Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-09

Quoting from the Congressional
Record-Senator Heflin of Alabama
speaking: IT am going to tell you now,
Senators, that many of you on the
other side, against flying the United
States flag above the Roman cross. are
going to face that issue with the people
of your States. 1t is right and proper
that you should"
The above. referred to the measure
proposed by the Senator from Alabama
as follows:
Section 6. That hereafter it shall
be unlawful to fly any flag or pennant
on the same staff or hoist, above the
flag of the. United States of America or
colors representing the same, on any
battleship, cruiser or other vessel in the
naval service of the United States"
X r \
II this were law, it would operate to
bar the flagship Of any fleet from dis
playing the admiral's flag above the
flag of the United States, and prevent
the displaying Of signal flags, as at
present is the custom. When a vessel
Is in port, the Stars and Stripes fly from
a staff at the stern; when at sea, 1t
flies from a yardarm about half way to
the top of the mast. while, in both
cases, signal flags fly from halyards
above the American flag, as does also
the flag of the commander of the fleet.
From the early days of the Republic,
the church pennant has always been
flown above "Old Glory" but it is
shown only during actual church serv-
ices on board-lasting about half an
hour. each Sunday. And it Is the same
whether a Catholic or Methodist
chaplain conducts the services.
The significance of its flying above
the Nations flag was explained By Sem
ator Gerry. in reply to the allegation OF
Senator Heflin that it represented the
said:
"Mr. President, the Navy flies during
divine service, If I am correctly In
formed, what is known as the church
flag. This Is not UNCONVENTIONAL
flag. 1t is flown by the Navy out of
respect for divine service, and out of
Nays tribute. For that reason it has
been the custom from time immemorial
in the American Navy to have that flag
flown over the flag of the United States.
the only flag so flown. It is the
recognition that God is over all"
Investigation at the Navy Department
disclosed that, owing to the burning of
the Capitol during the War of 1912,
there is no official record as to what
was the practice in regard to flying
the church perinant above the Stars
and Stripes prior to that war. but there
are records which show that such was
the custom as far back as history shows
anything about Navy practice.
Consequently, the Roman cross"
flag is myth, for this same church
pennant was SO used many decades be-
fore the Navy had a single Roman
Catholic chaplain. It was in a Demo-
cratic administration, that of Presi-
dent Grover Cleveland that the first
Catholic chaplain was appointed in the
Navy. Hence the Pope and all his fol-
lowers may claim an alibi.
1t is less easy, today. however for the
Society for the Spread of Atheism, so
actively operating in all parts of the
Nation, to prove an equally strong alibi
to Senator Helms proposal to lower
the church pennant. The doughty Sem
ator denies that the Ku Klux Khan has
had anything to do with the idea-he
thought 1t out all by himself, he says.
X \ y
So President Grover Cleveland intro
duced the nucleus of the present dis
tress of his supporter, Senator Hefiin,
by admitting Catholic chaplains into
the Navy. But to show that this is not
question of partisan "bigotry," it must
be recalled that when the ancestors of
the Society for the Spread Of Atheism
took of our coins the inscription I'm
God We trust" President Roosevelt
ordered 1t restored instanter, for we
Americans are not ashamed of the faith
OF our fathers.
No President, commander in-chief of
our Navy, ever moved to lower the
church pennant, processing thereby su-
perior patriotic love of Your nag and
my flag"
As for the alleged Roman cross" It
Is noted that Wabster's New Interna-
tional Dictionary shows 20 forms of
crosses and No. Is of the familiar form
and is described in the dictionary as
"A gibbetlike structure typically con-
siSting Of an upright, supporting a hor-
izontal beam, anciently used in the ex-
ecution of malefactors, specifically the
structure of this kind on which Jesus
Christ was crlicified."
It Is identical as recognized and used