Victory for Confederate Symbol in Miss.

April 17 -- Mississippi voters overwhelmingly decided today to keep the Confederate battle emblem in their state flag, making it the last state in the union to wave the rebel symbol over its Statehouse.

Voters had two choices: keep the current flag, adopted in 1894, with theConfederate emblem of 13 white stars on a blue X, or adopt a newflag with 20 white stars on a blue square, to symbolize Mississippi'srole as the 20th state.

Economic Argument for Change

The Confederate symbol sparked an emotional debate. Advocates argued it is a crucial part of the state's heritage that should continue to have a prominent space in the flag.

When he looks at the flag, said Earl Faggert of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, "I see honor, duty, courage, sacrifice, loyalty and devotion."

Others saw the emblem as symbol of Mississippi's slave-holding and segregationist past.

"I see discrimination, Jim Crow laws," said Deborah Denard of the NAACP.

Georgia and South Carolina addressed similar controversies last year. In those states, politicians were able to reach a compromise. But in Mississippi, the issue was put directly to the people in today's referendum.

Some advocates for change had argued the debate over the flag was not only about history or race relations, but also about economics. George Shelton of the Mississippi Legacy Fund said the state must change its image if it wants to attract investors and tourists.

"This is our chance to show the world what progress we've made and cast some of those old myths aside," Shelton said before the vote, suggesting that the Confederate symbol and its association scares away investors.

Many Concerned With Other Issues

The drive to change the flag may have failed partly because the debate did not divide along racial lines as sharply as expected. Some African-American residents said they were not offended by the Confederate symbol, or felt officials should devote their time and state funds to more important issues. The vote on the flag cost Mississippi more than $2 million, and people wondered how the poorest state in the union can justify spending so much money to change a symbol.