Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-06-24
An Official Bulletin Soon to be las, ed
Regarding the American
Flag.
Changes Made by Congress in the Ar
rangement of the Stars and
Stripes.
The Origin of the Design in Doubt
The Army ami Navy Regu-
latiOns.

Washington special to New York
lines: The quartermaster general of the
army has been so bothered with questions
regarding the American flag that he has
issued bulletin which is intended to
meet the numerous and diversified queries
that come 70 his office from the patriotic
curious. The statements are the result of
research on the part of the clerks of the
department., and may be accepted as ae-
curate, or, at least as official. The bulletin,
which Will soon be issued, bears the stir.
ring title, The Stars and Stripes" and
is as follows:
The American congress, in session at
Philadelphia, established by its resolution
OF June Ia, l77!, a national flag for the
United States of America. The resolution
was as follows:
Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen
United States be thirteen stripes, alternate
red and white; that the union be thirteen
stars, white In blue field, representing
new constellation.
Although nearly year previous, July
4, 1776, these thirteen United States had
been declared independent, this resolution
IS the first Legislative action recorded re
lating TO national flag for the new
sovereignty.
The use of thirteen stripes was not a
Lew feature, as they had been introduced
tin alternate white and blue) on the upper
left-hand corner of a standard presented
TO the Philadelphia Light Horse by It's
captain in the early part of 1775, and
moreover the Union flag of the thirteen
united colonies raised at Washington 8
headquarters, at Cambridge, Jan 2, 1916,
bad the thirteen stripes just as they are
this day, but it also had the crosses Of st.
George and st. Andrew on blue ground
In the corner. There is no satisfactory
evidence, however, that any flag bearing
tie Union OF the stars had been in public
use before the revolution of June, 1777.
WHO DESIGNED THEM?
1t is not known to whom the credit of
designing the stars and stripes is due. 1t
is claimed that a Mrs. John Ross, an up
holsterer VINO resided at Arch street, Phil
aaelphia, was the maker of the first flag
combining the stars aud stripes. Her
descendants assert that committee of
congress, accompanied by General Wash
lngton, who was in Philadelphia in June,
l776, called upon Mrs. Ross and engaged
her to make the flag from rough draw
ing, which, at her suggestion, was re-
drawn by General Washington with a
pencil in her back parIor, and the flag
thus designed was adopted by congress.
Although the resolution establishing
the flag was not officially promulgated by
the secretary of Congress until Sept. g.
l777, 1t seems we'll authenticated that the
stars and stripes we're at the of ba tie
tie Brandywine, Sep. IL, LIT, and thence
forward during all the battles of the revo-
luton.
Soon after its adoption the new flag
was holsted on the nava! vessels of the
United States. The ship Ranger, bear
ing the stars and stripes and commanded
by Capt. Paul Jones, arrived at French
port about Dec. l, 1777, and her flag re-
ceived on Feb. ID, 1878, the first statue
ever paid to the American flag by foreign
naval vessels.
The flag remained unchanged for about
eighteen years after its adoption By this
time two more states vermont and Ken
tncky) bad been admitted to the Union,
and on Jan. Is, 1894, congress enacted
hat FROM and after the 1st day of May,
1895, the flag of the United States be
fifteen stripes, alternatered and white;
tnat the union be fifteen STARS, white in q
blue field
This flag was the national banner from
1895 to 1913, during which period occur
red the war of 1912 with Great Britain.
BY 1918 five additional states Tennessee,
Louislan, Indiana and Mississippi had
been admitted into the Union, and there
fore a further change in the flag seemed
required. After consi derable discussion
in congress on the subject, the act of April
4, 1918, was passed, which provided:
l. That from and after the 4th day of
July next, the flag Of the United States be
thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red
and white; that the union have twenty
stars, white in blue feld'
2. That on admission of every new
state into the Union one star be added to
the union of the flag, and that such addi-
tion shall take effect on the 4th day of
July next succeeding such admission"
The return to the thirteen stripes of the
1777 flag was due, in measure, to the re-
verence for the standard of the revolution,
but it was also due to the fact that furth
er increase of the number of stripes would
have made the width of the flag out of
proportion to its length unless the stripes
were narrowed, and this would have I'M
paired their distinctness when seen from a
distance. A newspaper of the time said:
The early custom was to insert the stars
In parallel rows across the blue field, and
this custom has, it is believed, been OBJ
served in the navy at least, since 1918, at
which time the president ordered the stars
to be arranged in such manner on the
national flag used in the navy. In the
army, too, it is believed The stars have
always been arranged in horizontal rows
across the blue field, out not always in
vertical rows; the effect, however, being
ABOUT the same as In the naval flag.
Hereafter there will be no difference in
the arrangement between the army and
the navy, as an agreement has been arriv-
ed at between the war and navy depart
ments on the subject
Since July 4, 1891, the al, augement of
stars in the flag Of tAe army and ensigns
in the navy is as follows: