THE REAL GEORGIA STATE FLAG IS FLYING AGAIN
Trenton makes old state flag its own city banner
By NORMAN AREY - Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
January 24, 2002
The old Georgia state flag will be flying
again soon in Trenton. By adding a few words to the flag -- and adopting it as
the city banner -- officials in the Dade County city have found a loophole in a
state law meant to require Georgia cities to retire the old flag in favor of the
new one.
Trenton Mayor Paul Rollings said the City Commission voted to
have the words "Trenton, Incorporated 1854" embroidered on the old
flag, which features the Confederate-linked St. Andrew's cross.
The new Georgia flag and the U.S. flag now fly on one
flagpole outside the Trenton Municipal Building. The embroidered banner will be
flown on a second flagpole as soon as it's erected. The banner now is being
displayed on the wall of the meeting room at city hall. "We're not in
defiance of anything," said Rollings about his town, which has a population
of 1,942. "We're just a proud little community."
Trenton is the first city on record to attempt to partially
circumvent the display of the old flag. Two counties, Henry and Banks, debated
on whether to fly the 1956 Georgia flag as county flags, but both allowed the
proposals to die.
If a county or municipality chooses to fly only the old flag,
the state can withhold funds. But the offices of the secretary of state, the
attorney general and the Office of Budget and Planning could find nothing in
state law to prohibit Trenton from flying the old flag as long as it flies the
new one, too.
Daryl Robinson, counsel to the attorney general, said the
northwest Georgia town looks as if it's in compliance with all laws.
"In fact, I can't even find anything in the law that
would give the state the right to even investigate it," he said.
Trenton is also the latest in what is becoming a long list of
towns and counties in Georgia to vote to display the Ten Commandments on city
property.
Trenton, located in the northwestern-most part of Georgia,
joined Ringgold, Habersham County and Brunswick, among others, in plans to post
the Ten Commandments in city hall.
Gerry Weber, the legal director for the ACLU, said Trenton's
action regarding the Ten Commandments defies the law. "We have some
lawsuits right now against places who have done this," he said. "It's
unconstitutional and I think it's probably just politics. Some of these
officials are willing to cost the taxpayers money to pay for a trial. Yet they
took an oath to uphold the Constitution.
"The Ten Commandment question has been litigated so many
times, and it always comes out the same way," Weber said. "It's
divisive for these small communities."
Rollings said the four-man Trenton City Commission was
unanimous in adopting both resolutions. "We've had no negative feedback
from any city resident," he said.
Trenton Mayor Pro-Tem Willard Ryan, who made the motion to
adopt both the Ten Commandments and the old state flag, couldn't be reached for
comment. City Commissioner Harold Parrish seconded the motion but said he had no
comment.
Rollings said he didn't vote on the original issues since he
serves as a tie-breaker and the resolutions were unanimous.
"We're not saying the South is going to rise
again," Rollings said. "This is just our town's official banner."
Copyright 2002 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution