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COLUMBIA, S.C. (Reuter) - South Carolina Gov. David Beasley went on statewide television Tuesday to back a compromise in a long debate over the Confederate flag.
As he began his live broadcast, Beasley told viewers he considered it "the single most important 15 minutes I've ever spent with you, maybe the most important moments we'll ever spend."
For decades, South Carolinians have been divided about the Confederate flag -- and in particular the one that has flown over their Statehouse since 1962.
One camp, pointing out the flag is still used by the Ku Klux Klan, decries it as a symbol of racial hatred and divisiveness that should not be associated with the state.
But a much larger group of citizens and politicians sees it as an important part of South Carolina's heritage that should not be played down.
Beasley proposed removing the Confederate flag from the Statehouse dome but displaying it on the grounds in front of and behind the capitol.
"Do we want our children to be debating the Confederate flag in 10 years?" Beasley asked. "I don't want that for my children or yours."
He said he was outraged over church burnings and other hate crimes committed this year, including the drive-by shooting of three blacks outside a rural nightclub. Two men with Klan ties have been charged in that incident.
The Republican governor criticized those who use the flag as a cover for racial bigotry -- but also who decry it as a symbol of racism.
He asked the state legislature to enact the 1997 Heritage Act, which in moving the flag from the Statehouse dome to the grounds "would rightly define it and permanently protect it."
But two other top Republicans immediately disagreed. Attorney General Charlie Condon, in a telecast right after the governor's, said bringing up the flag issue now was a "distraction" and would be "divisive."
Removing the flag would be a victory for extremists, he said, and instead proposed settling the question by a referendum.
State Sen. Glenn McConnell, who also spoke on the telecast, said touching the flag would simply placate "those who holler the loudest."
A referendum in the early 1990s showed overwhelming popular support for the Southern emblem. A bill similar to that backed by the governor passed the state Senate in 1994 but died because the House refused to consider it.