Evening star., 1898-06-04


THE Presidents flag which has been de-
signed for President Mckinley is not ex-
nctly new thing remarked an ordnance
officer of the army to a Star reporter,
though it is new as far as the idea of a
general flag is concerned. The navy got up
a Presidents flag for President Arthur. but
he used ii but once. He wanted to take an
ocean trip up to New York on the presi-
Dental yacht, the Despatch. and the ques-
ton was raised that under the provisions of
the Constitution he could not do so, FOR the
reason that the Constitution forbids the
President leaving the United States while
he is President. II was urged on him that
If he few a presidential flag on the Des-
patch he would be in the United States, in
a legal sense; that is, he would not violate
the Constitutional provision, while sailing
under it. even if he did go out on the ocean
General Arthur. who was a lawyer himself
was not exactly welded to the idea, but =
let the opinions of others prevail and he
made one trip. but that was all he would
make. Since then the presidential flag has
nsver been used. and am not exactly clear
what has become of il. l am very clear,
however. in the opinion that no President
will ever make an ocean trip under it, un-
less there is some change made in that par
ticulaT provision of the Constitution, which
is not very likely to happen. While at New
port President Arthur had talk with JUS
tice Miller. then the United States Su-
preme Court, and Jeremiah Black of Penn
5yiVtnia, who was one of the leading con-
stltutiOnal lawyers of the country. They
both told him that it matters not what
kind of a flag he flew, or who made it, it
was dangerous proceeding in every par
ttcular, and il would be better that it
should not be repeated. That settled the
presidential flag, far as ocean trips was
concerned. During the same evening Jere-
miah Black told President Arthur that
Andrew Johnston. when he was President,
once consulted him en- a question which
involved the same principle. 1t appears
that President Johnston, during a visit to
Niagara Falls, took a carriage ride, and
without thinking much where the driver
was taking him, found himself on the Can
aGian side OF the river. He remained there
but a few minutes. returning imediately TO
the American side. A paragraph got into
the newspapers of the ride, which annoyed
the President so much that he personally
requested number of newspaper writers
70 refrain from mentioning il. The result
of this was that there was but little pub
hclty ever given to the incident, though |
recently cOnveTsed with a newspaper man
who saw President Johnston on Canadian
sell, but who. at his solicitation, never
made any publication of the matter. Judge
Black told President Arthur that he had to
tell President Johnston that although he
did ii unwittingly, he had violated the
Constitution, and that a departure of one
foot from the American shore. under a flag
or not, was as much violation as ten or
more leagues out TO sea-
1T surprises, as well as amuses me con-
stantly." observed an old official to a Star
reporter, the way the various departments
spell the word inclOsure and Endorsement
The State Department adheres 10 spelling
both words with e instead of an Il
SO does the Interior and Agricultural De-
parfments. The War and Navy Depart
ments, or the other hand, make it in
dorsement and Endorsement while three
fourths Of the officers of both branches of
the service spell 1t endorsement and encIo-
sure l have no doubt that either or both
are right The strange part of it is that
some official way has not bean adopted that
viii Apply TO all of the departments. The
board OF geographical names has performed
a really valuable service in the settlement
OF the spelling of geographical Names and
the standard being once officially arranged
there Will be no trouble in the future. 1t
Is small matter, but it strikes me that the
same or a similar board should settle on
whether inclosure and Endorsement should
be spelled with L or an 'e.' Often on the
same paper these words are. differently
spelled OF course. clerk endeavors to fol-
low the rule of the particular department
In which he is engaged but this is not as
easy as one would suppose, for the various
bureaus of the same department are con-
stantly mixing up the spelling, all of them
claiming 10 be right
Vow that the summer is again upon u.s."
explained a shoe dealer to a Star reporter,
people are asking as to how to prevent
shoes from creaking, for as you know shoes
rarely ever credk except during exceedingly
dry weather or in the summer time. There
are all kinds of cures for this trouble but
the simplest, / think, is to rub few drops
of coal oil in the soles, near the edges. If
this don't stop it. the next best thing is to
have shoemaker drive a few wooden pegs
in the sOles. The combination of both will
surely keep them quiet. Sewed shoes of
the best makes often creak as much as
cheap shoes. The difficulty comes from
cutting the inner and outer soles. If they
are not exactly the same size they are
liable to oreak- Water hot or cold is only
temporary remedy. for the shoes are Just
as liable to creak as soon as they get thor
oughly dry
"I little thought when I cut the initials
% my name iE the tree in Franklin Park
tkirty-four .-ears ago that l would ever see
them again. said an ex-officer of the 18th
Regiment. New York Volunteers, to a Star
reporter. but ii has come to pass Our
regiment was camped. or housed. I should
say. in Franklin Park, for we built nice
frame barracks there, for some months
prior TO our joining the Army of the Po-
tomac. The entrance to the camp was on
/ street, midway between 18th and 18th
streets. whsre the guard house was Iocat-
ed On recent examination of the tree
i found my initials without much trouble.
as well as the initials of number of our
men The guard house was square frame
building about twenty-five feet square 1t
happened that / was in the guard house.
with dozen Others, for having gone down
TO theater one night without having Sc
cured the necessary pass or leave of alb
sence- We were kept there several days
as a punishment. We found that we could
climb out throJ gh the roof OF the building
and get up into the tree without being no.
tCed by the guard. ard We spent considera-
BILE OF the time there. II was then that the
whole OF our party cut our initials in the
bark of the big poplar that still stands
there as silent witness of the DAYS when
We were younger than we are today The
big F r. just as the limbs fork out, and
which are easily seen from the foot walk,
are the initials of Frank Ryan, who was
one Of che best soldiers in our regiment
and VINO afterward. with Coal Oil Johnnie.
made millions by the discovery of coal oil