Civil War Buffs Debate Rebel Flag

THOfNTON FRACTIONAL SOUTH
NEWS ARTICLES
STAR
Sept 26, 1993 Sunday
panphlet
Star photo by Dm Dorwtt
TF South Hign Swiiuoi decision to ctop the use of the Confederate flag as a symbol of the school's athletic teams.
In a Lansing neighborhood, many homeowners fly both the
Confederate flag and the American flag calling attention to the
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By Lindsay Gladstone
What exactly does the Confederate ba*le flag> w i t h i t s
star-studded red cross on a field of blue, rP' e . s e n t The rebel flag has come under fire aga1- \°^ time the battle is with words rather than Civil W*j bullets, but it may
prove just as deadly for the rebel syr-™Recently, conflict over the meai)^ ° f ™ flag.and, ^ u s «
in modern society developed at ^°™ton Fractional South
High School in Lansing where it «*& a s a s y m b o 1 o f t h e T F S
* It also is the subject of d ^ a t e i n ^yeral southern states,
like Alabama and Mississir.1' w h e r e * 1S flown o v e r g ° v e r n ment and educational fac'- 1 ^' _ ..
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TF South has been p i e t 0 ^ u e l 1 t h e conflict temporarily.
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The flag still hangs in the high school, but will be replaced by
a new symbol sometime this winter. The student body has
been charged with designing and selecting a new symbol for
the school's athletic teams, the Rebels.
That is appropriate, say members of the South Suburban
Civil War Round Table who voted overwhelmingly against
flying the Confederate battle flag over publicly funded institutions such as schools and government buildings at a recent
meeting.
However, the meeting, at the Lutheran Church of the Holy
Trinity in Matteson, evoked a wide range of responses from
members.
Round Table President David Corbett of Mokena intro• See FLAG, Page A-4
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duced * e topic, "The Confederate Flag in Contemporary Society — Heritage or Hate," saying that the definition of a flag
"as a symbol that stands for a creed . . . is a visible sign of
something invisible."
Corbett then reviewed the history of the Confederate flag
from its use during Civil War battles to the current controversy over its use in schools, government buildings and for
private decoration.
He noted that it had been used as a symbol of the Ku Klux
Klan since 1912.
Frank Montesonti of Hazel Crest believes that the controversy over the flag consists of "accusations without truth."
With the causes of the Civil War still a matter of discussion, according to Montesonti, "(the flag) represents people
who were just as devoted to their cause as the North was.
"The guys who were killed in the War had feelings. Let's
have some compassion for the dead."
Larry Gibbs of Country Club Hills countered, "I can admire the fighting valor of the Confederates, but not admire
what they were fighting for."
"I am offended by any tax-supported institution having a
rebel flag as its symbol," said Gibbs. "If people are not ofi c i . ^ - a ; a « ahould be. They should read about what it
means.
According to Gibbs, "The Confederate flag represents racism and slavery. It goes back to th cause of the Civil War and
I think the cause was slavery."
Gibbs does not want to see the abolition of the rebel flag,
however. "It can be flown personally in your front yard or on
a sticker on your car, but the Confedrate flag has no place in
the framework of a tax-supported institution."
Owen McAteer of Park Forest also acknowledged the bravery of the soldiers who fought under the Confederate flag.
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"They were better fighters than the North.
"But part of the flag stood for the inherently evil institu
tion called slavery," he added.
"It stands for an evil system and we are well rid of the flag."
McAteer likened the Confederate flag to the Nazi swastika
"We would not support waving a swastika. We would not pay
taxes to see it fly over a school. It would be offensive."
In rebutting these conclusions, Montesonti said, "The vast
majority of (Rebel) soldiers were just fighting Blue Bellies
They were not slave owners.
"These guys were Americans, too. The battle flag is a me
morial to the valor of the Confederate soldier."
Corbett agreed with Montesonti.
"The flag does not represent the propagation of slavery; it
represents the valor of the Confederate soldier."
Corbett pointed out that if the Confederate flag represented slavery, then so did the United States flag.
Prior to the Civil War, "Under the Stars and Stripes most
slaves were bought and sold and families split up," he observed.
John Home of Oak Forest and author of two books on the
Civil War raised another aspect of the flag controversy.
"I am not concerned about the racist overtones. I am concerned about its treasonous overtones. It is a flag of treason
representing a wicked treasonous cause."
Acknowledging that honoring those who fought in the Civil
War is important to their ancestors, Home suggested a compromise.
"Because the states rights issue was so integral (to the Civil
War), fly the state flags to honor them, because in battle thev
carried their state's nag.
"We need to get rid of as much animosity as we can between people. If the battle flag alienates, then do not fly it," he
said.
Corbett acknowledged, "It is difficult talking about this issue without offending people."
In discontinuing the use of the rebel flag, however, Corbett
fears, "maybe our heritage is slipping through our fingers."
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