The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-29
VINES ON A BLUE FIELD.
Connecticut Is Debating the Form of tn
State Flags.

Connecticut Is Debating the Form of the
State Flags.
The State flag that has been designed for
Connecticut in response to the agitation
started by the Daughters of the Reyolu-
ton in Stonington is likely to cause no
end of trouble.
the war are uniformly protesting against
the idea. They hold that the flag under
which they marched and fought as Con.
necticut men should not now be changed.
In the battle-fag corridor of the Capitol
there are thirty of the old State banners,
not one of which is in all respects uniform
with another. This lack of uniformity
was not Objectionable to the troops. There
is no law in the State that requires the
State colors to be made on a specific
design.
The same is true with regard to the State
seal. The constitution, which was adopted
in 1918, provides that the seal of the State
sh all not be altered. But there is no law
in the State defining exactly the form of
the State seal. The constitution itself
of State, says the New York Times.
In 1861 the Legislature, after the out
break of the war, made an effort to devise
an official State flag. The idea of the pro-
jectors of the official flag at that time was
that 1t should be used from the flagstaff on
the Capitol grounds. Greene Kendrick OF
Waterbury, North Carolinian by birth
and War Democrat, defeated the scheme
in the House, with the remark that the
United States flag was good enough for
him.
The protest was renewed later during the
war and carried through both houses of the
General Assembly. The fields of the flag
adopted was a deep blue, and the three
vines, which had been on the Connecticut
flag from the outset, were on groundwork
of white.
The design was nicknamed the Blue Peter
by the Hartford Times, which applied one
of Lord Byron's lines to the new notion,
and the name chung to it as long as the
General Assembl continued to hold its
sessions in the capital on Main street, in
this city. The Blue Peter was always
brought our during the last three or four
days of the session, and foated from the
old legislative halls, signifying that the
ship of State was about to set sail.
The State seal, which has always been
used on the flags of Connecticut, will be on
the new banner. This seal has played an
interesting part in the financial history of
Connecticut, as well as in its military
achievements. The first issue of bills of
credit was made by Connecticut in 1903.
The General Assembly ordered that they
should be stamped in accordance with the
decision of the Governor and Council.
That body in June, 1709 directed that the
bills should all be stamped with the arms
of the colony. On the small bills issued in
1777 the seal represented had but one vine
A seal having but one vine has been used
in the Office of Secretary of State for seal
ing letters.
The seal with three vines has been used
since I'LL. The committee of the present
Legislature which has the project for
new State flag in charge appears to be di-
vided, some of the more conservative
standing by the flags that were used in the
war. On the other hand, some of the COM
mitteemen are urging the necessity for a
change.