The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1919-01-18
LABOR TO FIGHT
RED FLAG" BILL
nimoCks Measure Not on the
Square; Too Drastic Erick-
son Has Better Bill.

Lord deliver us from our fool
friends. Representative Frank f.
MIN ocks of Minneapolis has intro
duced bill in. the legislature osten-
sibiy to prohibit the display of the
lied Flag in Minnesota, and in his
zeal to hit everything that may he
distasteful to the existing order he
has made his bill SO sweeping that
If it becomes. law as originally intro
duced trade UNIONS and fraternal so
cieties will be prevented from lis
playing their banners within the state
play of service flags.
Limits Display of Flags.
The first section of the proposed
law makes it unlawful for "any per-
son to display within the state any
flag, ensign, banner Or standerd, ex.
cept a flag of the, United Suites, a
standard, color or ensign If the Unit
ed States or of the state Of Mime
sofa, or of some state of the United
States, NOR the flag of q friendly for
eign nation, or Of a dependency Of a
friendly foreign nation. flag. pen
nant or banner Of the American Red
o4oSo, VI VI any SCl1OOl, lilly
university, college, seminary 1T learn
ing, college fraternity, church or re-
ligious organization"
Hits Fraternal Societies. =
Careful reading of this section re
veals the viciousness> of the measure.
Even Scottish Rite Masons would be
denied the privilege of displaying their
flag or banner at Easter time. No
fraternal or labor organization is ex-
empt. The bill is far-reaching, dras-
tic and out OF keeping with the spirit
Of our institutions.
The Nimocks bill contains other bad
features, one of which reads: 1.-The
possession, or having Of the same in
possession or custody, Of any such
flag, or facsimile thereof, as above
prohibited by any person, shall be
| deemed prima facie evidence of an
| intent on the part Of the person sc
having the same in possession, Gus.
! tody or control to display the same
within the state"
! This would require most Of us tc
| dispose of our dictionaries containing
:facsimiles of flags"
Union Labor Alert.
Those union labor men in Mime.
sofa who hold American ideals an6
who have no sympathy for the "Rec
Flag" or for the thing it symbolizes
will not and cannot support the Nj
mocks bill. Senator Emil Erickson
of Duluth, a member of a labor or.
| ganization, at once recognized thu
subtle purpose of the Nimocks meas
ure, and set to work to draft bill
more nearly in keeping with the right
idea of the thing. His bill, which
was introduced early this week, DIES.
ignates the red flag as a warming sigr
of danger to life and property, ant
I any other use thereof shall be un.
lawful.
The two important provisions in thu
Erickson bill read as follows:
Defines Use of Red Flag.
| Section I. For the purposes o.
safety to life and property and as {
danger warning to persons, a red flag
red banner or other red emblem OF
sign, is hereby designated as warn
ing sign of danger and any other us.
thereof shall be unlawful.
Section 2. It shall be unlawful fol
any person to display red flag, rec
banner or other red emblem or sign
except as a danger warning to per
sons for purposes of safety to life ant
property, and under no circumstance!
shall it be lawful to display rec
{ flag, red banner or red ensign in IAN,
street parade, public gathering, build
ing, from any flag staff NOR in an!
place within the state of Minnesota
except as provided in this act"