The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-07-22
The ORIGIN
OF OLD GLORY
Official Record Of Creation Of the
American Flag Does Not Men
ton Origin Of
Design.
THE STARS AND STRIPES
Washington Family Goa. Of Arms Had
Nothing to do With the Ar
ranaementa Of the
coIors.
THE STARS AND STRIPES

Inc somewhat popular account OF
the origin Of the American flag. which
makes nj 1t merely an adaptation of the
req and white vertical stripes and
golden spur rowells of the Washing
Ton familys arms, is rejected with po-
lite rldlcule and much contravening
evidence by DR.. William Eliot Griffis.
the well known historical scholar, in
an article in the current Independent.
Commenting upon DR.. Griffis' art
lcle, the Chicago Inter-Ocean says:
According to DR.. Griffls, "the Amer
lean flag is not lower limb of feud-
1alism, nor does it's blue field contain
. collection of horse spurs. After the
noble example of federal republic,
itself based on written constitution,
our national banner suggests more
than family coat of arms Or a league
OF states" DR. Griffis afffrms that the
red and white stripes are Dutch and
that the field of stars is purely Amer
lean.
The official record Of the creation
of the American flag is entirely silent
as to the origin of the design. 1t is
also significantly free from heraldic
terms or references of any kind. 1t is
the resolution of the continental con-
gress passed June IA, 1777. Through
generally familiar, it is worth reading
again:
Resolved, That the flag of the
United States be thirteen stripes, al
ternate red and white; that the union
be thirteen stars, white in blue field,
representing new constellation
AS DR.. Grifiis well says: There is
no canton feraldry or feudalism
here. A constellation is a group of
fixed stars to which a definite name
has been given. but which does not
form a part of another named group
There was nothing novel about the red
and white stripes. The field of stars
was new"
There was certainly nothing new
about the stripes. They appeared on
the flag hcisted over the American
army headquarters! at Cambridge on
January l, 1916. That flag had in the
blue field where the stars now are the
red st. Georges and and the white st.
Andrews crosses of the British en-
sign Our forefathers were then, in
theory at least, still contending for
their right as Englishmen not to be
taxed without representation.
They were still seeking justice from
the British government as British
subjects They had taken up arms,
they held. not as rebels seeking the
overthrow of the lawful government
or separation from their country, but
merely in lawful resistance to the
usurping and unconstitutional meas
ures of the British king and his min
listers.
These facts account for the blue
union and red and white crosses of
the Cambridge army flag. Whence
came the red and white stripes? DR..
Griffis' answer is that they were an
adaptation of the seven red and
white stripes Of the flag of the United
Netherlands, representing the seven
provinces which formed the federation
of 1879. That flag had floated over
New York and parts of the other mid
die colonies for sixty years. 1t was a
familiar object in every American
port.
And the history Of the Dutch strug-
gle for liberty was familiar. Frank
lin wrote of Holland as "our great ex-
ample in love of liberty and bravery
"a defense of it." John Adams wrote
that "the originals of the two repub-