Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-30
A FLAG NOW FLOATS
Over Mucklerat Schoolhouse, Despite
Threatened Objections.
MECHANICS MARCH THROUGH MUD,
And Fly the Stars and Stripes, Undeterred
by Hostile Avowals.
A PEACEABLE OCCASION, AFTER ALL

The American flag over which such SEN
sation was raised was presented to the di-
rectors of the public school at Mucklerat
yesterday afternoon. The presentation was
made BY 80 members of Allegheny Valley
Council of the Senior Order of American
Mechanics, of Swissvale. The council
turned out in full force and was accom-
panied by $50 members of both the Junior
and Seulor orders from Brad6ock, Wilkins
burg, East End and the city proper.
The patriotic Americans walked all the
way from Swissvale station to Mucklerat, in
Sterrett township, distance of about three
miles, through the mud, and arrived there
about 8 o'clock. They were unarmed ex-
cept with the determination that the flag,
which had already been accepted by the
board of the Mucklerat school, should be
hoisted and be allowed to float in the
breezes. They had accepted the advice OF
cooler heads in the order, and went out SIM
ply to present the flag in a quiet, orderly
manner, and not to raise or participate in
quarrel with anyone who might offer resist
ance
NO DISTURBANCE RAISED.
Happily nothing happened to create
disturbance. A large number Of the
Mucklerat residents turned out to watch
the proceedings, but, outside of few radi-
cal remarks which might be expected from
people with extremely opposite views, the
spectators had little to say.
1t was reported in the city yesterday that
the original difficulty had arisen over the
TACT that the school sessions were held in a
parochial school building. This was not
possible, as there is no parochial
ohoo -
of Allegheny Valley Council went to
and informed the School board OF
their intentions. The board very graciously
accepted the offer Of the flag and agreed that
it should be raised. The objectors were con-
fined to a few hot-headed people who made
the assertion that it should not go up. This
was the original inception of the trouble,
the reports of which grew to very large pro-
portions among both the mechanics and the
Mucklerat citizens.
Whether the flag will be allowed to re-
main on the schoolhouse or not remains to
be seen. The Mechanics have put it up and
if any harm comes to it from whatever un-
lawful source, the law will be invoked in an
orderly manner.
THE FORCES CAUTIONED.
State Vice Councillor Stephen Collins
went to Swissvale and met the party just as
it was about to start toward Mucklerat with
the handsome flag, Sx12, with the stars
brought up to date as regards number. He
requested the Junior Order men in the
crowd to be careful of their actions, and the
the Senior Order men, who were largely in
the majority, volunteered to see that there
was no recourse to violence unless the
provocation was very great. The muddy
road lying between Mucklerat and Swiss
vale did not at all daunt the patriotism of
the crowd, and the trip was made without
incident.
Letters have been received by THE DIS
PATCH claiming that the same roof shell
tered the parochial and public schools. In
vestigation shows that the Wilkins Iown-
ship public school building is the spot
where the original trouble occurred.