Evening star., 1925-06-14
Respect for the Flag and the Law

This is Flag day, the anniversary
blem. 1t is a day dedicated to observ-
ances of respect for the symbol of the
American Republic. 1t should be
day dedicated to resolution by the
people Of the country to observe. and
respect as well, the laws of the land
Of which the flag itself is token.
Flag day should be marked by a
renewed determination by all good
citizens to practice the principles of
democracy, chief of which is the sane
tity of the laws enacted by chosen
representatives of the people. This
Government is founded upon the rule
of the majority, with regard for the
rights of the minority. The majority
makes the laws through Congress.
The ma ajority and the minority alike
must obey them or social chaos re-
suits.
Claimants for the protection of the
flag, for the security guaranteed by
the Constitution, have no right to ex-
pect that protection and that security
II they do not scrupulously observe
and obey the statutes. Yet today
there are many Americans who. ella m
orous always for the preservation of
the national honor. elect to break the
statutes with impunity and expect i'm
munity in their lawbreaking
The flag means law and order. 1t
means the safety of the home, the
security of the state. 1t means or
derly processes of administration and
constitutional methods of lawmaking
and law enforcement. 1t does not
mean personal liberty to pick and
choose among the laws, to the end of
creating every person his own Judge.
No matter how harsh may seem to
be q particular law, or how seriously
It causes Inconvenience, or how griev-
Gus the privation it may entail, It
commands respect and obedience until
II IS repealed or amended. Repeal and
amendment are not properly to be ef
fected through irregular methods, by
violations. individual or general.
Those who established the Republic
based their action of revolt from the
unjust rule of England upon the prin-
oiple Of the consent of the governed"
They adopted an emblem that sfgnifled
tho principle of union. They wrote a
Constitution which recognized that
only through the action OF regularly
constituted authorities, under regu-
larly enacted laws. could the Republic
survive and develop and justify itself
as an expression and a guarantee of
human liberty.
Society is engaged in a constant
struggle against the lawless, the Grim
anals, the violators of the esta blished
rules Of conduct There is no differ
ence between those who break the
laws which safeguard property or life
and those who ignore and break the
laws which represent the wish to es-
tablish righteous standards of living
entertained by the majority.
The man who takes his hat of to
the nag when It passes in review is
nerely perfunctory in his demonstra.
ton OF respect II he is engaged In
any ATTRACTION of any law which has
been. written under its folds He is
not 6nnest to himself or to his coun-
try. He lacks in the essential of cit
azenShip, subordination OF himself to
Ahe-xules of conduct written by those
who have been chosen by the ma tor-
1ty OF the people for that purpose
Let Flag day be a day of dedIca-
tion by all citizens to the principle of
observance of those mandates which
have been given form by the estab-
hshed procedure of government
American society will be safer and
sounder. happier and more prosper
ours through such a manifestation of
Encere regard for the emblem which
In today the object of Nationwide re-
speof.