The Snowflake herald. [volume] (Snowflake, Ariz.) 1913-1969, 1922-06-09

Ts& gress
NV An act was passed in 1914
which granted the of the
Fort Mctienry Military reservation to the city OF
Baltimore for park purposes The bill
amends the 1914 act so as to read, in part:
"The secretary of war is hereby authorized and
directed, soon as 1t may longer be needed
for uses and needs growing out of the recent war.
to begin the restoration of Fort McHenry. in the
state Of Maryland, now occupied and used as
military reservation including the restoration OF
the old Fort McHery proper to the condition In
which 1t or the LIST of September, 1914, and
to place the whole of said military reservation in
such q condition would make 1t suitable for
preservation permanently q national park and
perpetual national memorial shrine the BIRTH
place of the immortal 'Star-Spangled Banner
writtcn by Francis Scott Key; and that the
rotary of war be- and he Is hereby further author
lied end directed as are his successors, to hold
the said Fort McHenry In perpetuity as mill
tary reservation, national park and memorial and
TO maintain it such T.. . . the said reserva-
ton to be maintained national public park,
subject 70 such regulations may from time to
time be issued by the secretary of war: Provided
That the citizens of Baltimore city and of the
state Of Maryland shall be given free and full
access to and use of said national park as they
would enjoy if this were part Of the park system
of Baltimore city"
Provision is made for restoration and improve
ments under approval of the secretary of war and
at the expense of the United States. The sum of
100000 Is appropriated for the work and $4,000
annually for maintenance
Nothing is said in the bill about museum of
appropriate relics. Nevertheless If Fort McHenry
Is to be restored and preserved as a perpetual
national memorial shrine the birthplace of the
immortal "StarSpangled Banner 1t would seem
that the Flag which inspired the national hymn
should be feature of the shrine.
For the original Star-Spangled Banner-the &C.
tual piece of red. white and blue bunting that Key
was so anxious to see "by the dawn's early light"
ls still In existence 1t is probably the most inter-
esting bit of bunting in the world to good Amerl.
cans 1t is in the National museum in Washing
ton and thousands go to see 1t every year.
This sacred relic IS now more than one hundred
years old and looks It's age. 1t has, however, been
mounted on net and has been carefully mended
With good care 1t should last long time
As every good American knows-or should
knOw-the Flag consists of thirteen alternate
red and white stripes representing the thirteen
original states and a blue field on which are
forty-eight white stars arranged In six rows of
eight stars each, representing the forty-eight
states now constituting the Union The forty
seventh and forty-eighth stars added In 1912
when New Mexico and Arizona were admitted
The original Flag was adopted by congress June
IL, 1777-that's why June IA is observed as Flag
Day. 1t had thirteen stripes and thirteen stars
1t was the plan in the early days to add both
star and stripe to the Flag for each new state
But 1t was soon seen-by 1912 there were five new
StateS-that while star could easily be added
additional stripes were out of the question The
addition in 1894 Of two stripes for Vermont (179D
and Kentucky O792) destroyed the proportions
of the Flag. SO there never more than ff
teen stripes and the fifteen were officially reduced
to the original thirteen in 1918.
It's of interest to note that the Fort McHenrv
Flag has but fifteen stars, though in 1914 there
eighteen states, Tennessee Q796) Ohio
E1802) and Louisiana O812) having been admit
ted. But fifteen it has-in six alternate rows of
three and two stars, beginning at the edge of the
field next the staff. The explanation is that no
official change was made In the Flag between 1894
and 1918 The Flag in 1918 was given twenty
stars, Indiana and Mississippi having been admit.
ted, and thirteen stripes.
Did you know that by correct usage the Flag
In time of peace is not permitted to float all night
except at the grave of Francis Scott Kew?
Senator France, in introducing the Fort Nc
Henry bill, put into the Congressional Record the
contents of booklet prepared by himself and
other patriotic citizens. This booklet contains
among other things. the following interesting
matter:
The LIST of September, 1914 saw the city Of
Washington burned, the handful of American war
ships driven to port by force Of superior numbers
the Atlantic coast from Maine to Louisiana open
TO attack and the fate of the Union in the balance
the invader. redeemed our eastern seaboard and
delivered the federal government from serious
disaster or utter rum
In the two and half years Of war preceding
the defense of Fort McHenry scores of the fastest