The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-05-30

distinctive flag for its commander in
chief, and when it did its action
marked the beginning of a series Of
controversies which were to last for
nearly two decades. Under a general
order, issued March %, 1898, from the
adiutant generals Office by direction
of the secretary of war, the PreSi-
dents flag for the army was desig-
mated as a flag of scarlet bunting with
white stars in each of the four cor
ners and in the middle Of the field
large blue star, outlined in white and
bearing in the center the United
States. coat of arms. Around this cen
trail star were other white stars rep
resenting the states Of the Union.
During the Spanish-American war
the array Presidential flag was hung
upon the wall of the cabinet room in
the White House, symboliZing the po-
sition of President Mckinley as COM
mander in chief of the army and was
the first war flag of its kind that had
thus ever been used. But for some
unknown reason the navy Presidential
flag, which would symbolic his posi-
ton as commander in chief of the
navy, was not thus displayed. The
army Presidential flag was first ex-
hibited publicly at the peace jubilee
celebration in Chicago in 1899 and
again at similar celebration in Phila-
delphia. Later both the army and the
navy flags were twice hung in the
main hallway of the White House
during army and navy receptions but
the army flag was never hoisted until
March 4, 1901, when it flew over the
Presidential reviewing stand at the
second Inauguration of Mckinley.
The first controversy over the Pres
idential flag came up in 1899. The
War department order of 1898 had
definitely directed that the official
coat of arms on the central star
should be las determined by the State
department" and the arms referred
to are those shown on the great seal
Of the United States, which is in the
custody of the Department Of State.
The shield thereon had always dis
played seven red and six white bars,
alternately red and white, which was
strictly in accordance with the act of
congress of June 20, 1882, establish
ing the great seal. In 1899 when the
equipment officers at New York and
Mare Island, where flags for the navy
are made, were furnished their flag
books for the year, they called atten-
ton to the fact that the shield on the
Presidents flag enormously displayed
seven white and six red stripes, in
stead Of the reverse. 1t was discov-
cred that the design had been copied
from publication of the State depart
ment, entitled 1.-THE Seal of the United
States"
The matter was taken up unofficial
ly with the State department and
ended with an admission from officials
of that department that "there was
no logical reason for the reversal of
the cOlors which was presumed to be
the result of an arbitrary heraldic
license" In 1902 the acting secretary
of the navy issued a memorandum
that 'the State department certifies
that the shield has seven white and
six red bars, alternating white and
red, and it is ordered that such shall
be the seal on the Presidents flag"
Meanwhile the army continued to
make it's flag with the seven red and
six white stripes on the shield. In
November, 1902, it was decided that
something should be done to recon-
cile the differences in the design on
the shield. A committee from the War
department and the Navy department
called on President Roosevelt and
suggested that since other nations
had but one flag for it's chief, it was
not consistent for our President to
have two. So it was decided to adopt
a new flag, closely patterned after the
older navy flag, but with several
notifications. short time later
orders were issued by the secretaries
of the two departments that the colors
on the shield, as certified by the State
department (seven white and six red
bars) be followed and on November
81, 1902, it was officially announced
that the controversy between the two
departments over the design of the
Presidents flag was at an end. The
only other change made was to make
the eagle white, heavily stitched in
black.
Despite the agreement, however, the
flags used by the two branches Of the
service were not yet the same. True,
both used the same device as to the
eagle and the shield, but the navy
clung to its blue field and the army
to it's red field. 1t was not until the
next administration that decided steps