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Georgia Gov. in a Pickle Over Flag Pledge January 21, 2003 By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN ATLANTA, Jan. 20 - Sonny Perdue is in a pickle. The new governor of Georgia has all these big ideas: a fully wired state with high-speed Internet access for all; mentors for students taking the SAT; a saber-toothed ethics commission; more money for legal defense of the indigent. But all the attention keeps coming back to same, single, stubborn issue: the state flag. Since this is partly a pickle of his own making, Governor Perdue has been uncomfortable talking about it. During his underdog campaign, he energized rural white voters by promising a referendum on the state flag, which the Legislature stripped of its large Confederate battle cross two years ago. After he was elected, Mr. Perdue, the state's first Republican governor in 130 years, went silent on the issue. But last week, the day after he was inaugurated, he broached the referendum idea again. And now, in a recent interview, Mr. Perdue said a flag vote "is the only way Georgia can move on," though he would not discuss specifics. "It's like a family secret," Mr. Perdue said. "The only way to heal this is with the sunshine of coming together and dealing with it in a very forthright approach. That's why I committed to a referendum." Many analysts say that if the question is put to voters, the Confederate cross will probably return - and so will the boycotts, the tension and the backwater image Georgia has tried so hard to bury. "If there had been a referendum in Georgia in 1860 on slavery, I'd still be picking cotton," said State Senator Vincent D. Fort, a leader of the black caucus. "The idea that a referendum will heal the divide is ludicrous." If the Confederate battle flag rises again above Georgia, it would be the first time since the civil rights movement that a Southern state has resurrected a symbol so painful to many. Some here say it could also crush the already-wobbly economy of Atlanta, the South's most prosperous city. "We can't afford any more economic losses," said Denise Majette, a newly elected Democratic congresswoman from Atlanta, who is staunchly against a referendum. "We can't have this fester." Southern heritage groups say the flag represents valor. Most blacks say it stands for slavery. Mr. Perdue, who grew up on a farm in central Georgia, will not say what he thinks. "I'm not going there," he said. "I don't want to impugn the referendum process." Yet he is well aware of the emotional impact. At his inauguration ceremony last week, he banned Confederate flags. But he could not block the airspace. All morning and afternoon, three biplanes circled the sparkling golden dome of the Georgia Capitol, towing banners in favor if the Confederate flag. "Let us vote," read one. "You promised!" Who sponsored the banners is a mystery. Two leading groups seeking a referendum, the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Heritage Preservation Association, said they did not have the money to pay for flyovers, which can cost $100 a pass. The planes flew for hours that day and returned the next. Charles Lunceford of the Heritage Preservation Association said his group was fully behind Mr. Perdue - and mobilizing against potential enemies. "Any politician who decides to go against Southern heritage is a target," Mr. Lunceford said. "People chose to move to this area. When they move to the South, they abandon where they came from. Would it be right for me to move to California and demand that they take the bear off their flag?" The flag emerged as a key issue in Mr. Perdue's upset of the incumbent governor, Roy Barnes, a Democrat. Two years ago, when Mr. Barnes sought a new flag design, Georgia was one of the last states displaying a large Confederate cross as part of its flag. Mr. Barnes proposed shrinking the symbol to a small box at the bottom. The Legislature agreed, with Mr. Barnes hailed as a skillful politician, a leading light in the Democratic Party and a possible vice-presidential candidate. Meanwhile, Georgia's rural white voters seethed. "You can't imagine the anger," said Dan Coleman, spokesman for the Georgia chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. In the campaign, Mr. Perdue, 56, a veterinarian and former state senator, promised to allow voters the choice of which flag they wanted. Rural voters turned out in record numbers and sent Mr. Barnes away. But then Mr. Perdue seemed to cool to the idea. "The flag," Mr. Perdue said, a few weeks after victory, "is not really the issue of the day." Last week, though, while posing for pictures, he abruptly shared his plans for a referendum. "I think the people of Georgia need to heal this," he said. "The best venue to do that is in a referendum." Will the old state flag be an option? Who will come up with the designs? When will it go to a vote? The governor would not say. "The importance is in those details," said Merle Black, a political scientist at Emory University in Atlanta. "At some point, Perdue will have to weigh in." A recent poll by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution indicated that two-thirds of Georgia residents want a referendum. More than 50 percent of the respondents said they thought the Confederate battle flag was a symbol of "heritage and history," while a third said it was a reminder of "oppression and racial division." Two years ago, Mississippi voters overwhelmingly supported their Confederate-themed banner in a referendum. Three years ago, leaders in South Carolina insisted that the Confederate battle flag continue to fly from the Capitol dome until protests grew to such a din that legislators decided to move it. The Atlanta business community is dreading any similar scenes. Many groups, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association, have said they will not hold a major event in a state flying the battle flag. "A referendum would be detrimental," said Bill Howard, a spokesman for the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. Last year, Atlanta lost more jobs, 62,000, than any other city in the United States. The city, which relies on tourism, transportation and technology, was punished by the bubble burst in the high-technology sector and the downturn in travel that followed the Sept. 11 attacks. "There are more important things we have to worry about right now," said Mayor Shirley Franklin of Atlanta, than "turning the state into a battleground over the Confederacy." Governor Perdue is leaning toward a nonbinding referendum, which would still need the approval of the Legislature. Republicans control the Senate, Democrats the House, but there are white Democrats from rural areas who support bringing the old flag back. And some suburban Republicans who do not. Mr. Perdue said the fact Georgia ranks last of the 50 states in SAT scores is "embarrassing" - and an issue he would like to focus on. "But you know who keeps bringing up the flag?" he said. "The press. At every stage of the game." Mr. Perdue also said he did not know who chartered the three biplanes on Inauguration Day. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/21/national/21PERD.html?ex=1044154351&ei=1&en=9c843b820c83478e HOW TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------- For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. 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