The Irish standard., 1898-12-31
WILLIAM J. BRYAN ON THE FLAG.

On his return from the army to his
home in Lincoln, Neb, last week, Col.
William j. Bryan was rendered re-
ception by his fellow citizens, and made
brilliant speech, which has been COM
mented on by friends and foes all over
the country He had volunteered his
services to defend the American flag in
the late war, and in reply to Mr.. Nc
Kinleys famous question in his Atlanta
speech, who will haul down the flag?"
the gallant Nebraskan eloquently an
swered: The flag is a national emblem
and is obdient TO the national will. 1t
was made for the people, not the people
for the flag. When the American peo-
pie want the flag raised they raise it;
when they want Il hauled down they haul
it down"
OF course, Mr.. Mckinley thinks that
wherever he orders the flag to be raised
it VIII remain there for good. But the
people have not yet decreed that it shall
remain in the S.,aniS;: colonies never to
be taken down. They will decide that
question in the next presidential cleo
ton. To show. the absurdity of Mr.. Nc
Kinley's question: Col. Bryan continued:
The flag was raised upon Canadian soil
during the war of 1872 and it was hauled
down when peace was restored. The flag
was plantad upon Chapultepec during the
war with Mexico and 1t was hauled down
when the war was over. The morning pa
pcrs announce that Gen. Lee ordered the flag
hauled down in Cuba yesterday because it
was raised too soon. The flag will be raised
In cuba again on the LIST of January. but
the president declares in his message that 1t
will be hauled down as soon stable
government is established. Who will deny
to the people the right to haul the flag
down in the Philippines if they SO desire.
when IL stable government is established
there?
Our flag stands for an indissoluble union
Of ndcstructiblc states. Every state is
represented by II star and every territory
secs in the constitution Il star of hope that
will some day take its place in the constel-
inlion. What is there in the flag to awaken
the zeal reflect the aspirations of vassal
colonies which are too good to be cast away
but not good enough to be admitted to the
SiStcrhOod of states?
Shall we keep the Philippines and amend
our flag. Shall we add star-a blood
star-Mars-to indicate that we have entered
upon Il career OF conquest? Or shall we
borrow the yellow. which In Sa6 the
borrow the yellow, which in 1896 the
mcnt. with its schemes of sOpliation3s Or
shall we adorn our flag with Il milky way.
composed of 1; multitude of minor stars,
representing remote and insignificant de-
Tendencies?
No: n thousand times better to haul down
IN" stars and stripes and substitute the flag
of an independent republic than to surrender
the doctrines that give glory to "Od Glory
1t WAS the llaS of our fathers in the years
that are gone: it is the flag OF Reunited
country today: let it he the flag of our ma
ton In the years that are to come Its
stripes of White proclaim the pure and
Ee:vcn-bnln purpose of IL government which
derived his just powers from the consent Of
the governed. The mission OF that flag is
to float. not overeai coiiglomeration Of COM
monwcaths. hut over tine land of the free
and the home of the brave and to that
mission 1t must remain forever true for
ever true. IT e
The New York World shows that the
American flag has been taken down on
other occasions besides those enumcrat-
ed by Col. Bryan and there was nothing
cowardly or humiliating about it. On
May 10. 1905. it was raised in Tripoli and
hauled down on June 3. On March II,
1912 it tloated In Amelia Island, Fla,
and was hauled down on May 16, 1875
On April 6, 1878, that rcombative and I'M
conqucrable flag-defender. Andrew jack
son. raised it over St. Marks. Fla, only
to haul it down short time afterwards.
1t was raised by Admiral Jouett on the
Isthmus of Panama during the Column
bian rebellion and hauled down again.
But Mr.. Bryan scored strong point
when he reminded his audience that Nc
Kinley declared in his message that
the flag will be hauled down In
Cuba as soon as a stable government is
established there. Col. Bryan might
have added that if the matter of estab-
fishing stable government in the island
were left to Mckinley and his plutocratlc
advisers the Cubans now living would
never see flag of their own in the coun-