Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1902-07-17
The Iowa Flag Law.
BY K. d. HADLFY OF DEs,MoINEs,
Continued from page one.

"or publicly deface or defy" were
omitted and "insult" was substituted
for least contempt upon" in addition
to striking out the words words or"
The bill which had been considered too
drastic had been now reduced to
state of innocuous ambiguity.
The senate passed this substitute the
same day. 1t passed the house on the
last day of the session by the grace of
the sitting committee without debate.
1t had been narrowed in its scope,
first, by emitting one of the most flag
rant offenses against the flag, that of
defacing it, of placing upon it all kinds
of things good and bad, inscriptions,
party cries and party tickets, ibelous
caricatures and the Thousand forms Of
lowering its character and the estima-
ton and reverence in which it ought to
be held by defacing its fair proper
tions; secondly, by restricting the
punishment to acts, since under its
provisions no offence can be predicsted
upon words, and now gibes, ieers and
curses launched against the flag cannot
be punished; thirdly, sweeping away
every specification, definition and safe
guard contained in the original bill
which explained what was meant by
the flag, standard, color or ensign of
the United States" and defined what
other forms of the "stars and stripes"
were to be protected by the bill, thus
restricting the operation of the law to
what is meant by those express and
technical terms; and, fourthly, does
not forbid using the flag for advertis-
ing, the chief Dissertation complained
of, unless advertising would be consid-
cred "defiling" the flag, an unnatural
and strained construction of the word.
No thoughtful person will contend
that the "stsrs and stripes" of multi
farious forms and sizes from two inches
by three inches upward are Standards,
colors or ensigns of the United States"
A standard of the United States" q
color of the United States" an ZEN
sign of the United States" is at once
recognized as an official flag of regula-
ton, size and shape authorized by the
laws of congress and foated by author
ity of the United States and the prop
erty of the United States. Look at
them at the masthead of our war yes
sells, on fagstaffs above our forts, GUS
tom houses, navy yards and at the
heads Of our regiments. The terms
standard, color and ensign are used in
the original bill to designate the same
thing, and the adjunct "of the United
States" is possessive and denotes own
ership. Flag" is here synonymous
with standard, color and ensign, and
the, four terms are merely cumulative
and denote the official ensign Of the
United States as prescribed by con-
gress, and do not denote the other and
various forms and sizes OF the familiar
stars and stripes" the Dissertation Of
which was sought by the flag associa-
ton and its well-wishers to be prevent
ed and punished. If the contrary Of
this proposition is argued, such differ
ences of construction will prove the
ambiguity of the law as it stands, for
one sees one meaning in it, another
sees another.
This failure of the terms flag,
standard, color, ensign of the United
States" to embrace the ordinary stars
and stripes which are the ordinary sub
jects of esecration is recognized and
cured by the carefully drawn original
bill and the attention of one arguing
contrary to these propositions is called
to the second section of the original
bill, which explicitly defines and ap-
plies the words flag, standard, color
and ensign" and if passed would have
done away with any ambiguity as to
the kinds of stars and stripes" meant
by the trainers Of the bill.
II the preceding reasoning is good,
the so-called flag law" of Iowa affords
no means of preventing or Furnishing
the Dissertation OF the ordinary flag OF
our country, an object which was
aimed at by the Flag association, only
the flags hoated by official national
authority, the government flags, stan
dards. colors and ensigns, which need
no protection they do not now have,
are within its scope, and the mutilating,
trampling upon, defacing, defying, de-
filing and insulting of the old stars
and stripes" either by words or acts
can go on with impunity in spite of the
act of 1900, and Iowa, which sent SO, 900
men to fight for the flag in 1861 to 1865
and is in all else without rival among
the states of this great union, has no
proper place in the column with eight
teen other progressive states which have
passed laws that will, If enforced, pre-
vent and punish the Dissertation of the
United States flag within their borders.