The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-03-21
A FLAG DISHONORED.
A CHAPTER OF HISTORY CHRONIClED
IN TWO NEWSPAPER HEADINGS.

A CHAPTER OF HISTORY CHRONICLED
IN TWO NEWSPAPER HEADINGS.
Society, Which Has Betrayed the Princi.
pies ''Old Glory Stands For, Displays a
Buncombe In New Jersey.
Especial Correspondence
Side by side in New York paper of
Feb. 21, 1894, appear the following
headings:
Mustn't insult the flag. A Jersey
man may hit an anarchist who does so
on the nose. That seems to be practi-
cally the outcome of the trial of oseph
Schultz, whose blow led to the death
of Frank Kreiger.
"Greenhalge checked the mob. Bos-
toms unemployed invade the statehouse
to demand work.
Do these significant headings bear
any relation to each other? The first is
followed by an account of the killing Of
one Frank Kreiger because he called the
American flag "a rag'-with an I'M
pleasant adjective attached. The killer
is reported as saying: II couldn' t stand
that, and slapped him on the nose. He
tumbled over. and 1 left him In dis
gust" Kreiger was taken home and
died of a fractured skull some days lat
er. 1.-The jury stood I for conviction of
plain assault and battery and one for
conviction of manslaughter. Schultz is
out on insignificant bail, and very prob
ably he will never have to go to court
again.
So far as l am aware, there is no stat
ute against insulting the flag, but if
anybody who takes notion has right
to kill us for that offense there should
be an enactment to that effect in order
that we may worship the flag according
to law, or failing in that be killed &C
cording to law. We have heard so much
about LAW abiding citizens" that it
hurts our feelings not to have things
done lawfully. Making and executing
laws individually are supposed to be
characteristic of anarchy. If SO, is not
the man who killed Kreiger very dan
gerous sort of anarchist? Yet we are
told under heading No. 1 that people
in Jersey hate anarchists" Why, then,
is this brutal bully left at large?
If the American flag must depend on
such defenders, it is in bad way. A
drunken fist, policeman's club or a
gatling gun may silence contemptuous
remarks about Old Glory, but they can
not command for it the respect and de-
votion Of brave, true hearts. Without
these it is simply a worthless rag.
One such scene as is depicted under
heading No. 2 harms the flag more than
all that every anarchist in the whole
world can say against it. Think of It'll!
"Boston's unemployed invade the state
house to demand work." Do you not
see old Rome over again? For Boston's
would be workers are no worse off than
those of the other cities over which
waves the grand old flag. Do you think
it can long survive such conditions?
about 5000 of the hungry unem-
ployed of this city (Boston) gathered on
the common this afternoon (Feb. 20,
1894 to listen to addresses After hear
ing the speeches the crowd marched to
the statehouse.' The governor told
them they were at liberty to come there
in peaceable way for the redress of
any grievance, but mo seditious or an
archistic utterances would be toler-
ated.' Have I mistaken the date? Is it
1776 instead of 1894? This has sound
like what was heard before the Revolu-
ton of that time.
wonder how long the governor would
feel "peaceable" if he and his family
were hungry, with no hope of anything
to eat. What would Horace Greeley
say to the present state Of affairs? Forty
years ago he called the flag "a faunt-
ing lie'' and advised hauling it down,
but today his statue looks mildly down
on Printing House square, and nobody
slaps him on the nose.
When any flag comes to represent
chronic poverty, hunger and cold for
large masses OF people, woe be to it,!
"And yet, o my country, these things
are done under the shadow of thy laws!"
"Not surer is the eternal law by which
the milestone sinks in the ocean than
that stronger law by which injustice
and cruelty shall bring on nations the
wrath of Almighty Cod These are
some of the closing words of "Uncle
Toms Cabin Do they not apply in
these days of poverty slavery as we'll as
in the days of chattel slavery?
I do not wish to be understood as
blaming Governor Greenhalge. 1 used
the Boston incident simply because it
stood next to the account of the killing
of man for insulting the flag. Massa-
chusetts as we'll as the other states II
crippled in its resources. They, the
states, gave away to congress their right
to "coin money and fix the value there
Of" Until congress does this in the in
terests of the many instead of the few
bankers and ondholders-many will
go hungry and many will feel, if they
do not speak it, contempt for the flag.
CELIA B. WHITEHEAD.
Westfeld, N. j.