Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1918-06-14
Old Glory!
BY ELLIS PARKER BUTLER
OF the VlqlIantes.


shot down In the act.
A flag is a symbol, a sign, as the
cross Is a symbol and as the triangle
is a symbol. The mere silk or hunt
ing of the flag are nothing. A burial
squad tramps through the woods bear
ing the body of a dead comrade, and
digs his grave and covers him over in
his last bed. On the ground lie two
bits Of wood. They are nothing but
bits Of wood, to be burned, or to be
left to decay. The dead mans rom
rades pick them mp and bind one across
the other and plant the cross thus
made at the head of the grave. Now
The bits Of wood have become a sacred
sign and whoever destroys that cross,
or defles it, or throws 1t down is in
deed a dog. The bunting and the silk
Of Our flag are nothing not until they
are assembled in the stars and stripes
of our flag and thrown to the breeze
as the smbol of loyalty and patriotism
do they demand our reverence.
We honor the flag because of what
# stands for. Those who dishonor our
flag dishonor all 1t stands for. In days
like these, when our nation Is at war,
there might be placed under the dome
of the capitol at Washington a great
book of a thousand pages. On the first
page might be inscribed the Ameri-
cans Creed, prOclaiming a belief in
national honor, national justice and
national honesty and a belief in a free
government for this free American
people. To Washington then might be
called all the people of the nation, to
sign one after another their names In
the great book so that all America and
n the world might know how each
man and woman and child stood, until
all our millions were enrolled. There
is no need of this. The Americans
Greed is written In the stars and
stripes Of our flag. Our flag stands for
all that could be written In the great
book at Washington. It stands for
honor, justice, national honesty, and a
free government, and when the time
of stress comes, as at present, the flag
is at hand. ready to be raised in twenty
million homes, a proclamation of 10y
atty as valid as a signed and sealed
book. Our flag is not a gayly colored
decoration to brighten our towns and
villages; 1t is a creed-an 81 believe
to tell our neighbOrs, our nation and
the whole world how we stand.
In something of the same way the
flag of Great Britain tells its story,
with the st. Georges ros of England,
st. Andrews cross of Scotland, and
st. Patrick's cross of Ireland combined.
The true story of Prusslanism and its
brutal aggressions is told by the Ger
man flags. The German empire, so
much boosted, is shown by its flag to
be but a foOtstoOl on which the king
of Prussia wipes his feet, for in its
center is the black eagle Of Prussia,
crowned, and the black cross of Prus-
sla is smeared all over it. The Ger
man empire is Prussia and nothing but
Prussia a military autOcracy holding
Bavaria, Wurttemberg, SaxOny and all
the other states In pawn, just as the
king-kaiser would like to hold New
York, California and all of America,
and as ne now holds helpless Luxem-
burg and brave Belgium. The black
N all the German flags is the black
Of Prussia, and black is the color that
was chosen by the pirates and Gu,
Threats.
Everyone knows the story OF our
own flag, with the thirteen stripes that
signify the thirteen original states Of
our Union, and the stars, one for each
state In the union today. Our flag was
made when the wise fathers of our ma
ton decreed that this should be a
union of sovereign states and that no
kingly crow or imperial eagle should
appear on u banners.
This Flag day It will float from the
STATS OF a million American homes
perhaps from ten million or twenty
million, but it's greatest glOry-fhe
greatest glory Of It's 40 years-is that
II will float in the breezes Of France
and Flanders beside the flags of Bel
GUM, France aud Great Britain, and
on the seven seas Of the world, in the
worlds greatest combat against au-
tOcratlc brutality. No longer the flag
OF a group or colonies, Old Glory has
become the banner of a world power,
the emblem Of the mightiest free people
that ever existed.
From generation to generation, since
Old Glory was born, flags have died,
but Old Glory has had new birth. The
white flag of royal France and the
standard Of Napoleon have given a
to the trlcolOr, but Old Glory still
waves. From generation to generation
u flag is born anew, recreated in our
hearts. ever better loved and more
sacred in u eyes. because II is the
dag for which our heroes have died
and because II is the symbol Of the
only government that can endure-a
government of the people, by the
people and for the people. 1t is the
flag OF no king or car or emperor, but
your flag and my flag and the flag OF
the braye how who has gone with n