The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-06-20
TODAY IN HISTORY
ereat Seal OF the United States Adopted.
MONDAY, JUNE 20, 1910.

Great Seal Of the United States Adopted
The great seal OF the United States was
adopted on juno 20, 1852. For eight
years congress had been working to this
end. AS early as Independence day In
l716 the continental congress he-
solved. That Or. Franklin. Mr.. j. Adams
and Mr.. jefferson be a committee TO pre-
pare a device for Il seal Of the United
States of America" this being the same
committee. except for the omission from
II of Robert r, LIVINGSTON and Roger @
Sherman, which had drawn up the Dec
leration Of Independence.
Designs of many characters and mot,
toes were suggested from time 10 tifne
10 the committee; who seemed to struggle .i,
along not knowing exactly what they
wanted, and they finally abandoned the
task, II was not until March 20. ltso,
that the report was taken up again,
NORM Scott OF Virginia and William
Churchill Houston Of New Jersey were
appointed n committee 10 report design
for great seal, and to them was re-
ferred the report Of the first committee
The chairman OF the committee and the
most important member was Lowell. a
graduate Of Harvard. The report OF inc
Lowell committee met with the same fate
as the first committee. II was recon-
mitted and nothing further was done un..
I'll May, 1882, when Arthur Middleton OF
Jersey and Edward Rutlcdse Of South
Carolina were appointed committee TO
design a seal This committee called
into consultation William Barton, pri-
son for going to him is not known. other
than that he had studied heraldry. and
his drawings show that he was ingenious
In the use of his pencil.
Finally the matter having, by order OF
congress. come into the hands Of Charles
Thomson, he took radical departure
from all previous designs. Putting the
eagle AS the central figure OF his de-
Sign he specified that II be an American
eagle rising, not displayed AS emblc
matte OF the war power he put In the
sinister talon bundle OF arrows, where
Burton had put the American flag. In
Producing the arrows into the seal for the
first time. To picture peace he put in
the eagles dexter talon an olive bracnh,
instead OF Bartons sword and wreath OF
laurel. For the crest he used the con-
steIletion Of thirteen stars surrounded by
clouds.
The design of Thomsons was returned
eagle as In his own design and specified
that the bundle of arrows should contain
thirteen. The report, AS finally sub
mitted. was signed by both Barton and
Thomson. and consequently the dIstinc-
tion OF producing the arms Of the United
states cannot justly be accorded entire
ly to either. but belongs wholly to both,
with the largest share Of distinction TO
the secretary.
The different features of the seal had
all been in common use In America. In
the North Carolina paper currency Of
lITo appears bundle of thirteen arrows,
in the Maryland currency of the same
year hand grasping an olive branch
with thirteen leaves; on fifty-dollar
bill issued in l77S is an unfinished pyra-
mid with the motto "Perenis.' In the
Massachusetts copper penny OF 1T76 are
thirteen stars, surrounding an eagle the
flag had the thirteen stripes. and so had
the seal OF the board of admiralty adopt
ed May {. 1850.
The selection Of the eagle as the ma
tlonal emblem was not wholly satisfac-
tory. BENJAMIN Franklin wrote 10 his
daughter; II wish the bald eagle had not
been chosen as the representative OF our
country. He Is a bird OF bad moral char
acters he does not get his living hon
estly. You may have seen him perched
FOR himself, he witches the labor OF the
fishing hawk, and. when that dilieent
bird has at length taken a fish. and Is
bearing 1t to his nest for the support
eagle pursues him. and takes II from
him Besides. he is coward: the little
king bird not bigger than a sparrow. at
tacks him boldly and drives him out Of
the district"
Al the present time the seal of the
United States is affixed to the commits
sion OF all cabinet officers and diploma
tic and consular officers who are no,ni-
mated by the president and confirmed by
the senate; all ceremonius communica-
lions from the president to the heads OF
foreign governments; all treaties con-
Venttons: and formal agreements OF the
president with foreign powers. all proc
lamations by the president and all exc
quaturs to foreign consular officers in
the United States who are appointed by
the heads OF our governments which
they represent.
On June 20. 1867, Alaska was turned
over to the United States Lord Balti-
more received the grant OF Maryland in
1892, Queen Victoria ascended the throne
OF ENGLAND In 1887. II is the birthday
l., Reno OF Mexican and civil war fame
CS23)5 Benjamin H. Bristow. secretary
of the treasury under Grant GS32) and
Shief Justice David II. Brewer QS3O
Today is the date of the death of Charles
Coffin, the French poet Q7i9); Anna Ma
ria Porter. novelist GS32) and William
". OF Great Britain QS3T.