Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1917-04-27
known as the Nauona army, or otner-
wise the army of the nation.
Navy Takes Over Coast Defense.

! has been taken away from the treasury
department and given to the navy de-
partment. The coast defense service
is what used to be known as the reve-
nue. cutter service. 1t ordinarily has
| to look after smuggling cases and the
safeguarding of human life along the
coast. 1t is purely naval service In
the manner of the life of its officers
and men, but because In sense it
guards the treasury of the United
States, looking out as 1t does for vio-
lation of the tariff laws 1t has been
under the control of the secretary OF
the treasury.
Hereafter the 40 cutters. the 1000
officers and men, and also the 1000 life
savers in the United States will be I'M
der the direction of Secretary OF the
Navy Daniels The order making the
transfer was flashed by wireless from
this city early one afternoon. All the
cutters were modified, and, being
ready for the order. began promptly to
patrol the nations coast lines. From
now on these vessels will be on the
lookout for German submarines whicn
may prey on our coastwise shipping or
may even attempt to shell one or our
many unprotected ports.
Can't, e. z. Bertholf is commandment
in charge of the cutter defense service
Upwards of thirty of the cutters are
exceptionally fast vessels, and, 1t is pc
lieved by officials here, will be able
to run down any U-boat that may show
its nose along the Atlantic coast. Each
vessel is well armed and plentifullyl
supplied with ammunition. The craft
mount three and six-inch guns.
With the announcement that the
navy department has taken control or
the cutter service, it became knownI
that every German in the service had
been discharged.
1t is expected that control of the
lighthouse service will pass quickly
from the department of commerce to-
the navy department. Instructions
have been issued to each lighthouses
keeper in the United States to be con-
stantly on the watch for anything that
looks like a submarine.
History of the Flag.
| The Smithsonian institution in
this time of the crisis of the
country has prepared an address
TO the American people on the Ameri-
| can flag The institution officials real
lie that even many people of long
| American descent do not know thor
oughly the history Of their flag. In the
article which has been prepared and
which in part is an appeal for rever-
ence for the flag, the history of the
/ colors is given with the expressed hope
that all Americans from whatever
stock they may have sprung will UNI
derStand the deep significance of the
flag of their country. The institutions
address in part is as follows:
To-day millions of American flags
are waving serenely in the varied
breezes of our spacious land, signifi-
cant of the calm and dignified, y@
deep and lasting patriotism OF the
! American people. Be this our native
land or adopted country, we pledge al
| legiance to that flag, uncover as we
pass, and wear 1t In miniature as
token of our loyalty. And yet what
do we know about It's origin, It's mean
| ing. and its history.
Naturally there were many forms
of early flags, especially colonial types
used by the individual colonies, and
militia regiments. before the flag OF
! the United States was established by
our Continental Congress on July ii,
| 1777, now celebrated as flag day. This
| act required that the flag of the Unit
| ed States be of thirteen alternate red
and white stripes and that the Union
! be thirteen white stars on blue field,
representing new constellation, but 1t
| did not define how many points the
stars should have, how they should
be arranged, nor make provision for
| additional ones.
| "At the time of the adoption Of this
resolution, Washington is said to have
| observed, We take the star from
heaven, the red from our mother coun-
try, separating it by white stripes,
| thus showing that we have separated
! from her, and the white stripes shall
go down to posterity, representing Lib
erty'
First Displayed at Fort Schuyler.
1.-THE first display of the Stars and
Stripes Is believed to have been on
August 6, 1777, when the new flag
was hoisted over the troops at Fort
Schuyler, Rome, New York. John
Paul Jones, is said to have been the
first to fly the stars and stripes over
the high seas, on the Ranger, in No
vember. 1777. The National museum
has an early naval u star type flag
said TO have been flown by John Paul
Jones during the war of the Revoiu-
ton.
sIt has been well said that our ma
tiouaI emblem. stands for American
ideals and ideas-it is not the flag
I of a family or a house, but The flag
of the whole people. 1t is the emblem
of liberty and freedom, being indica-
tive of individual independence and yet
symbolic of united and closely bond
ed people. Far from being merely
painted and dyed cloth, IT represents
the constitution and government of a