Evening star., 1946-05-26
Capital Sidelights
Bu viii p. Kennedu.

Why does the seal of the United
States Treasury Department carry the
legend: "Thesaur Amer. Septent. Sigil.,"
an abbreviation of the Latin "Thesauri
Americae Septentrionalis Sigilum,"
meaning The Seal of the Treasury of
North America" instead of The Seal
of the Treasury of the United States?
This question has had many persons
and various institutions troubled, but
thus far there is no conclusive answer.
The seal Of the Treasury is older than
the National Government A commit
tee was appointed by the Continental
Congress, September 26, l776. to devise
a seal for the Treasury. It's mem
bers were John Witherspoon, Gouver-
neur Morris and r. H. Lee The
Journals of Congress on the date men,
toned say: Resolved: That the con-
troller shall keep the Treasury books
and seal and file all records
shall draw bills under said seal" I'M
pressions of the continental seal have
been found on documents dated March.
1882. When the present form of Gov
ernment was instituted in 1889 the
Treasury seal of the confederation was
continued in use. and all essential
features are the same in the Treas
ury seal now used. In report of the
Secretary of the Treasury to Congress
in 1912, the symbols on the seal are
explained, but not why the words "of
North America" are used instead of "of
the United States" The seal of the
Treasury Department under the Consti-
tuition was cut in cast steel by Edward
Stabler of Sandy Spring, Nd, in 1849
He was ordered to make facsimile of
the old SEAL The reliable historian,
Benson J. Losing, in 1869, wrote that:
Not only our Treasury seal, but that of
our War Department also, in device and
legend, is older than the National Gov
ernment-older. possibly. than the Great
Seal of the Republic, which existed six
years before the Constitution became
the supreme law of the land" He also
states that the device of the seal of
the Post Office Department is older
than the National Government
On July 4, 1776, several hours after
the Declaration of Independence had
been signed (about 2 p.m) the Journals
of the Continental Congress record the
adoption of resolution reading: Re
solved, That DR.. Franklin, Mr.. j. Adams
and Mr.. Jefferson be committee to
prepare device for seal of the United
States of America" This was the same
committee which had drawn up the
Declaration of Independence, except for
the omission from it of Robert L. Liv-
ingston and Roger Sherman. But it
was not until June 20, 1882, that satis-
factory design was obtained. The OBJ
verse of the seal finally adopted was
the composition of Secretary Charles
Thomson and the reverse the compost
ton of William Barton. The diverse
believed that the first imprint. in wax
on a paper wafer, is that found on a
commission dated September 16, 1882,
granting full power and authority to
Gen. Washington to arrange with
Great Britain for exchange of prisoners
OF war. That commission was signed
by John Hanson of Maryland, president
of the Congress, and was countersigned
by Charles Thomson, secretary. The
original die was in use for 50 years. AL
though recut three times-1841, 1883 and
1902-the Great Seal always has been
precisely the same as decreed by the
Continental Congress-