The Sumpter miner. [volume] (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905, 1904-01-20
RE.ARRANGEMEN1 OF
STARS ON THE FLAG

representative SDdIrOtn, OF COIO-
RADIO. has evolved from the remote
reaches of his inner conscio ciousness a
plan for the rearrangement of the
stars on the national flag that would
cause the proverbial Philadelphia
lawyer to leap for Joy. Briefy-or,
al least, as briefly as possible--his
scheme runs this wise:
In the fleld,of blue he proposes to
place a circle Of thirteen stars repre-
senting the original states, and then,
within this circle, to put a star com.
posed Of thirty stars representing the
same number Of admitted states.
Next. two stars supposed to stand for
Wyoming and Utah, the last two ad.
mitted states, are to be placed tenn.
porarily on a straight line, one on
each side Of the center Of the In.
terror star; and then, on the ad-
mission Of an additional state, the
three stars In the center Of the inter.
dor star are to form an equilateral
triangle In the center Of the thirty
star circle. On the admission Of
two additional states the four stars In
the center Of the stars are to be ar
ranged in the form of a square and,
as other states are periodically ad-
mitted, the stars representing them
are to be moved about In different
ways within the circle Of thirty stars
Next, the gifted statesman from
Denver introduces this novel feature:
The representative stars Of the
thirteen original states shall be iden-
titled BY presumins the first star to
the right Of the apex of the Interior
star to represent the first state to
ratify the Constitution of the United
States (Delsware); and proceeding
to the right around the circle, the
remaining stars shall represent the
other oiRinsl states In the order In
which they respectively ratified the
Constitution Of the United States.
The representative stars 0f the first
thirty admitted states shall be iden.
titled by presuming the star forming
the apex OF the interior star to rep
resent the first state admitted into
the Union (Vermont), and proceed
ing to the right, down and around
the arms, the succeeding stars shall
represent the various admitted states
In the order In which they entered
the Union, the additional stars repre-
sentinR the last two admitted states
wyoming and Utah) to be identi.
fed by proceeding from the left to
the right.
Mr.. Shafroth's idea, 1t will be
seeh, is to make "Old Glory" a sort
OF floating history of the United
States. Why, however, does be leave
the task SO incomplete? Why not
some deft arrangement that would
show, for example, which states we're
carved out of the old Louisiana Pur-
chase, or whi'h kicked against the
embargo act or took part In the
"whiskey" rebellion? Why not
some devise to indicate which states
insisted on ''crucifying mankind on
q cross Of gold," or which constitute
the favorite abode of the trust octo-
pus? Why not a six-point star to
represent the state In which Poca.
hontas rushed to the rescue Of John
Smith, or the states In which witches
and negroes have been burned at the
stake? So long as we intend to con.
vert the flag into kind of kinder
garten, let y thorough job be made
of 1t.
Mr.. Shafroth is clearly wasting his
fine mind. A person with such an
intellect for intricate combinations