The Daily Alaska empire., 1937-06-14
FLAG DAY

On June IA, TIT. just 160 years ago today Con- gress resolved that the flag of the United States he l3 stripes alternate red and white; that the union be l3 stars white on blue field. representing a con- stellation"
 Many changes have been made in the American flag since that date but it continues to symbolze the union of States and today the nation observes the occasion, June IA national Flag Day,
 An interesting history surrounds the flag of the United States. Before the Declaration of Indepen- dence the flags of those colonies which form the union were various. In the early days of New England the Puritans objected to the red of St. George, not from any disloyalty to the mother country, but from conscientious objection to what they deemed an idoatrous symbol By the year 1700
 most the colonies had devised badges to distinguish their vessels from those of England and of each other In the early stages of the revolutionary war each state adopted flag of its own thus, that of Massachusetts bore pine tree, South Carolina displayed a rattle snake New York had white flag with black beaver, and Rhode Island white flag with blue anchor upon it.
 Even after the Declaration of Independence. and the introduction of the Stars and Stripes the latter underwent many changes in the manner of their ar rangement before taking the position at present es- tabished In TITS committee was appointed to con- slider the question of single flag for the 13 States It recommended that the Union Jack be retained in the upper next to the staff the remainder of the field of the flag to be of l3 horizontally disposed stripes, alternately. red and white This flag, known as the Grand Union or Cambridge flag was first dis played when Washington first took command of the army at Cambridge It raised December 3. ITS, on the Alfred" flagship of the American navy. by the senior Lieutenant of the ship, John Paul Jones.
 When the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia in 1776 the nation would not use the Union Jack in the flag thus Congress adopted the above quoted resolution which brought into exs- tence the flag honor today.
 The first American unfuring of the Stars and Stripes a warshp by John Paul Jones when he took command of the Ranger" in June, TIT. Ii first carried into battle at the battle of Brandy wine in September, 1777. This the origin of the national flag but at first the number of the stripes unequal, the flag very often varied, sometimes having white and six red stripes. and at other times seven red and six white and it not for some considerable time that it authoritatively laid down that the latter arrangement the one to be adopted.
 It has also been held that the Stars and Stripes of the American national flag, well the eagle were suggested by the crest and of the Wash ington family The latter supposition is declared by historians to be absurd for the Washington crest wa a raven. The Washington white shiele having two horizontal red bars and above these row of three red "molets." This might by stretch of the imagination be supposed to have inspired tht original idea of the flag which was that each Stat in the Union should be represented in the nationa flag by a star and stripe. Naturally other State. coming into the Union expected the privilegs After Vermont in 179o and Kentucky in 1792 hac entered the Union the stars and stripes changed number from 12 to 15 Later other States joined and in the year 1918 is determined to back tt the original 13 stripes but to place star for each Stat in the blue union canton in the top corner of the fa next the staff. By the admission of Arizona State in 1912 the number of stars became 48 ar ranged in six horizontal of eight stars each Thu the stars show the exact number of States in tn Union. while the stripes denote the original numbe of States that formed the Union.