New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-10-07
The Flag Of the Uaited states.

A paragraph is going the rounds q
our exchanges in relation to the origin Of he
United States Flag, which, though it may DO coz.
ret as far as it goes, does by no means give h
full history. We have been at some pain, 4.
gather some notices Of the various acts Of Coz.
gress in relation to this emblem Of our naso.,I
| power.
The original Flag Of the United States N,
composed of thirteen stripes and thirteen star.
| mathematical Of the thirteen colonies which A.
clared their independence in l116, and was sd,,..
ed by vote of the Continental Congress on IA.
18th OF June, IN.
Vermont having been admitted into the coa.d.
GRAFTON, as one of the United States, Mareht
| 1871, and Kentucky Juue /, 1892, the question. A.
the Flag was brought up IN Congress, and On IA.
18th of January, 1894, al act was passed ucres.
ing the stripes aud stars on and after day 6rsi
to fifteen each TO correspond with the then !,
creased number of the sovereign States.
Two years afterward Tennessee vas sdnitt.s
then OHIO followed in 1902, louisiana in 1914. s,t
Indiana in 1916, making the number OF S.ss..
ninet, en-.
Two days before the signature OF the bill admit
ting Indiana, which was upon Dec. IL, Mr. Wea.
dover, Of Newly orb, offered a resolution to the
effect that a Committee be appointed to inqun
ilto the expedency OF altering the Flag Of the
United States" not that he wished to give u
"the star spangltd banner" as he rem uksd-ss
only wished that stars and str ,es might be added
to make it correspond with the number of States.
His motion OF reference was agreed to, and 4
Commit go was appointed, who made report e.
companied by a bill, on tho ID Of January, which,
however, contriyed to escape the action OF cos.
gress that Session, as many a report, and eva
annual Messages Ct the Pc sdent, do in tAss
latter days.
At the winter Session Of lSl7-lS, on the 18th
December, Mr. Webdoyer repeated his fons
motion in neatly the same terms, and said
",het he should mske bur few remarks on thsmk
jec', MT being novel cue Dill restiye thereto Au
ing beer repO ted the lasE Se'scn, but laid oves Inn
the pr Of business deemed Of more lmp0rtsso
Had the Flag Of the United states never have usSg
gone an alter stioD he certainly should aot propos
make further sAsTe,ion In IT, Bat. having bsak
tered once he ought IL necessary ana proper thsa
alpra Ion should now be made. IL Sss his hnprosesA
and he thought II was generally believed, that aha M
would 10 essentially Ia lursd by an ats alton On -
same principle ss that which had before been madad
increasr the stripes and the stars. Mr. W. refoTrtu
the iucor guty OF the ags In general use no, agrss
with q law ard greatly vary log ~iIh each o,her u
instanced the flags flying the buildios In vida
Congress then sutpg ard that at Tia Navy Ysa;
one of which continued nfse suipss and the aAss
eighteen, beiiher being cDnformsbe co thu lsx hvs
OF some importance hs c1ncoyod, shat tas Flag Of 4
Nation sbould be designated with precision aad 81
the practice under the law should conform ~ 10 rss
s,ions"
His motion was agreed to without oppositis,
and Committee appointed. On tho 9th Of Ju-
uary, 1913, about three weeks after Mr.. Weads-
ver's motion was mace, the Select Commits
made their report, which was almost literally Ne
same with that of the preceding Session.
We copy two passages
"The Committee fully persuaded that tho fss
selected for the American lag, truly emblem, ali,
origin and oxise nco an Independents nation M
tba, 20 such, having met tho appreciation and reed
ed the support II ih0 citizens OF Aha Union * oueas
Undergo change that would de crease lie con
tend 10 deprive Il OF It's prsssDIaave oh .racu
the Committee however oof that increase iaes
number Of the Slaves Of toe Uni0a, since the flag ~
altered by law, sufficiently Indicates tho propTtssi9
such a change In the arrangement of the fla. % ~
beat sceObo with toe reasons that led t. its odgsa
adoption, ADD sufficiently point to tmportant pstoha
Our national history"
Again:
"Toe national flag being Ia neral use, by vess
of almost every description, IL appears u the osmnt
tee Of considerable importance adopt srrssss
ment calcuhtf 10 prevent In future PIest % expa
ave alto raiOns. Under these tney sraDl
to believe no alteration could DO made more en3e
matte OF cur orsin aud present existnos as compss
O number OF Independent aud united Stete, thss y
reduce ihe stripes 10 he Tag 10 the original nurnbg
thirteen TO represent the number Of States thss ses
lendiD for, ard happily achieving their indepsads a.
and 10 increase the stars a. correspond with the ss
Der OF States nov 10 the Union cad hereafter 10 ~
one star ~ tho flag Whenever u new Sta.e shslf ed
united -
Ga Tuesday, March 81 the House 70 ,Js,t
itself into Committee of the Whole, Ne. Ds.a
ia the chair, on the bill to alter the ass xSsi
provided that
"From and after the 4th dog o. lnly next 4 l8F@
bsg Of toe L1ised Sta'es be thirteen h0rzoGp s,des
alternate Iec ara While; that the union txssJ
sarS white, In q blue field ana that the adnfsss
Of every new Stase into tho UoioD stU bs tated
10 the union Of the flag, and that such aAS oa bal
take fleet he fonth day of jaly thsn NJ *, usss
iDg such sdGissicn.'
MI Wencoger sustained tho bill is a speecia
considerable length, and after seg d.bsn
was ordered to third reading, . id aftessst
passed in this form.
Ia the Official list ofasts Of thes version ofCe
gress We End the following: "a: s.. To estsbsi
the flag of the United States Approved Apd
4, 1875"
a Gen. ThOmas Jeas f,on Snihefstt