The morning times., 1897-02-27
THE WHITE NE TALL BARRED
There Will Be No Silver Designs
on Public Buildings.
THE TIMES AT THE TREASURY
An Editorial on Governmental Pro-
priety Widely Read-why Yellow
and White Decorations We're
Chosen and Discarded-W What mt
Hill and the Contractor Say.

A good deal OF comment has been made
over the disappearance of the yellow and
white streamers and other yellow and white
decorations from the east front of the
Treasury building. This was all the more
remarkable as il has been published far
and wide that the union OF the white and
yellow was intended by government Off,
cials to Indicate to visitors a compliment
to the silver ard gold parties in the re-
cent campaign. twas said to be bimetal-
lie compromise for good feeling
Mr. William II. Hills, the assistant super
intcndent of the Treasury building, who
ought 10 know the inside history OF this
decoration, was called OF yesterday by a
Times reporter for an explanation of this
strange device. Mr.. Hills had in easy call
the editorial on the subject in yesterdays
Morning Times, which ne handed TO The
Times man for perusal.
Mr.. Hills went on to say: There was
not the slightest intention of giving this
decoration political significane, for such
thing would not be permitted by this
department. The yellow and the white
don't mean silver and gold any more than
they mean the colors OF William Prince.
OF Orange and the White Ribbon Army"
Mr.. Hills explained that the Treasury
building is the only one that has here
tofore been decorated, and this was be
cause it was provided for by the en-
ployes OF the department, inasmuch as
public funds are not available for such q
purpose. When the question OF decoration
came up an executive committee Of five
was appointed On which were Mr. Hills
and Mr.. Logan Carlisle. This committee
or the clerks, have on hand a fund OF
about $500 profit from the last Inaugural
tion, tine balance Of the proceeds Of the
stands on the Treasury, To which the
clerks charged an admission fee, as Will
be done this year.
1t was proposed to deco rate this year
and contractor was asked for designs.
Three designs " ere furnished, and the one
with the yellow and white streaners was
adopted Mr. Hills said that this was
chosen simply because it was the most ar
tistic The contractor idea was ;a'd
Mr Hill, that the yellow and white would
be a departure from the old style OF red,
white and blue and more in harmony with
the color and architecture of the building"
The contractor, MI Thomas Keely, was
seen, and he also said that there wasn't
the slightest political significance in his
suggestion Of white and yellow as mean
ing silver and gold He said. however, that
ne had been instructed to take down these
beautiful yellow and white devices, and
that they had been taken down. 1t was
pointed out to him that there was a little
OF the tabCned stuff still shining on the
northeast angle OF the building. Mr.. X Keely
said that hc couldn't get at that, hut he
would fling it over the rampant and get 1t
out OF sight He declined to say from whom
he got his orders 10 tear dow wn the silver
and gold cublems No information on that
point was obtainable yesterday, but 1t was
stated that yellow and white would not be
permitted even in the ballroom
one person, however, did offer a very
plausible explanation. He said that the OBJ
lection Of the high authority which had
interfered. was not To the yellow, but to
the white, as the latter had become as
sociated in the pubic mind with silver. He
said that the objection did not come from
Mr.. Hills or Mr.. Logan Carlisle. as they
had agreed to the white. nor to Secretary
Carlisle, because he was supposed to have
done. The informant of The Times said
that the order came from some one higher
than these fellows" meaning, possibly,
President Cleveland.
Mr. Cleveland and Mr. Carlisle. the Secrc-
tary. could have no possible objection to
the yellow. and did not have any objection
to the white until 1t was sent out to the
country that the yellow was intended by
the officials to mean gold and the white
to mean silver. and that this last color, to
mix metaphors. was like a drag to a bull
Some higher officer than Secretary
Carlisle got mad and the poor yellow and
white streamers had Co come down be-
cause i t wouldn't do to have this admins
tration cutting off clerks heads for talk
ing silver and then making the apOtheOsis
of silver in white cloth at five cents a
yard on the very front of the Treasury
Building, which still stands for sound
money" so to speak.
A few days ago Mr.. Bell chairman of
the executive committee of the inaugural
ceremonies, was asked what the yellow
a nd white was for. He said that the in
augural committee had nothing to do with
the decoration of the Treasury Building
but he thought that the colOrs were a COM