No matther whether th’ constitution follows th’ flag or not, th’ supreme coort follows th’ iliction returns.

In Dunne’s Irish-dialect voice of Mr. Dooley, the line satirizes the supposed independence of the U.S. Supreme Court by suggesting it ultimately “follows the election returns.” The joke turns on a contemporary debate—often framed as whether “the Constitution follows the flag” in newly acquired territories—only to pivot to a more cynical claim: constitutional doctrine and judicial outcomes may track political power and public opinion rather than neutral legal principle. The misspellings mimic spoken vernacular, sharpening the populist, barroom-philosopher tone while delivering a pointed critique of institutions that present themselves as above politics.