The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1893-10-07
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2. 1893.
THE GREEN FLAG INSULTED.


THE GREEN FLAG 1NSULTED.
Much excitement was created in the
White City on Irish day by the hauling
down of the Irish flag from the electro
city building by order of Col F. D. Millet,
chief of the color department. That med
dlesome functionary, ID essed in bis little
brief authority offered wanton insult
to the Irish-American people who were
present in thousands to celebrate Ire
lands day in quiet and orderly manner.
Though explicitly told by Director Cen
eral Davis that the Irish ensign of green
and gold WAS to wave in the breeze
among the flags of all nations on Sept.
80, this Connecticut Yankee hauled it
down lest it may be displeasing to Eng
land to have it float in compliment to the
Irish race on this continent. He said Ire
land had no flag which was recognized
among self-governed nations and that
he had refused to hoist the flags of Po-
land, Hungary and Norway for the same
reason. OF course he was mistaken
about the recognition of the Irish flag.
It is even recognized by England itself,
rs he would have known had he ever at
tended review of the British troops
and seen the Irish flag at the head of the
Irish regiments in the British army.
Norway, Hungary and Poland had al
ready been insu1ted by this martinez
and why not Ireland? But the green
flag waved from the topmost gable OF
electricity building in spite of him.
Prof. Barrett, chief of the electricity de.
partment, had obtained permission from
Director General Davis to run up the
green flag on his building on Irish day
and had made one especially for the oc-
casion. When Milllet's eyes rested on
the Irish flag waving magniticent]y from
on high it had the same effect on him as
a red rag would on Durham bull and
he instantly issued orders to pull it
down. Down it came and up it went
again, and then the halyards we're cut
so that it could not be raised. Chief
Barrett called meeting Of the directors
and instructions were promptly issued
to hoist the flag to the whistling winds
in honor of the day. When the parad-
ing Irish hosts came along from the
Midway Plaisance the flag was soaring
triumphantly above all other flags on the
building except the Stars and Stripes.
Millet was discounted and protested
that he did not act with any Partially in
the matter. He had only adhered to the
rigid rule made at the start-that no flag
of dependent nation could float with
the flags of free nations from the Worlds
Fair buildings. 1t may be asked why
Millet was permitted to make any dis
elimination against the flags OF Ireland,
Norway, Hungary and Poland. Did the
other nations object to them? There ie
no evidence that they did. The British
commissioner is said to have expressed
his pleasure at seeing the Irish flag raised
ON that day, and in compliment to the
Irish he caused the imperial flag of
Britain to be tloated. Millet must be an
The Chicago Herald in
Inmates as much and says "there beats
no heart more loyal to the banner upon
which the sun never sets than the heart
of our amiable friend, Squire Millet."
The great Chicago paper gently chides
the man from the Nutmeg State" and
says he needed only the opportunity to
that no blame attaches to
him because Of the accident of his birth.
but that he is as staunch Britisher as
any born in smelling distance of the
London asphalt. It reminds Mr.. Millet
that "it is Great Britain and Ireland, not
Great Britain only; that Sweden and
Norway have distinct flags; that Poland
has hers, aud that it is as we'll t, try to
exclude the national music of peoples, to
silence their poets and strangle their
orators as to deprive them Of the flags
that preserve traditions reaching back
into the roots OF time" IL
8 MI. Millet is said to be good artist,
but he Is not patriotic American.
Were he old enough to have shouldered
4 ,;muuelset ia the warsof the rebellion hel
- -