Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-12-23
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS
FACTS AND OPINIONS GATHERED
FROM CONTEMPORARIES.
pEsEoRArIoN OF THE FLAG.

II
At recent meeting of the Illinois so.
ciety of the Sons of the American Revo-
luton Charles Kingsbury Miller de.
llvered an address on this subject, which
ought to have a wide circulation.
Mr.. Miller begins by calling political
parties to account for using the stars and
stripes as floating signboard bearing the
names of candidates, hanging across
streets, pasted on the fronts of liquor sa-
looms and thrust in the harness of horses,
AS all parties do this, no one gains any
advantage from 1t. The net result is that
the flag ceases to have any special signl-
ficance. When two opposing parties or
factions use the flag with the names OF
their candidates on it, they frequently
come into collision with each other, pull
down each others flags, tear them in
pieces, trample them Ia the dirt, or drag
them through the mre. Mr.. Miller cites
several instances of this kind, In one of
which, at GAINESVILLE, Wis, the flag was
actually rotten-egged. Probably nobody,
not even those who threw the eggs, con-
sidered that the national emblem was de-
spitefully used in this case. They were
thinking only of the opposing candidates.
The flag had become so common that it
was, in their eyes, like any common rag.
If they had been arrested and fined for
their act they would not have understood
what they were punished for. In an
other case, in Missouri, the flag, which
bore the nominations of a political party,
was thrown upon a bonfire and con-
sumed, amid the plaudts of the on
lockers. At the headquarters of a
political committee in Chicago, a number
of American flags having the portraits
of candidates printed upon them were
spread over the floor Visitors of an
opposing political party entered the
room, wiped their muddy boots and ex-
perforated tobacco juice upon these
flags. Of course, these acts do not hurt
the flag, but they tend to breed contempt
for it, and they offend the sense of all
people whose love of country is associat-
ed with love of order and neatness.
The use of the flag for advertising pur-
poses is even more offensive than its use
for political purposes. The ways in
which it is so used are endless. The
stars and stripes are printed on towels,
necktes, hosiery, awnings, posters, and
cakes of soap Somebody conceived the
idea of printing it on letter envelopes.
An odd result happened in foreign
country in consequence. One of these
envelopes mailed from a city in the
state of Massachusetts,, arrived at a
point in Sweden, addressed to an
American student at manual training
school. 1t was deemed by the local
authorities. because of the print of the
American flag upon it, to be a COM
munication from the United States
government. Immediately special
train was made up and carried that
letter to its destination. forty miles
distant. A very common use of the
flag now Is as an advertisement of
whiskey. 1t finds employment in the
coats of negro mnstrels, in the skirts of
ballet-dancers. in the trunks of prize
fighters, in the caps of circus-clOwns, in
fancy dog blankets, and in the covers of
foot-stools. There is nothing too COM
mon or unclean for its use or abuse.
To correct all this, the American
Flag Association has been organized in
New York, with Col. Ralph +. Prime of
Yonkers as president; Gen. o. o.
Howard, vice-president; and Gen. Thomas
Wilson of New York as secretary. 1t is
a union of the flag committees of the
various patriotic orders in the United
States, and will work to secure legisa-
ton for protection of the flag in the
various states Vermont has already
acted in the matter. By the act passed
by our legislature at its recent session,
a penalty of not less than ten and not
more than one hundred dollars is at
tached to the use of the national flag or
any representation thereof for advertis-
ing purposes. The act takes effect
April l, disadvantage Free Press.