The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1930-05-30
BY ELMO SCOTT WATSON

dINk of the American flag,
t~ as all of us do on June IA.
which is Flag day, and we
naturally think of the nation
- al emblem with it's thirteen
M ~ alternate redand white stripes
and it's As white stars on q
field of blue. But this flag, which is
variously and affectionately known as
"Old Glory" "the Stars and Stripes
and "the Star Spangled Banner is
not the only banner which calls for
the respect and loyalty of all Amer
leans. For there are "some other
American flags which have their
place in our national tradition, even
though they are not so well known
as 1.-THE Red, White and Blue"
First of all, there is the Presidents
flag, the personal banner of the Chief
Executive of the nation. Some day,
If you see flying from a short staff
attached to the radiator cap of an
automobile, a blue flag, edged with
white and yellow silk fringe, bearing
the United States coat of arms in the
corner of the flag, you won't need the
cheering of the crowds to tell you
that the President of the United
States is riding in that car. Or if
you see a flag of the same design,
with perhaps slight difference as to
the fringe, floating over a house or
swapping in the breeze from the bow
of ship, it will bring the same mes
sage-that the President is in that
house or is riding on that ship.
But the President is not the only
high official who has his own per-
sonal flag. If the secretary of war is
making an official visit, there is dis
played red flag, bearing the United
States coat of arms with some minor
differences from that shown on the
Presidents flag) and four white stars
in the corners. If it's the secretary
of the navy. it's blue flag with
white anchor in the center and the
four stars. If it's the secretary of
the treasury, you Will see another blue
flag but the design on it is even more
complicated. Two crossed anchors are
surrounded by ring of thirteen
white stars. In front of the intersec-
ton of the anchors is shield bear
ing in the top half pair of scales
(of the balance type) and in the lower
half a key. The symbolism of these
is, of course, clear. The secretary of
the treasury holds the key to the ma
tons strongbox and from the earliest
days the balance scales were used in
weighing precious metals. The secre-
tary Of commerce also has blue flag
with the four white stars but in the
center is white shield, at the top
Of which sails three-masted vessel
and below a lighthouse casts its
beams abroad.
The Presidential flag has had an
interesting history, insofar as the
question of proper design for it has
resulted in a series of heated con-
troversies over several points of her.
aldry involved. Its history has been
one long record of changes and restor-
atoms until finally in 1916, under
President Woodrow Wilson, there
evolved the Presidents flag as it is
today. Before that time each presi-
dent had the right to select the design
for his own flag and most of them
did. But the Presidential flag used by
President Wilson has been used by
our Chief Executives since that time.
A distinctive flag for the President
had its origin in the navy. On April
18, 1865, Gideon Wells, secretary of
the navy, issued set of naval regu-
Lotions, prescribing that on the &C.
casion of the visit of the President
on board man-Of-war, the American
ensign should be displayed at the
main. This was the first official order
to designate flag denoting the pre-
sence of the President aboard a ma
tional ship. A change was made the
next year when the rectangular Union
Jack of dark blue, bearing horizontal
rows of white stars, one for each
state, was adopted as the Presidents
flag when on board national vessel.
Although this was the first distinctive
flag for the President, it was an I'M
fortunate choice. In the navy the
I Union Jack at the foremost is signal
for pilot. Thus in the case of ship
with only one mast. the display of the
Union Jack might mean either the
president or the pilot; in the case of
"a two-master the signal would be con-
fusing and since, at that time. Jack
et the rigging was signal of distress,