Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-07

time Of its adoption as such.
The treasury a department Of the govern
ment was not founded on its present lines until
the Constitution itself was ratified in 1889 A
belief has been common that no official seal Of
the institution existed before that date and, if
SO, not prior to 1881, when Robert Morris was
the National Superintendent OF Finances as the
officer was then called. When Washington and
the public buildings were destroyed by the
British in the fire of 1914 most of the govern
ment records were also consumed and. so far as
known, nothing in documentary shape existed
to trace the imprint Of the treasury seal back
to its origin. The belief, however, that the de-
vice does not antedste the articles Of confeder-
alton seems to be proved erroneous now by the
find OF the register Of the treasury, for the two
old papers referred to are stamped with what is
admitted to have been the first SEAL as they also
contain the signature of the treasurer of loans
who was the head Of the government money
affairs in 1778, about the time that those who
have taken one side of the controversy maintain
the device Of a seal was put to its initial use.
The superstition seems to be more correct from
the fact that the imprint on the old documents
also shows the smaller details, which have since
been changed in the form of the present seal,
although there Is no real difference between the
two rs far as the main features are concerned
OLDER THAN THE GOVERNMENT
How the antique pay accounts managed to
escape the wreck of 1914 and safely reach the
registers Office is, Of course, a piece of execu-
tive and historical mystery, but there is little
doubt that the seal of the Treasury Depart
ment, az well those Of the War, Navy and
Post Office Departments. is, in device and
legend at least, older than the national govern
ment itself-older possibly than the great seal
OF the republic, which existed six years before
the Constitution superseded the articles Of con-
federation as law of the land. There can be no
question that those of the War and Post Office
Departments are older still, for the records Of
their adoption are extant, and from other cir
cumstances it appears that the treasury and
navy seals date from the same period in IT'S
Practically, however, the Treasury Department
is older per Sc than any Of the Others. 1t was
really organized to some degree when, on June
%, ITS. the continental congress authorized
the emission of bills to the amount of 90 900 000
being in the nature of promises to pay on the
part Of that body. and what is since known as
continental currency. The issue was directed
just six days after the battle of Bunker HILL
and. as money was needed to prosecute the war
further, this first debt contract really estab-
lished a treasury, for at the same sitting Con-
gross appointed a committee to take charge of
printing the bills and further authorized them
to be signed by twenty-eight representative iti-
zens Of Philadelphia.
The new money was ready for circulation by
July 20 OF the same year, and on that day the
the treasury a business basis. when Con-
gress appointed two treasurers, Michael
Hillegos and George Clymer, both of the
Quaker city. These gentlemen each gave a
bond of 500, 900 to q committee from Congress
in the interest Of the colonies and for the faith
full performance of their duties. They con-
tinued in Office until February IL. 1776, when
Congress changed the modus operandi at
the treasury and selected a committee of five
to superintend the institutions currency de-
posits, although nobody had yet suggested the
propriety of a seal. Stray pieces Of this origi-
nal continental paper money show official
imprint of such an apparatus, and it is not
probable that the necessity for it arose until
the infant government began to think about
negotiating foreign loans for the purpose of
keeping up the fight with the mother country.
At any rate nothing appears on the old records
relating to the subject until July, l77S when
still another change was made at the treasury.
Congress had evidently come to the conclusion
that the paper currency of home issue would
for the time being be worthless without genuine
gold coin borrowed abroad, and the treasurer
Of loans stepped into official life.
A COMMITTEE OF CONGRESS-
On September 26, ITS, committee of Con-
gress was selected to try its hand at devising
seals for both the board Of admiralty, as the
Navy Department was then named. and the
young treasury. 1t is known that this commit
board of admiralty, which was adopted. But
the records do not show that any report was
ever made on a proposed seal for the board OF
treasury, and the absence of such records,
plain enough in the cases Of all the other de-
partments, has given ground for controversy
over the treasury's official stamp and left its
origin somewhat cloudy The impressions or
documents now on nile in the division presided
over by the register show, however, that such
seal was adopted and settled at the same time
the mooted question of its inception within
comparatively few days. The recently unearthed
old papers bear date of January, 1873. and
from this it is quite probable that the seal had
been legaliZed for use in the month preceding.
or December, 177S That would have allowed
from the September previous three months in
which to adopt and prepare the seal, and the
lapse Of time intervening is reasonable enough
to support 1878 as the birth year of the treasury
stamp.
1t is not known by whom the seal was de-
signed, and in all probability nothing further of
an authentic nature can ever be learned about
mittee, unless it SO happens that an individual
member left history of the matter among his
private papers, which might some day be
brought to light. The chances are all in the
other direction, though, at this time, 104 years
after the seals adoption, and meanwhile the
legend still in use is study in unwritten his
tory itself. The primal device consisted Of a
shield, with heraldic insignia the upper part
bearing q balance scale and the lower a kew,
The minor additions made in 1S45 were merely
in the shape Of q craven flower work near the
outer edge, while the lettered inscription re-
NAMED the same, being: "Thesaur Amer Sep
tent. Sigil, >" an abbreviation Of the Latin sem
tence The sauri American Septentrionis Sigh
lium," or The seal Of the Treasury of North
America" The United States were not then a
fact. and nothing more than q remote possible
ity. so naturally the legend was not made to
read: The seal Of the United States treasury"
While the name Of colonies was at the same
time secuted by the commission, the inference
Is that the members dreamed of an independ-
emit country which should cover the whole north
half Of the western continent, and proclaimed q
much in the legend decided upon
THE POSTMASTER ENenAvER
In 1S45 the old seal had become so worn that
a new stamp was q necessity. The task Of
designing it was intrusted to an old Quaker
postmaster at Sandy Springs, Montgomery
county, Md, named Edward Stabler. In his
day Mr.. Stabler was regarded as the foremost
engraver and die caster in the country, and, his
son, Mr.. Edward StHbler. jr., now Q resident of
baltimore boasts a collection of some six hum
dred seals, mo-tly historical, which he values at
thousands Of dollars. II 10 said to be the finest
of its kind in the world, and, besides the
numerous foreign stamps, contains exact copies
of the Treasury, Post Office and Interior Depart
mont seals, Mr.. .Stabler. 81, having designed
and executed the original Interior Department
seal when that branch Of the government was
~ ~ - a