Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-11-06
WASHINGTON.
Assailing the Great Seal - Something
About Its HistOry-A Split in the Press
AssOciatiOn-GrOver CIeveIand's POssi-
bic Future-A Mot of TOOmbs'.

bic Future-A Mot of TOOmbs'.
WASHINGTON, November AIN these DAYS OF
image breaking nothing is certain to remain
unattached. Even the great seal of the United
States is pronounced by experts to be a botch
and misrepresentation. grossly inaccurate ac-
cording to all ideas of heraIdry. A number Of
people in the Treasury Department having
pounced upon defects in the national coat Of
arms will communicate them to the next ses-
zion Of Congress and ask that the changes be
made which will bring that symbol into
accuracy. These gentlemen have also dug out
some interesting information in regard to the
national symbol. This information will be
sent to Congress along with the request for a
change In the design. From what thew have
put together, take the following as Of inter
est:
The character Of the Treasury Department
was changed but little from the close of 1776
until after the articles of confederation be-
came the supreme law OF the land. There were
some new functions created and new officers
appointed. For example, Francis Hopkinson
was appointed a Treasurer of Loans July
l71S, and in September following Congress, af-
ter hearing the report of a committee on the.
arrangement of the Treasury, resolved ;-'That
a house be provided at the city or place where
Congress shall sit, wherein shall be held the
several offices of the Treasury: that there
trollers, Auditors, Treasurers and two cham
bers of accounts; that zach chamber of ac-
counts consist Of three Commissioners and two
clerks, TO be appointed by Congress; that
in the Treasurer's office there be a
Treasurer annually appointed, aud one clerk
appointed by the Treasurer; that In the Audi
tors once the'e be an Auditor annually ap-
pointed by Congress, and two clerks appointed
by the Auditor; that in the Comptroller's Of
fee there be Comptroller annually appointed
ny Congress. and two clerks appointed by the
nV10F fRTI thak kNnn m
Comptroller shall not be appointed unless bv
the votes of nine States, and they shall te ac-
countaole for the conduct OF their clerks, re-
Spectively.' "
The specific duty of each officer was no. pre-
scrlbed, and Congress appointed committee
to devise seal for the Treasury and Naval
Departments, which was done. and the seal
exactly the same as at present. was engraved
and used as verified upon a document dated
March, 1888 Such was the Continental seal
OF the Treasury Department land it is perpet-
uated to the present time.
IN MAY, lfI9. Robert Troup was
appointed Secretary of the Treasury Ip 1881
Congress abandoned the old system of boards
and committees in the management of the va
r1ouS departments and put each under the CON
troll of single head Superintendent of FL
nance was chosen in 1881 in the person of Rob
ert Morris. The seal of the Treasury
Department was cut in cast steel in iS49 by Ed
ward Stabler, of Sandy Springs, Montgomery
county, Md. He was oIdered to make a fac
simile of the old one, which was nearly worn
out He suggested some minor changes but was
informed that the design must be copied ex-
actiy in accordance with the law. The device
of the seal of the Post Office Department and
the devices and legends of the seals Of the
Treasury and War Departments, all of the
same date. are accordingly, older than our
National Government. The n tional arms
were devised and submitted to the cofsidera-
lion OF Congress about the year 1898, by Mr..
the design. But at that time art was
more infantile than the Republic and the
description and representation of the seals
were hera Ideally enormous ambiguous and
strangely mixed up. There are perpetuated
glaring errors and inconsistencies in the coat
OF arms. The great seal of the United States
which should represent the standard arms of
Ine Republic, is very defective representa-
ton. The silver coin Of 1898 had more cor
rect representation of what our natior al arms
should be than any subsequent date Gold and
for nearly century, display upon the face
enormous and absurd representations Of our
national achievement
In heraldry all coats of arms are supposed
TO be emblszoned on an escutcheon or shield
the color OF which is the very first word in the
description of arms. Our national arms have
no denned color for the field or ground words
or the charger. The creSt-a cloud bounded
space containing thirteen stars-ought to be
separated from the coat of arms. eagle etc
And thus our national symbol, instead OF
gun, or Vulture or other TdrG dUis, ought to be
the American bald-headed eagle, selected be.
cause Indigenous only to the bounds of our ma
ttonal territory.
AN IMPORTANT JOURNALISTIC CHANGE.
change in the New York Associated Press
or. rather, split from that association-has
caused a good deal of journalistic sensation
1t is, In a few words simply that the Western
newspapers have split off altogether from the
New York Association and will now 90 it on
their own hook: This split has been lorg
threatened, but western newspaper proprie-
tors have until now been always afraid to
make IL. They have been for years dis
satisfied s with the service given them
lacked the nerve to declare their Independence.
1t is currently understood here that James
Gordon Bennett, of the New York Herald who
has for years been an active foe to the New
YORK Association, braced the Western brethren
up to make the break which has Just occurred
he throws the influence of the Herald in the
scale with his personal assurance of assistance
break the New York Association will lose
a revenue of $75000 a year. The
name or the new concern will be the western
Associated Press" as It now is, but will be In
dependent and have no connection whatever
with the New York Associated Press The
agent here will be Mr.. Walter P. Fhillips who
until recently occupied the same relation with
the New York Association. An office has been
opened on New York avenue, and a very good
start has been made. Some predict that
1t Will not be many years before
the Southern papers follow the example Of the
western fraternity and establish. independent
OF the New York concern, Southern Asso-
ciated Press 1t is beyond question that the
understanding that Jay Gould was working to
secure control of the Associated Press precipf-
tated the Western split.
ABOUT CLEVELAND.
People who watch politics Ike to predict
The prognosticators have been busy for short
time past with the name of Cleveland. the
Democratic candidate for Governor of New
York. They say that If Cleveland carries New
York by very handsome majority he will
spring right to the front as a Presidential candf-
date, and that he will be by no means far behind
other people in the Democratic party regarded
as available timber for the next Democratic
National Committee to think of. This is of
course, premature political talk, but many
stranger things than the nomination of Cleve-
land would be, have happened in Presidential
conventions.
THE GATES OF HE'LL.
There used to be an iron railing around
the capitol grounfs. IL was there when
the Hoo. Robert Toombs served in
Congress. A gentleman who is a
friend OF Mr.. Toombs told me little story to.
day in connection with the aforementioned
railing. The story hinges upon a visit made
TO Washington few years ago by Mr. Toombs
He and his friend walked to the capitol to-
gether. Said the friend: You will notice the
iron railing has been taken down since you
were here" "Yes," replied Mr.. Toombs
pointing to the capitol building, ''As Virgil
says, the gates Of hell are always open"
PoToxAc
That Okra Cotton.