Change state’s law on changing memorials

People change. Why not historical monuments and other historical designations?

In 1929, when the city of Greenwood installed a monument in the town square to honor soldiers who had fallen during World War I, few would have objected to dividing the names into two categories: “white” and “colored.” The categories remained in place as names were added from World War II.

But times have changed, attitudes have changed, people have changed. And Greenwood’s white mayor, Welborn Adams, Charles Shulze, a member of the executive committee of the American Legion Post that owns the monument, and many Greenwood residents would like to see the monument changed to reflect that.

Welborn was ready to install plaques on the monument that would have replaced the old list, placing the names in alphabetical order, black and white together. But at the last minute, he learned that a state law, which is part of the one that brought the Confederate flag down from the Statehouse dome in 2000, forbids altering historical monuments in any way without approval from state legislators.

Changing the Greenwood monument – or any other historical monument or memorial in the state – would require a two-thirds vote from the Legislature.

A bill was filed to get permission to make the change in Greenwood, but it has gone nowhere. Both Welborn and Shulze say they intend to pursue the issue, which might entail a lawsuit. But, for now, the memorial will remain unchanged.

The reluctance of the Legislature to vote on the bill involves more than just the Greenwood memorial. Some lawmakers fear it could open up a can of worms regarding Civil War monuments as well as roads, buildings and other things named after Confederate generals or segregationist politicians.

Some critics recently have started agitating to change the name of buildings at Winthrop and Clemson universities bearing the moniker of former Gov. and U.S. senator Ben “Pitchfork” Tillman, a notorious segregationist and racist.

We wouldn’t advocate wholesale changes to Civil War memorials and other place names across the state. Once you go down that road, where do you stop? Ultimately, you risk destroying part of what makes a region, a state or a city unique.

But what about local jurisdiction? The residents of Greenwood ought to have some say about one of the most prominent features of their community. So should members of the American Legion Post that owns the monument.

It also is important to note that changing statues and memorials doesn’t change history, it simply reflects a changing perspective. Tillman is a good example of someone who no longer is the revered statesman he once was.

Does he still deserve to have buildings named after him?

Still, fear that some lawmakers might try to include changing the name of Tillman Hall at Clemson into the Greenwood bill is one of the primary reasons the bill is dormant. The Legislature just isn’t ready to tackle that controversial issue.

But if lawmakers are going to take pains to retain authority over all the state’s memorials and place names, they have a responsibility to engage in this debate and explain their rationale for the law to residents statewide. Historical accuracy is one thing, but the state needs a better mechanism for changing offensive memorials and monuments.

This story was originally published April 12, 2015 at 7:23 PM with the headline "Change state’s law on changing memorials."