Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-24
D. A. R.: COMMITTEE
ENDORSES D. c. FLAG
Our Flag Chapter Represent
ed by Those Who Favor
Proposed Design.

Commencing the suggested design
FOR District flag by john Mackaye
Dunbar, which was published in The
Star February 20, for its display of
"simplicity," a committee of "Our Flag
Chapter" Daughters of the Ameri-
can Revolution. urges the need for
:, flag TO represent the District of
Columbia and especially one which
will be readily distinguishable to an
observer.
While empha sizing that it has not
as yet Endorsed designs for any one
Tag for the District, the committee,
which is composed of Mrs. Albert NJ.
Walker. chairman; Mrs. John T. Sad
Mrs. Ellen Spencer Mussey, declares
the bill providing a distinctive flag
10: the District of Columbia, as in
reduced in Congress by Senator Ball
and Representative Reed, deserves
e> cry citizen of the District"
probably no city" it adds, ''can
I'na.,t 4 greater display Of flags than
Washington. but so far as having a
are much behind the times"
Research by Committee.
After much research the committee
found that only twice is a flag
credited to the District of Columbia,
aud this flag is sometimes called
III" old George Washington Ratchet
t'aE of the District militia. This has
blue rectangular field aud the fly
end is swallow tailed. The border
II gold and in the center is a small
yellow Ratchet. Above and below the
Ratchet arr scrolls bearing desiSna-
tons Of militia forces. 1t is flag
which has seen brave service, but
IT. Is In no sense a state flag OF Off
ctal recognition, adds the commit
tee.
The committee believes that the
districts flag should not be of an
elaborate pictorial type. The seal of
The District OF Columbia. which may
br familiar to one in Il hundred in
the District" is of this nature. TT
contains. among other items, a pic
turc of the Capitol building, a train
OF cars crossing a bridge toward the
rising sun, d statue of Washington.
81 female figure holding wreath and
tablet containing the word Con-
stltutlon, an eagle, a wreath inclos-
ing the date when we became ter
ritory QS1D and a scroll with the
motto 'JuStitia Omnibus"
ne committee continued that DR.
William Tindall who has been associ-
attu with the District government for
more than fifty Years and who was for
much of that time the keeper of the
seal, believes in simplicity of design for
:! flag. He is heartily in favor Of Il flag
Tor the District and thinks the design
3h!ght in some way indicate the three
branches of the Observation-Disclosures
tive. executive and judiciary. Perhaps
the three stars in Mr.. Dunbars design
might be interpreted in this fashion.
the committee added.
Other City Flags.
The adoption of municipal faSs-for
SOME thirty or forty of the larger cities
have individual flags-has usually ac-
cOnpanled the growth Of civic pride or
the celebration of some event of great
Importance in the city's history, the
committee asserts. Baltimore'S NUM-
cipal flag, adopted in 1914. was chosen
when the city was planning a great cell
cbration in honor of the writing of THE
Star Spang'ed Banner"
Charles Moore, chairman of the
Fine Arts Commission, who was con-
suited about the drafting of the bill,
favors the movement for a flag and
believes the design should be simple
and emphasize in some way the idea
that the District IS the seat of the
central government of all the States
The present movement for Dis
trict flag originated with the MEM
bers of Our Flag Chapter, D. A. r.,
ton of the bill now in Congress. The
chapter was organized in 1906 by
Mrs. A. G.. Wilkinson. who was one
OF the first 125 members of the Ma
ttonal Society. Daughters of the
American Revolution. 1t was Mrs
Wtlkinson's devotion to the flag of
tho United States and her interest
Tor many years in everything con-
corning it that gave the tnspirat ton
Sadier.