THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 22, 1994 TAG: 9409220464
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARGARET EDDS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DANVILLE LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
DANVILLE - Campaigning in the city that was the last capital of the Confederacy, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Oliver L. North on Wednesday paid tribute to a group that promotes the preservation of Confederate flags and memorabilia.
``It's part of the great heritage of this state of Virginia, and there's absolutely no reason for political correctness,'' North told R. Wayne Byrd, president of the Danville chapter of the Heritage Preservation Association, at an evening rally.
North referred to Byrd's T-shirt, which bore a small image of the Confederate flag and the words ``Heritage Not Hate.''
The association, with headquarters in Atlanta, states its purpose as working ``to ensure that history accurately records and reflects the deeds and ideals of Southern culture.'' Members say the group's views do not reflect racial bias, and a flier handed out Wednesday said ``cultural ignorance will undoubtedly breed hate and fear.''
But the association's goals have angered some African-American groups, which argue that Confederate symbols conjure such painful images that they should be eliminated from the public arena. Danville has been the scene of the state's most prominent debate on the subject since June 1993, when a black city councilwoman questioned flying a Confederate flag outside the publicly owned Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History.
The flag was removed, but a compromise later allowed the banner to fly on certain Confederate holidays and for educational programs. The Heritage Preservation Association has been the flag's most vocal defender in Danville.
Asked about his comment Wednesday in support of the group, North elaborated: ``I'm not a political correctness freak. I happen to believe this state has a great heritage.'' North replied ``yeah'' when asked whether he supports the association's goals.
The candidate said he likes to tell a story - ``I don't know whether it's apocryphal,'' he said - about an incident that allegedly occurred the night before Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
Listening to a concert on the South Lawn of the White House, Lincoln was struck by the beauty of a particular song and asked that the concertmaster play it again, according to North's story. Lincoln reportedly was informed that the song was ``Dixie.'' North quoted the former president as saying, ``Play it again twice because enough people have died on both sides in this war that we should all enjoy such beautiful music.''
``That's not a racial slur, that's not political incorrectness . . . (it's) paying homage to great people who died in a terrible war,'' North said.
North said he believes the ability to elevate symbols of any conflict is important for healing the wounds of war. He noted that the inability of the South Vietnamese to construct monuments to their war dead is one reason that country's wounds have been slow to heal. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
``I'm not a political correctness freak,'' Oliver L. North said in
supporting a group that preserves Confederate items.
KEYWORDS: U.S. SENATE RACE VIRGINIA CANDIDATES CAMPAIGNING
CONFEDERATE FLAG by CNB