The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-08-28
KANSAS GREAT SEAL.
Description and History Of it Issued
by the Secretary of State.
From the Topeka Capital

brief history of its formation. One of
these designs was sent to each state of
the Union, coupled with the request that
a similar one be prepared by each state
and asking that a copy be forwarded to
California.
Secretary Higgins took up the sugges-
ton from the Golden Gate and has ac-
cordingly prepared a handsome histori-
cal sheet of the great seal of Kansas. 1t
is modelled after the form adopted by
California.
In the middle of the sheet near the
top is large gilt wafer containing an
imprint of the seal and surrounding 1T Is
the following sketch prepared by Judge
F. J. Adams.
The great seal of the state of Kansas,
procured by the secretary of state as re-
quired by the joint resolution approved
May 25, 1851, is described in said joint
resolution as follows: The east is repre-
sented by rising sun, in the right-hand
corner of the seal; to the left of 1t COM
merce is represented by a river and a
steamboat; in the foreground agriculture
is represented as the basis of the future
prosperity of the state, by a settlers
cabin and man blowing with pair of
horses; beyond this is train of OK
wagons going west; in the background
is seen a herd of Buffalo, retreating,
pursued by two Indians on horseback;
around the top is the motto, "Ad Astra
per Aspera." and beneath, cluster of
thirty-four stars. The circle is sur
rounded by the words, ''Great Seal of
the State of Kansas, Jan. 80, 1861"
Under the new constitution the first
legislature of the state of Kansas met at
Topeka on Tuesday, March 26, 1861. On
Saturday morning following the house
and senate received the first message
from Charles Robinson, the first gov
ernor. In this message the governor
called attention to the requirement of
the constitution about seal, and rec
commended the legislature to take neces-
sary steps to procure one. On the Sd of
April, the state senate, considering the
governors message, referred that part
which mentioned the great seal to the
committee on ways and means. Five
days afterward, on Monday, April 8th,
the following resolution was submitted
to the senate:
Resolved, that committee of three
be appointed on behalf of the senate to
act with a like committee on the part of
the house, to draw and recommend a
design for the great seal of the State of
Kansas"
This resolution was referred to the
committee on ways and means. Similar
resolutions were considered by the house,
and the two committees got to work.
But this did not produce a seal very soon.
There were designs, designs, and designs,
notices and notices. Scholars suggested
and western men insisted.
Mr.. Mcdowell of the state library COM
mittee suggested design with land
scape something like that afterward
adopted and the emphatic motto, 1--WE
will" Mr.. Denman proposed to change
the motto 20 1--WE won't" Backward
and forward the thing was banded
about. The house journal for Friday,
May II, records the fact that the senate
on state SEAL" saying they had amended
and desired concurrence. This message
was discussed next day by che house,
which did not concur. Then COM
mittee was appointed for conference.
The senate appointed conference COM
mittee on Monday, and at the meeting of
the two committees the same day the
matter was substantially settled. OF
that date, May 20, letter in the Con-
Neavenworth) contains the
following passage:
"The vexed question of state seal has
at last received its quietus at the hands
of the conference committee. The new
design embraces prairie landscape with
buffalo pursued by Indian hunters, a
settlers cabin, river with a steamboat,
a cluster of thirty four stars surrounding
the legend, 'Ad Astra per Aspera,' the
whole encircied by the words, Great
Seal of the State of Kansas, 1861"
The senate accepted the report of the
committee on Wednesday,
May %, 1861, and the house concurred
on the same day, and so the design for a
seal was decided.
d. W. Wilder, in his "Annals of Kan
sas," says the writer Of the letter in the
was John j. ingalls,, and as
Wilder was editor of that paper, he
ought to know. The same John j. In
gals was secretary of the state senate,
and had. therefore, means of obtaining
accurate information. John A. Martin,
of Atchison, was member of the con-
ference committee referred to above, and
a letter of inquiry addressed to him by
the writer brought back for answer the
statement that John j. ingalls, had sub
mitted to the committee the design that
was finally adopted. Why, then, did
not the letter in the Conservative state
that fact? Undoubtedly, mainly because
Mr.. Ingalls, was too modest to claim the
honor of having settled the vexed ques-
tion, for modesty belongs to youth, and
John j. Ingalls, was young man then.
Besides being too modest, Mr.. ingalls,
had another motive for not claiming it.
The design. as adopted, Is not his alone.
and though he may fairly claim
credit for some of it, yet of other
parts he is by no means proud. The de-
sign as submitted to the committee by
Mr. Ingalls, consisted "of a blue fhield
at the base of q cloud, out of which was
one silver star TO Join the con-
stellation in the armament comprising
the thirtv-four then in the union, with
the motto: 'Ad Astra per Aspera,'" The
cloud symboliZed the struggles through
VIII ch we have passed, the star the
state, the constellation the union, The
motto was both descriptive and sugges-
tive, and the entire design simple,
unique and satisfactory. It was so sat.
isfa tory % the committee that they
adopted it entire. But after that, some
Of the wild heralds of the frontier
altered il bv mixing a steamboat and
blowing, with buffalo hunting, etc, till
really nothing but the motto is Mr. In-
III II Aa f.-E