Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-07-04

STRIPES OF NATIONAL FLAG.


It will be observed that nothing Is
said in any Of these orders about the
stripes, their number being fixed at
thirteen by the law of 1918, with the
proviso that the top stripe and the bot
tom stripe shall be red. have searched
In vain through the mass Of matter
about the American flag In the libraries
and archives Of the War Department
and the Naval Department for any au-
th0rtative and authentic account of
law, and why our dag Is made up OF the
stars and stripes.
THE FIRST LEGISLATION.
The first legislation In Congress in
June, l777. appears without explana-
ton. There should be national flag
Of thirteen white stars in blue field,
and thirteen stripes, red and white,
alternately-and that is all. The de-
bate, il any, cannot be found, nor
is there any report or memoran-
dunn giving any reason for the
action so badly set forth. We are not
even able to say what member proposed
or what committee recommended Ii.
Rear Admiral Preble, in his interesting
work on the flag, with pardonable pref
udice suggests that the design was pre-
pared by the Marine Committee. But
he offers no proof of it-indeed, there is
none to be had.
The account which Mr.. Drake gives
US, beginning, "When freedom from her
mountain height unfurled her standard
TO the air" Is just as good as Admiral
Preble's. The suggestion of stars for
our flag was first made apparently by
another poet in the Massachusetts, Spy
In 1774, while the first nse of the stripes
seems TO have bee In the flag presented
to the City Troop in ITS by Captain
Abraham Markoe, when he was COM
PEELED, being Danish subject, to with
draw from the command under the proc
lamation OF Denmark forbldding Danes
to fight Great Britain. This flag was
carried in procession until 1880, and
afterward exhibited at the Troops an
niversary dinners, and is now carefully
framed at the Troops headquarters.
ALL SORTS OF FLAGS ONCE.
All sorts of flags were carried by the
Continentals = state flags, company
flags, the rattlesnake C'Don't tread on
me, and even "Unite or die" in some
instances), the pine tree flag being used
by the naval commanders. But the
regulation flag, so far as there was one,
seems to have been one or red and white
stripes, with cross or two OF red and
white in the ''union." Finally. the idea
of combining the stars and stripes was
evolved, but not before many other de-
signs had been suggested. Some OF
them were fantastcal, embodying COM
binations Of thirteen-for example,
thirteen lions, or elephants, or chain
of thirteen links with hand holding
each link. The rattlesnake and the
pine tree were pressed, but with less
announcement than might have been
expected after the service they had rem
dered.
All serts of arrangements in stars
were proposed, the most picturesque be-
ing the poetical disposition OF thirteen
stars In the order and relation OF the
thirteen stars Of the constellation Lyra,
sIgnifying harmony. We may never
know how Congress came to take the
action which at last determined what
our flag should be. 1t was not Wash
ington's coat-of-arms which Congress
had in view, apparently, for the colors
are different, and besides Washington
would have methodically set down some
alluSion to IL.
MRS. ROSS SUGGESTION.
Washington is said, however, to have
made the first working sketch OF the
first "Star Spangled Banner" in the
back room Of the upholstery establish
ment of Mrs. Ross, of Arch street, In
Philadelphia, who made the first ma
tional flag under Washington's personal
directions and afterward became flag
maker in general to the Government.
1t is 10 Mrs. Ross we are said TO owe the
fact that our stars are the five pointed
stars OF the continent and not the six
pointed stars of England, she having
suggested to Washington TO change the
design In this respect. Mrs. Ross was
a Friend, but she did not have the scru'
pies of her descendant, who gave up the
! inherited business Of flagmaking for the
Government, because the flag might be
carried in battle to stimulate the COM