Show I The Battle Flair WASHINGTON June 17Tho following letter let-ter has been sent to tho Secretary of War by the President in regard to the disposition of the flags captured by the Union forces during dur-ing the late war I have today considered with more care than when the order was orally presented tome to-me tho notion of your department directing letters to be addressed to the Governors of all the States offering to return if desired to the loyal States the Union flags captured during the war of the rebellion bv the Confederate Con-federate forces and afterwards recovered bv the Government troops and to the Confederate Con-federate States the flags captured by the Union forces all of which for many years have been packed in boxes and stored in the cellar and attic of the War Department I am of the opinion that tho return of the flogs in tho manner thus contemplated is not authorized by tho existing law nor justified jus-tified as an executive act I request therefore there-fore that no further steps be taken in the matter except to examine and inventory these flags and adopt proper measures for their preservation Any direction as to the full disposition of them should originate with Congress Yours truly GBOVER CLEVELAND The following statement in regard to the Presidents action concerning the proposed return of tho battle flags was made at the I I White House last night to a representative of the Associated Press When the question was proposed to the I President by the AdjutantGeneral the important im-portant feature suggested was the return to which had been i the loyal States of tho flags captured by the Confederates and retaken by our army at the time of the collapse of the rebellion They with such Confederate flags as had been captured from the enemy by our troops had it was represented for along a-long time lain uncared for and neglected They had been packed away in boxes in the 0 cellar of the War Department and had been removed to the attics as a better place of safe keeping The disposition of the flags which seemed to bo answering no good par pose where they were was tho main point and it was represented to the President that some flags had been returned to the loyal i States upon their request in individual cases and the rest if desired might as well I all be returned together The return of the Confederate flags was suggested but there Was not the slightest thought of interfering I I in any way with the captured flags now held j I by any State The act was apparently t i received with favor by the country for I lately in one or more cases the Northern i troops visiting antagonists at tho South had returned to them the flags which had been captured in battle from those whose hospitality hospi-tality they were receiving Thesfc was the further fact that the northern troops who within a short time had been visiting the Southern battlefields had spoken in the warmest terms of tho kind and hospitable treatment they had received from the Confederate Con-federate soldiers And the fact too that the soldiers from the North and South were just gathering at Washington to meet in friendly competition at the National drill seemed to indicate that if the Union flags were returned to the loyal States which had lost them in battle it would not be inconsistent incon-sistent with the fraternal feeling which seemed to be prevalent to offer at the same time to The Governors of States formerly in rebellion a return of tho flags which had been taken from their soldiers The right of the Department to make these returns being questioned by the President such right was distinctly asserted and precedents alleged and thereupon his oral assent was given to the proposed action The matter was dismissed from his mind until the comment com-ment thereon within tho last day or two brought it again to his attentionwhen upon carefully examining the law and considering the subject more oarefully he satisfied himself him-self that no disposition of these flags could be made withont Congressional action whereupon he directed the suspension of the operations by letter made public last even ing |