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conservative Texas now faces increasing pressure to take a jackhammer
to some of its more controversial monuments in and around the Capitol
— particularly those related to its stint on the losing side
of the Civil War. However, at least for the time being, a group
of Confederate memorials exists that is sure to provoke hysterics
from the politically correct crowd.
Of course, our state is no stranger to letting traditional conservative
themes be expressed on government property. We still have a massive
Ten Commandments carved into a granite slab on the Capitol grounds.
A gift from the Fraternal Order of Eagles, it has been here since
1961. Despite being almost seven feet tall by four feet wide, the
ACLU has somehow not discovered it.
The Boy Scouts of America supplied a scale model of the Statue of
Liberty in 1951. The inscription praises our "forefathers" —
another group on the outs with modern times — for the freedoms
we possess.
Texas also believes in flaunting its proud military history. Veterans
of the many wars and battles where Texans fought, from the Alamo
to Vietnam, are honored here. The Texan attitude toward fighting
for a cause was summed up nicely on the Alamo Memorial: God and
Texas, victory or death.
The reverence extends to those who fought in gray uniforms more
than a century ago. Confederate mementos abound in and around the
Capitol.
One large 1901 monument to Confederate heroes who "Died for State's
Rights guaranteed under the Constitution" can be found along the
Great Walk in front of the Capitol. The memorial tallies the Civil
War's cost in blood for both sides. The Confederates lost 437,000;
the Union buried 485, 216.
Another monument on the East Grounds honors Hood's Texas Brigade,
a group of Confederate army volunteers "Their ragged clothes make
no difference; the enemy never sees their backs," declared Gen.
Robert E. Lee.
The floor under the Capitol rotunda displays the seals of the six
flags under which Texas has lived: the Kingdom of Spain, the Kingdom
of France, the Republic of Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate
States of America, and the United states of America. The same six
seals appear above the main entrance.
One plaque installed in a corridor of the East Wing in 1959 displays
the Children of the Confederacy Creed:
Because we desire to perpetuate in love and honor the heroic deeds
of those who enlisted in the confederate army and upheld its flag
in four years of war, we, the children of the south, have united
together in an organization called "Children of the Confederacy,"
in which our strength, enthusiasm, and love of justice can exert
its influence. We therefore pledge ourselves to preserve pure ideals;
to honor our veterans; to study and teach the truths of history
(one of the most important of which was that the war between the
states was not a rebellion, nor was its underlying cause to sustain
slavery), and to always act in a manner that will reflect honor
upon our noble and patriotic ancestors.
Other confederate figures, some depicted in uniform, also grace
the Capitol walls. Albert Sidney Johnston, a Confederate Army
general who died at the Battle of Shiloh, gazes across the Senate
Chambers. Ironically, within his view is a memorial portrait
of former Texas state senator and U.S. Congresswoman Barbara
Jordan.
Nor is he the only Confederate that shares wall space with historic
figures from the other side of the philosophical aisle. Memorial
portraits can also be found paying tribute to such civil-rights
notables as President Lyndon Baines Johnson, Congressman Henry
B. Gonzales, and even a Yankee triple-threat activist: the suffragette,
abolitionist, temperance crusader Susan B. Anthony.
Our Capitol presents segments from all of Texas's history, including
the less attractive parts. However, two small piece of our state's
history were stripped away a year ago. It happened while our
then-governor George W. Bush was in the thick of running for
president and was under fire for supposedly being racially insensitive
for opposing a hate-crimes bill.
Our Texas Supreme Court Building had two small plaques that
dedicated it as a memorial to those who had served in the Confederacy.
One plaque bore a Confederate Battle flag and quoted Gen. Robert
E. Lee: "I rely upon Texas Regiments in all tight places, and
fear I have to call upon them too often. They have fought grandly,
nobly…." The other offending plaque bore the Great Seal
of the Confederacy and described the structure as: "Dedicated
to Texans who served in the Confederacy."
The plaques, in place since 1962, were apparently rediscovered
just in time to become an issue in the presidential election.
The NAACP, in particular, was not pleased and the Texas General
Services Commission replaced the offending commemorative inscriptions.
The first replacement plaque stated the following: "The Courts
of Texas are entrusted with providing equal justice and the
law to all persons regardless of race creed or color." The second
offered an explanation, of sorts, for the original versions:
"Because this building was built with monies from the Confederate
Pension Fund, it was, at that time, designated as a memorial
to the Texans who served in the Confederacy."
The story of the plaques' removal made the national news at
the time. What is not known yet by the national media is that
the plaque swap now faces the very real prospect of being undone.
The Texas Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans recently
filed a lawsuit (Sweeney v. Muse) on the matter.
A look at their pleadings seems to indicate that they just might
have a case. First, the group notes the decision to designate
the building as a memorial to Confederate veterans was made
by the Texas citizens in 1954 through a constructional amendment
election. The relevant language from the proposal reads: "The
first major structure erected from the State Building Fund shall
be known and designated as a memorial to the Texans who served
in the Armed Forces of the Confederate States of America, and
shall be devoted to the use and occupancy of the Supreme Court…."
The law implementing the approved amendment was even more specific,
stating the new Supreme Court Building "shall be known and properly
designated by the State Building Commission as a memorial to
the Texans who served in the Armed Services of the Confederate
States of America, and a suitable cornerstone or plaque, or
other proper means of designation, shall be integrated into
the construction of the building to effectuate this memorial
purpose."
The Texas constitutional language regarding the State Building
Fund was later repealed in 1967 after the fund had served its
purpose.
At issue is whether today's Texas officials and bureaucrats
can decide — on their own — that memorials decreed
by both voters and lawmakers of another generation can by discreetly
carted away when their existence becomes awkward.
As for my take on the topic, I have a rather unique perspective.
I was born and raised in Michigan, but have lived in Texas for
almost 20 years now. As both a proud Yankee and an honorary
Southerner, I hereby declare that the civil war is over. It's
time to allow the dead on both sides to rest in honor and peace.
Let their ancestors worry more about building our shared future
than engaging in a pointless quest to erase the past.
Put back the old memorial plaques, but leave the new one in
place that speaks of treating everybody equally before the law.
Then add a plaque that quotes Abraham Lincoln on the topic of
how the aftermath of the civil war should be resolved:
With
malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right,
as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the
work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him
who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan
— to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting
peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.
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