The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1891-07-11
OUR COUNTRY'S FLAG.
WYOMING ADDS ANOTHER STAR TO THE
UNION.
Changes Made and the Birth of New
States Announced July 4.

The man who tries to keep a lawful
and law-biding American flag fyIne
has lively time in these days of in
stantaneous statemaking, when QUAY
presses the button and congress does
the rest, and territories are develop
ed into states while You wait. In the
the sixteen months ending 11th of June
the national flag was changed three
times.
The official fiagmakers are working
night and day to get the third change
into the official flags of the executive.
the army and navy, lest perchance by
any accident any official flag should
disgrace the Fourth of July by appear
ing Oh that day without full constel-
Iatlon OF forty four stars. OF course.
everybody understands that since 1918
the only change in the flag has been
by the addition of a star for each new
state admitted. always added on the
Fourth of July succeeding its admis-
sion.
Prior to 1918 the admission of new
state meant the addition OF new
stripe as well as a new star to the flag.
But only two stripes We're so added.
v
Tor 1t became apparent that to keep
on adding stripes would presently con
vert the flag into an awkward stand
ard unless the stripes should be made
so small as to be ugly.
So in 1918 Ohio, Indiana ard other
states being waiting for their recogni-
ton i'll the flag, congress considered
the matter more carefully than in 1894,
when many members protested against
Wasting time on such an unimportant
question, and determined. acting on
the advice of Captain Sam e. Reid. of
the brig General Armstrong fame, to
fix the stripes at thirteen, to represent
the thirteenth original colonies and
states and to put.a star for every state
in the ''union" on the flag adding
star after star on Independence day as
State after state should be added.
Captain Reid was very anxious that
congress should say just how the stars
should be arranged. preferring himself
that they should be arranged in the
figure of II star, but he never was able
to get congress to do so, even MANY
years aiterward, when congress pre-
sented its thanks to him hy resolution
AMI he asked it as IL last favor.
TIE law has never been changed
since 1918, and it has been observed
ever since by the government at least
with such care that it has never been
possible to say, as was said by mem
Der in the debate of 1918. that he had
counted nine stars in the flag flying
that day over the capitol and eighteen
stars in the flag flying that day over
the navy yard.
Whenever new state is admitted
the president announces the change in
the tiag to go into effect on the follow
ing Independence day. For example,
III February, 1890, he announcer that
ID consequence Of the admission of
North Dakota, South Dakota, Washing
ton and Montana four stars would be
added to the flag. stating at the same
time how the stars should be arranged.
This Is the way the announcement was
made to tie army and navy IL an Off
ciGl letter promulgated OH Feb. 20,
1880: The iieldor union of the national
tag u use III the army and navy will,
OIL a!,d after July i, 1890, consist of
forty two white stars, III six white rows
OF seven stars each, in Il blue field.
rlE IDAHO FLAG.
BY the tinlGthe Fourth of July had
come the Jealous Dubois. then dele |
gate, how senator, had worked Idaho J
into tie union, outstripping the d:li
gent Carey. then delegate, now sena-
tor wiso was struggling to get Wyo-
ming III, 1t was getting very close to
the Fourth of July when Dubois got |
the idaho hill to the white house. lie |
had = brilliant idea about having it |
SITlfed by the president on the morning /
of Independence day, so that the can !.
on ai.d crackers of idaho might /
ccle}aatr the two great events at once,
and IL, too, that the whole country
was q lcbrattng its birthday as well as
that al lie nation.
- do il. lfy yon say se." said PyeSi-
dent tiuuaSon 10 Dubois 'but if the
the .. is not approved until the
Fori . al Juiv Ilaho's star cannot be
addeH to lhe fla until the Fourth of
july ii next Year" Dubois had not
thought of thar, and hesitated.
Think 1t over until Tomorrow morn
ing. >aid the president, "and then I'll
do whatever You say about it.. That
was the I'd of July. Dubois thought ii
over through Il sleepless night and de-
that there was more glory
in getting Idaho's star into the flag Il
Whole year before Wyonipg's could
possibly get in. He was at the white