River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-10-09
NEW GOVERNMENT SEAL.
Fourth Since the Foundation of th e
United States Is Soon to
Be Used.


Be Used
One Of the smaller appropriations,
but one of the most interesting, made
by the recent congress, was one of
$3.50 for new great seal of the
United States. Secretary Hay said
the old one was worn out; that it
no longer made the proper impress
sion, and that he must have a new
one. And congress, realizing the
necessity for the United States nav
ing a really impressive great SEAL
promptly voted the necessary money
and the seal is now being cut, says
Washington report.
This will be the fourth great seal
that has been cut for Uncle Sam,
each one practically reproducing the
last in design and being cut to re-
place one that had worn itself out
in the service of the country. The
first was cut in 1882 and was used
not by a secretary of state, but by
congress. The first document, at
least the earliest that has been pre-
served, bearing it's imprint is dated
September 16, 1882. 1t is a parch-
ment commission granting Gen.
Washington full power to arrange
with the British for an exchange of
prisoners of war. The document was
signed by John Hancock, president of
congress, and countersigned by
Charles Thomas, secretary. The seal
net Of &c
the custom, to the lower left-hand
corner, was impressed upon the
parchment over white wafer fes-
tooned with red in the upper left
hand corner.
The act of congress which created
the department of state on Septem-
Der Is, 1889, also authorized the use
of this old congressional seal and
gave it into the custody of the new
ly-created secretary of state. 1t con-
tinued in use until 1841. when new
one was cut for Daniel Webster, sec
rotary of state under Tyler. This
in turn was declared worn-ouG, and
the third, the one now in use, was
cut for Frederick Frelinghuysen,
who was head of the department I'M
der Arthur. The design has remained
practically unchanged except for a
slight variation in the form of the
''glory" over the eagles head. The
seal of 1871, however, Webster's seal,
was notable in that the eagles left
talon grasped only six arrows in
stead of the 13 required by law
The new seal now cutting will have
10 olives on the olive branch, and
word has gone out that the eagles
claws will be turned forward not
back, as they have in the old seal.
This does not, when one studies it
out, mean that the new eagle is to
be what the children call pigeon
toed.
1t is interesting to note that the
first seal lasted nearly go years, the
second 43, while the third has lasted
only II. This wearing out of cut
steel bears eloquent testimony to
the increase of Uncle Sans business,
and it is fair to conclude that the
seal now being cut will hardly last
a decade. Evidently in the early
days there were not many papers
of the first Importance to which the
great seal had to be affixed, for it
was the custom to affix it to all civil
commissions of United States Off
GERS, whether appointed by the presi-
dent alone or with the advice and
consent of the senate after they had
received the presidents signature.
That custom, however, fell into dis
use, and the great seal is only af-
fixed to the commissions of cabinet
officers and of diplomatic and con-
sular officers, to ceremoniOus COM
munications from the president to
foreign governments, to treaties,
pardons, proclamations, exequaturs
to foreign consular officers in this
country and to miscellaneous COM
missions of certain civil officers. The
presidents signature is no longer re-
garded as warrant in itself for af-
fixing the great seal. Nowadays the
department seals are affixed to the
commissions of the different depart
ments and the state seal reserved
for documents of real state impor-
lance.