Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1939-08-25


ing of the "Star Spangled Banner
will be celebrated at Fort McHenry or
September IA, 1889.
On August 5, the President of the
United States approved S. J. Res. 176
sponsored by Senator Radcliffe and
Representative Sasscer, providing fol
participation by the United States in
the celebration and establishing a com
mission to be composed of the Presi-
dent of the United States, of the
President of the Senate, the Speaker
of the House of Representatives, the
United States Senators from the State
of Maryland, three Senators to be ap-
pointed by the President of the Sem
ate, the Members of the House of Rep
resentatives from the State of Mary
land, three Members of the House OF
Representatives to be appointed by the
Speaker of the House of Representa-
tives, the Governor of Maryland, the
mayor of the city of Baltimore, and
three persons to be appointed by the
President of the United States.
The President has appointed DR..
Isaiah Bowman, President of Johns
Hopkins University, Mrs. Enos I.
Ray, and Hon. David J. Lewis. The
Vice President has appointed Senators
Carter Glass of Virginia, Rufus G. Hol
man, of Oregon and David I. Walsh,
of Massachusetts. The Speaker of the
House has not yet named the three
Members of the House. Arrangements
have not yet been completed for the
celebration and speakers have not yet
been announced.
It was not until the year 1881 in
the list Congress that law was
enacted to make the Star Spangled
Banner our National Anthem. Our
revered Marylander the late Hon. J..
Charles Linthicum then Dean of the
Maryland delegation in Congress had
for many years tried to get hearing
on a bill sponsored by him to make
the Star Spangled Banner our Nation
al Anthem.
Nine years previous to the enact
ment of the law the Tooth Anniversary
of the War of 1912 Congressman Lin
thicum made speech in the House Of
Representatives on August s, 1912, en-
titled: "The Part Played by Fort Nc
Henry and The Star Spangled Banner
in our second war with Great Brit
aim" In order to refresh our memoir
les historically, I will quote from that
speech:
"When Francis Scott Key, pacing
the deck of British vessel, peered
through the mists of morning and
saw in the distance his country's flag
proudly and defiantly waving from
the little fort which had been the cen
ter of the British attack, he was in
spired with patriotic fervor to write
those stirring lines:
IT'S the Star-Spangled Banner!
Oh, long may it wave
Der the land of the free and the
home of the brave"
"Of the millions who sing that song
which has made Keys name immortal
there are many who do not know that
the crushing repulse of the British at
Fort McHenry was a. victory of the
utmost strategic value to our Nation
at critical period in its history, when
encouragement was sorely needed.
The War of 1912 was virtually our
second war of independence.
"At psychological moment in the
progress of that war, at time when
our Government, crippled by fierce
and unreasoning partisanship was on
the verge of utter exhaustion, the
British inaugurated scheme of mill
tary conquest well designed to accom-
plish the division of our Union. ALI
the energies of war were to be direct
ed against the seat of government and
the brunt of the conflict brought to
bear on those Southern States which
supported the party in official power.
Meanwhile the Northern States, in
which the cry for separation from the
Union was growing constantly strong
er, was to be given an example of the
punishment in store for them unless
they should quickly set up confede-
ration of their own and arrive at
terms of peace with the enemy. To
accomplish these objects one British
army was to push down Lake Cham
plain while another, consisting of a
joint land and sea force, was to harass
the Atlantic coast adjacent to Wash
ington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and
New York, making incursions to in
flict what damage and pillage and
create what terror it could. Later,
both forces were to effect junction.
saTrho Ryifish novo1 ord xo;I;+orx,