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Show " IF fep , ? jvtf- - '-.i t. hi'klii-riSfii; ,VvRiV?, r 7 By ELMO SCOTT WATSON f S 1KNK of the American flag, Tas nil of us do on June 14. which Is Flag day, and we naturally think of the natlon-i natlon-i al emblem with Its thirteen alternate red and white stripes I and Us 48 white stars on a Held of blue. But this flag, which is variously and affectionately known as "Old Glory," "the Stars and Stripes" f and "the Star Spangled Banner," Is not the only banner which calls for the respect and loyally of all Americans. Amer-icans. For there are "some other American flags" which have their place In our national tradition, even though they are not so well known as "the lied. White and Blue." First of all, there is the President's flag, the personal banner of the Chief Executive of the nation. Some day, If you see flying from a short stnff 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 center, with four white stars In each 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 Bee a flag of the same design, with perhaps a slight difference as to the fringe, floating over a house or snapping In the breeze from the bow of a ship, It will bring the same message 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 personal per-sonal flag. If the secretary of war Is making an official visit, there is displayed dis-played a red flag, bearing the United Stntes coat of arms (with some minor differences from that shown on the President's flag) and four white stars In the corners. If it's the secretary of the navy, It's a blue flag with a 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 a ring of thirteen white stars. In front of the Intersection Intersec-tion of the anchors Is a shield bearing bear-ing in the top half a pair of scales (of the balance type) and In the lower hnlf a key. The symbolism of these Is, of course, clear. The secretary of the treasury holds the key to the nation's na-tion's strongbox and from the earliest days the balance scales were used In weighing precious metals. The secretary secre-tary of commerce also has a blue flag with the four white stars but In the center is a white shield, at the top of which sails a three-masted vessel and below a lighthouse casts Its beams abroad. The Presidential flag has had an Interesting history. Insofar as the question of a proper design for It has resulted In a series of heated controversies con-troversies over several points of heraldry her-aldry Involved. Its history has been one long record of changes and restorations restor-ations until finally in 1910, under President 'Woodrow Wilson, there evolved the President's flag as It Is today. Before that time each president 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 tlme. A distinctive flag for the President had Its origin in the navy. On April IS, 1S65, Gideon Wells, secretary of the navy, issued a set of naval regulations, regu-lations, prescribing that on the occasion oc-casion of the visit of the President on board a man-of-war, the American ensign should be displayed at the main. This was the first official order to designate a flag denoting the presence pre-sence of the President aboard a national na-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 President's flag when on board a national vessel. Although this was the first distinctive flag for the President, It was an unfortunate un-fortunate choice. In the navy the Union Jack at the foremast is a signal for pilot. Thus in the case of a 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 confusing; con-fusing; and since, at that time, a Jack t the rigging was a signal of distress, PATRIOTIC NEGLIGEESI The photograph ihows, left to right, Elizabeth Eliza-beth Vivial with the secretary of war's flag; Helen Appello with the Ccolldge flag; Mary Devenny with Old Glory; Helen Basqui with the Taft flag; and Anna Corcoran with the Roosevelt flag. These Presidential and army flags are all manufactured at the quartermaster's depot in Philadelphia. Its use for the President was hardly one complimentary to the highest officer offi-cer In the land. In 1S00, however, the national ensign en-sign was again designated as the President's flag and It remained thus until 1SS2, when William E. Chandler, secretary of the navy, issued an order, which was approved by President Chester Alan Arthur, that "the flag of the President of the United States shall consist of a blue ground with the arms of the United States in the center." It was not until 16 years later, however, that the army followed the lead of the navy by adopting a distinctive flag for Its commander In chief, and when It did Its action marked the beginning of a series of controversies which were to last for nearly two decades. Under a general order, Issued March 28, 1898, from the adjutant general's office by direction of the secretary of war, the President's Presi-dent's flag for the army was designated desig-nated as a flag of scarlet buntkig with white stars In each of the four corners cor-ners and In the middle of the field a large blue star, outlined in white and bearing in the center the United States coat of arms. Around this central cen-tral star were other white stars representing rep-resenting the states of the Union. During the Spanish-American war the army Presidential flag was hung upon the wall of the cabinet room in the White House, symbolizing the position po-sition of President McKinley as commander com-mander In chief of the army and was the first war flag of Its kind that had thus ever been used. But for some unknown reason the navy Presidential flag, which would symbolize his position posi-tion as commander in chief of the navy, was not thus displayed. The army Presidential flng was first exhibited ex-hibited publicly at the peace Jubilee celebration In Chicago in 1S99 and again at a similar celebration In Philadelphia. Phila-delphia. Later both the army and the navy flags were twice hung in the main hallway of the White House during army and navy receptions but the army flag was never hoisted until March 4, 1901, when it flew over the Presidential reviewing stand at the second .'nauguratlon of McKinley. The first controversy over the Presidential Pres-idential flag came up in 1899. The War department order of 1898 had definitely directed that the official coat of arms on the central star should be "as determined by the State department" and the arms referred to are those shown on the great seal of the United States, which is in the custody of the Department of State. The shield thereon had always displayed dis-played seven red and six white bars, alternately red and white, which was strictly In accordance with the act of congress of June 20, 1782, establishing establish-ing the great seal. In 1S99 when the equipment officers at New York and Mare Island, where flags for the navy are made, were furnished their flag books for the year, they called attention atten-tion to the fact that the shield on the President's flag erroneously displayed seven white and six red stripes, instead in-stead of the reverse. It was discovered discov-ered that the design had been copied from a publication of the State department, depart-ment, entitled "The Seal of the United States." The matter was taken up unofficially unofficial-ly with the State department and ended with an admission from officials of that department that "there was no logical reason for the reversal of the colors which was presumed to be the result of an arbitrary heraldic license." In 1902 the acting secretary of the navy issued a memorandum that "the State department certifies that the shield has seven white and six red bars, alternating white and red, and It is ordered that such shall be the seal on the President's flag." Meanwhile the army continued to make its flag with the seveu red and six white stripes on the shield. In November, 1902, It was decided that something should be done to reconcile recon-cile the differences in the design o the shield. A committee from the Wat department and the Navy department called on President Roosevelt and suggested that since other nations had but one flag for its chief, it was not consistent for our President to have two. So It was decided to adopt a new flag, closely patterned after the ( older navy flag, but with several ' modifications. A short time later orders were issued by the secretaries of the two departments that the colors on the shield, as certified by the State department (seven white and six red bars) be followed and on November 21, 1902, it was officially announced that the controversy between the two departments over the design of the President's flag was at an end. Tha only other change was to make the eagle white, heavily stitched in black. Despite the agreement, however, the flags used by the two branches of the service were not yet the same. True, both used the same device as to tha eagle and the shield, but the navy clung to its blue field and the army to Its red field. It wus not until the next administration that decided steps towards uniformity were taken. On June 24, 1912 and again on October 29, 1912, President Taft issued executive execu-tive orders that "the color of the field of the President's flag shall be blue," but the army did not immediately conform con-form and a difficult situation arose at the inaugural ceremonies of President Wilson in March, 1913. The reviewing review-ing box in front of the White House was decorated with two President's flags, provided by the War department and the Navy department. The Navy department's was blue, but the War department's was red ! This revived the old controversy and when again in 1915 there was a double display of colors the matter assumed a serious aspect. It was pointed out to President Wilson that an agreement, should be made and a standard flag adopted for both branches of the service. The President called in Lieutenant-Commander Byron By-ron McCandless, aide to the secretary of the navy, and requested him to prepare pre-pare a design for the Presidential standard. The new flag was to consist of a blue field with four white stars in the corners, since the flags of an admiral and of a general bear four stars as a sign of command, and the President Is the highest ranking admiral and general. Instead of an exact reproduction of the great seal, President Wilson expressed a desire to have his personal seal, a modification modifica-tion of the great seal used on the President's stationery in the White House, on the flag. This seal differs from the great seal In that the eagle's head is turned to the sinister (Its left) and the stars above the eagle are differently arranged. The new design was prepared by the bureau of construction and repair under the direction of Commander McCandless and was approved by the President in an executive order dated May 29, 1916. So at last the controversy con-troversy was ended and a President's flag, uniform for both branches of the service, came into being. But though the army-navy controversy contro-versy over the President's flag was thus ended, there are those who are not yet satisfied with the President's flag. They point out the fact that the seven white and six red bars on the shield, even though It does have the Indorsement of the State department, Is not In conformity with the arrangement arrange-ment of these colors as prescribed in the act of congress of June 20, 17S2, adopting the great seal of the United States, nor as prescribed by the act of cong.-ess of April 4, ISIS, prescribing prescrib-ing alternating red and white stripes in establishing the American flag. But more serious that this, according accord-ing to heraldry experts, is the fact that on the President's flag the eagle's head is turned towards the sinister, that is, away from the flag pole. It Is one of the ancient rules of heraldry, they say, that no bird or animal ever look away from the staff, for if such a flag is carried into battle, the head thus turned would make It look as though the bird were retreating from the enemy. On all other flags on which the eagle appears, its head always al-ways faces the staff, regardless of whlcli side of the Aug one looks at. |