The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-09

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green fly and union of ID links in an endless
chain Outside the circle Of links was circle OF
13 hands or mailed fists emerging from clouds
and crashing the links. In the center of the
chain was a pine tree of green on blue field
This was the flag of the NewburypOrt (Mass.)
company Green was also the color of the pine
tree and liberty tree flags of Revolutionary days
In April 1776 the Massachusetts, council pre-
scribed green and white as the uniform of OIL
GERS in their sea service, and in the same year
the marine committee of the Continental con-
gress in Philadelphia resolved that the uniform
of marine officers be green coat white waist
coat and breeches edged with green Green was
the color of the early Revolutionary cavalry
uniform, Marions riders wearing the Roman
esque helmet of the French dragons and cuiras-
siers and a green, skirted tunic with white re-
vers similar to that of the French guides cav
airy whose uniform the first Napoleon was some
what partial to, wearing it quite frequently. The
Culpepper Minute Men wore green hunting shirts
and the standard of the Georgia Rangers in the
latter part of the war carried green and white
stripes.
When it came to adopting the Stars and
Stripes however, the color scheme of green was
dropped and various flags of red, white and blue
that had been familiar to American colonists for
more than 100 years exercised the prevailing in
fuence in the design for the Stars and Stripes.
The resolution adopting the flag appears in the
Journal of Congress among whole page of reso-
lutions presented by the marine committee on
the subject of the navy. On the same page with
the flag and other marine committee resolutions
is one appointing John Paul Jones to the COM
mand of the ship Ranger Jones was presented
flag by some women Of Philadelphia and soon
afterward he had the Stars and Stripes flying
at sea.
Contemporary illustrations of Jones' ships and
the description of the new flag when it appeared
in Europe show that the early navy flags were
arranged with the stars in horizontal parallel
rows Due to their number, the stars were stag
gered that is, the stars in one row were placed
opposite the spaces between the stars in the
next, so that they looked like constellation in
the heavens, as the resolution had described
them. On one ship they were in five rows; on
another, in three.
Ingenuity began to be displayed in the arrange
ment of stars in unofficial flags. In some they
were arranged in square; in others, In circle.
Some had them in the shape of single star, a
diamond or forming the letters 20. 81
AT first, the Stars and Stripes were looked
upon merely as navy fag but in 1918, under
the third flag law, the present general design Of
the flag was established This held the number
of stripes to Is and added star for each state.
The second flag law, passed by congress In May,
1895 provided Is stripes for Is states as well as
Is stars; but as the number of states was in
creasing by 1918, it was found necessary to cur
tail the amount of stripes.
Capt. Samuel Chester Reid, of the navy, hero
of a two-day engagement between his small brig
and British squadron of three large ships was
called by the congressional committee to design
a flag and it was his idea to hold the number
of red and white stripes to 13 for the original ID
states and to add star to the union for each
new state admitted.
On May 49, 1918, the navy commissioners is
sued an order, placing the stars in accordance
with the navy custom, in parallel horizontal rows
and with the stars the second and fourth
rows moved to the right one-haf of a stars
space The order was signed by Commodore John
Rogers, president Of the navy commissioners.
Six months later, he issued change in the ar
rangement of the stars, approved by the Presi-
dent. This order required that the stars be ar
ranged in vertical and horizontal parallel rows.
The act of 1918 gave the fixed rule of adding
a new star on the Fourth of July next succeed
ing the admission of the state. but made no state
ment as to the exact arrangement Of the stars
and this has been matter with which the Navy
department has been chiefly concerned
This is because the navy flies the Union alone
without the stripes in the bow of ships. The
navy has attended to details as to proportions
and design of the flag and still issues to all de
partments blueprints of changes, after approval
by the President. In recent years army and navy
have agreed on changes In 1884, the army pre-
scribed the Stars and Stripes to replace its gar
rison flag then in use
Until 1912 there was some confusion as to
the proper distribution of the 4S stars In the
blue field. On October 20, 1912, this matter was
definitely settled by the executive order of Pres
fdent Taft that the stars were to he arranged
in six rows OF eight each, symbolizing the 4e
states In the order Of their ratification (Thus
If You wish TO know which star represents your
state In the flag, remember what was its num-
Der in the order of admission to the Union then
begin counting from the upper corner next to
the staff and the star which comes on the num-
Der corresponding TO the number in the order of
admission to the Union win be the star of you
state)
~ By Nesterr