong in the restraint the annexation
lists put upon themselves in the hour of
triumph. There was little of blowing
of horns and footing of whistles. Only
one man drove about in carriage
grooming under load of red, white and
blue, and he was not an American, but
q Greek.
There was absolutely no speechmak-
ing, except few dignlfied words from
Minister Sewall; no spread-eagleism, no
procession and no cheering.
There were six Hawaiians on the
platform reserved for distinguished
folk, where diplomats and Cabinet la
dies and Ministers wives were seated
in order of their husbands prominence.
One of these native women is the wife
of prominent native lawyer and poll
tician. He came for business reas ons,
and she came because he required her
to. In facial characteristics she is not
unlike the eX-Queen, and many people
mistook her for Liliuokalani. She
came in on her husbands arm, very
proud and dignified and stately, in a
floating holoku of black and violet, her
hat plumed with royal yellow. She
held her head very high among Ter
lighter neighbors, and she bore up very
well until the Hawaiian band began to
play "Hawaii Ponoin for the last time
as the national anthem. Then she COW
cred her eyes with her fan and wept.
She did not raise her eyes again and
she did not see the Hawaiian flag as it
tloated and then sank for the last time.
Other natives who were forced to be
there covered their eyes, and an old
woman who stood near never moved
her eyes from the flag as it dropped,
but a rain of tears fell on her cheeks.
Hawaiians in the ranks of the National
Guard covered their faces and fixed
their eyes on the ground. When "Ha-
waii Ponoi," which means "Our very
own Hawaii" came to be played it was
a weakly strain, for all the natives had
thrown away their instruments and had
fled round the corner, out of sight.
Only ten men, none of them Hawaii
ans, were left to play. Men had beg
ged their leader to be relieved from
playing what was to them dirge, and
he had consented.
There was a modest military display.
A prayer by Rev G. l.. Pearson of the
First Methodist church opened the
ceremonies. Then followed the pres
entation by Minister Sewall of copy
of the joint resolution of Congress pro-
vidingf for the annexation of the islands,
and the yielding up by President Dole
of the sovereignty and public property
of the Hawaiian Islands, "with full
confidence in the honor, justice and
friendship of the American people"
A fine rain had been falling-''liquid
sunshine" they call in Hawaii, but
when just at that point in the ceremon.
les the Hawaiian flag began its descent
the clouds broke and square of blue
sky showed itself. Every man within
sound of the saluting guns uncovered
and far away at the water front Kanaks
boatmen plying their trade barred anC
bowed their heads, the Admiral nodded
to Lieut.. Winterhalter, who gave the
order "Colors roll off" and CHEEKY
American bugles cut the air. Their
the well-loved strains of "Star. Spanglec
Banner" came from the Philadelphia
band and the flag commenced itS