The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-06-29
BETSY ROSS DELEGATION
TO MAKE PRESENTATION
First Breaking Out Of Official
Flag Of FOTIy-SiN
Stars


''WhO are, who are. who are We?
Betsy Rosses. do,Yt you sect"
This yell will be heard in Philadei
phia on July 4, when many Of the OK
lahoma women will attend the break
ing forth OF the first official flag oi
forty-six stars on the Independence
hau Flagstaff Col Thomas II. Sow
g;rd, who was one of the boys IN blue
during the Civil war; viii carry thc
flag 10 Philadelphia. and viii he FOL
lowed by an escort Of patriotic lklaho-
ma men and women.
The plan to break forth the Okia-
homa flag on Independence nail flag
staff originated with the city council
of Philadelphia several weeks ago, as
not only a novel, but PATRIOTS
means Of celebrating the country na
tai day. Immediately an invitation
was extended TO Oklahoma through
Hon. George w. Alexander, Of Phila
delphia, who has charge OF The maitei
as committeeman for the city council
there. and it chanced that when tae
invitation reached Oklahoma the an.
nual encarnpment OF the state G. A R.
was in session. When the phlladei
phia plan was made known to them !.
was accepted forthwith, and a com
mitteo OF veterans named 70 take
charge Of the Oklahoma end Of thg
arrangements.
Col ThoBas ii, Seward, Of Guthrie
was named as chairman OF this g. A..
r. committee. A native OF Kentucky
he served through the Civil war and
received wounds that sim necessitafe
his use Of crutches in walking. He E
a past department commander OF the
A .tI..s. D. I.f W. /. t
arrangement committee are Judge iio-
sea Townsend, OF hrdmore, Tor years
federal judge in Indian territory;
William A. hornaday. oi lawton, alsu
a past department commander Of the
G. a. r.; X. NJ. CongeT. OF Bristow,
and William II. Query of Tulsa.
Flag Of Oklahoma Wool.
1t was also at the suggestion Of the
Philadelphiang that the Tag which
should be made In Oklahoma for use
on July A, should be manufactured oi
Oklahoma grown wool dyed With Ok.
lahoma dyes. spun and woven In az
oklahoma mill and made by an Okla.
homa Betsy Ross.
All OF these suggestions We're accept
ed by the G. A. r. committee, but liz
stead OF having the dag made by on
Betsy Ross, 1t was decided 10 have
ninety-two OF them to sew on tho
ninety-tNo stars forty-six on each sid :
OF the flag. In order TO secure the rep
resentative women OF the stale FOR thss
work, the q. A. Il. committee selected
them from the principal cities and
towns OF the entire state3 With insuuc
tions 10 assemble in Guthrie ON Juna
16 to bHlld the flag. The body of Che
flag, ready for the stars, was thel
made BY Mrs. Josephine Tidball, %
Guthrie.
In selecting the women 10 sew ,n
the stars the members Of the commit
tee did not limit them TO G., A, r.
circles. but made Of The appointment
@ statewide and nonpartisan affair,
including a number Of the Conlederacg
End o. lhe Spanish-American war, an {
one 0f iAe number, Mrs w. J. Pettee,
oi Oklahoma City, Is "a Daughter OF The
American Revolution. The oldest wom-
an Of the ninety-lwo to work on the
flag was Mrs. Nancy Flson aged rs,
~ Guthrie. aud the youngest person
Go assist in sewing on a star was DE-.
tle Miss Mary Gregory Mcbride, the
Cyearoid dauehter OF Mrs. Bertha
Gregory Mcbride librarian AT the Car
neRie library hard, where the flag was
built
Get Phliadelphia Flag Instead.
ihe Oklahoma maze lag viii be talk.
en- fO-Phiiadciphia by Col Seward and
escort who viii leave here on June go
ia addition 10 tAe QklahOmans who ac
company hiin.f he Oklahoma school
aeachers who VIII be attending the
National Teachers associations an
nOai convention IA cleveland, viii Join
tho parfy ALSO. ln an there VIII be