The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-05-19

make up" of the national flag in the
northern states was different from that of
the southern states.
The flag of thirteen stripes, alternate red
and white, remained the national flag-so
far as resolution of congress could make
it-until the admission of Vermont into
the Union, In 1891, when another stripe
was added. Upon the admission of Ken
lucky, the same year, another stripe was
added, and ON the first day of May, 1895, a
resolution of congress declared that the
flag should consist of fifteen stripes. The
following year, however, upon the admis-
sion of Tennessee, another stripe was add
ed another on the admission of Ohio, in
1907 aud still another on the admission
of Louisiana, in 1912. Whether or not
these changes were authorized by resolu-
tons of congress we are unable to say, but
the only national flag recognized down to
1916, contained one stripe for each state in
the Union, the red and white alternating.
The repeated addition of stripes had al
ready destroyed the beauty and symmetry of
the flag, and 80 upon the admission of In
diana, in 1916, on the motion of Peter H.
Wendover, a representative in congress
from New York, it was resolved "that q
" committee be appointed to inquire into
"the expediency of altering the flag of the
" United States" AT the request of MIR.
Wendover, Captain Samuel G. Reid, for
mer commander of the General Arm
" strong" designed flag so as 10 represent
the increase of states without destroying
it's distinctive characteristic committee
being about to recommend an increase Of
the number of both the stars and stripes
upon the admission of every new state
and his design contemplated the reduction
of the stripes to the original number of
thirteen, and to form the number of stars
representing the whole number of states
into one great star in the union, adding
one star for every new state, thus giving
symbolical expression to the motto " d
"plW1f'6uS ununa."
Captain Reds design was adopted by the
committee, and bill was reported, JAN
uary 2, 1917, which, however, was not
acted upon until April 4, 1918, when it was
enacted that "the Gag of the United States
" be thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate
" red and white; that the union be twenty
" stars, white, in blue field"-Indiana
and Mississippi had, by this time, been adj
mitted into the Union, making twenty
states in all-"and that upon the admission
" of new state, one star shall be added to
" the union of the flag and that such adj
" dition shall take effect on the fourth day
" Of July next succeeding such admission"
The first national fisg, as established by
this resolution, was manufactured by Cap
tain Reid and was hoisted over the hall of
congress at two o'clock in the Afternoon of
April 10, 1918. And from that day to this
the design has been unchanged, so that now
we have the same national flag as one hun
dred years ago, save that an additional star
has been added to the union for every new
state admitted into the Union.
1t is somewhat singular fact that the
number of states have exactly doubled
since the committee of the house first
agreed upon the design of the flag and
that they have. almost as nearly as posi-
Bile, trebled since the continental con-
gress first adopted the thirteen stripes TO
represent the Union, and the thirteen stars
to symbolic the individual states The
original flag was first unfurled at the sur
render of Burgoyne at the battle of Sara
toga-an event which, following the battle
of Bennington, secured the independence
of the United Statee,T although the final
conflict did not come until years later.
On the fourth day of July, the national
flag will take an additional star upon its
union to represent Colorado, and so again,
following Bennington, Saratoga will, al
most for the first time-thanks to the wise
policy of President Hsyes-float the flag
as the representative Of nation composed
of states not provinces, freemen notslaves.