House votes to remove statues of Confederates

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives voted 285-120 Tuesday to remove statues of ex-Confederates from the U.S. Capitol, as well as a bust of Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney, the author of an 1857 opinion declaring that Black Americans were not citizens of the United States.

If approved, Taney’s likeness would be replaced with a bust honoring Thurgood Marshall, a fellow Marylander and the first Black person to serve on the nation’s highest court.

The legislation would also remove statues of of Arkansan James Paul Clarke, North Carolinian Charles Brantley Aycock and South Carolinian John Caldwell Calhoun “from any area of the United States Capitol which is accessible to the public.”

Clarke (1854-1916), a governor and U.S. senator, reportedly said in an 1894 speech that “the people of the South looked to the Democratic Party to preserve the white standards of civilization.”

As his state’s governor, Aycock (1859-1912) advocated white supremacy. Calhoun (1782-1850), as a U.S. senator, fought efforts to limit the spread of slavery, arguing that the institution was a “positive good.”

Sixty-seven Republicans and 218 Democrats voted for the bill; 120 Republicans voted against it. Twenty-four Republicans and two Democrats opted not to vote.

Last year, similar legislation passed the House 305-113 only to die in the Senate. That time, 72 Republicans voted “yes,” 113 voted “no” and 13 were absent.

U. S. Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., who is Black, supported the measure.

“The people’s House can never truly be for the people if it is lined with tributes to those who fought to continue the enslavement of Black people in this country,” she said. “My ancestors built this building. Imagine how they would feel knowing that more than 100 years after slavery was abolished in this country we still paid homage to the very people who betrayed this country in order to keep my ancestors enslaved.”

U. S. Rep. French Hill was the only member of the all-Republican Arkansas House delegation to vote for the statues’ removal.

The lawmaker from Little Rock had supported the previous statue removal bill as well.

None of the Confederates and white supremacists facing removal are Republicans, Hill noted in a written statement.

“The individual statues subject to removal from the U.S. Capitol in this bill all happen to be former members of the Democratic party, so it’s no wonder House Democrats want them removed. The statues in the U.S. Capitol should exemplify individuals who reflect the very best of our great nation and that’s why I voted in favor of the bill today. Arkansas has already begun the process to replace its two statues with celebrated Arkansans like civil rights icon Daisy Bates and music legend Johnny Cash. However, the committee in charge of accepting these statues has not yet approved the change and for years has blocked or delayed other states’ replacements, including efforts from states to replace controversial statues in the Capitol. House Republicans continue to urge Democrats to work to reform this broken process.”

Each state is entitled to place two statues at the U.S. Capitol.

In the early 20th century, Arkansas opted to honor Clarke and Uriah M. Rose, founder of the Rose Law Firm and a former American Bar Association president.

In 2018, U. S. Rep. Rick Crawford of Jonesboro urged Gov. Asa Hutchinson and state legislators to replace them.

In 2019, Arkansas passed a law doing just that.

After a successful fundraising drive, two artists were selected earlier this month to craft the statues.

In an interview, Crawford said Arkansans took action without any prompting from House Democratic leadership.

“We had the wheels in motion, literally, years ago, to get this done and we’re almost there,” he said.

In a floor speech, U. S. Rep. Bruce Westerman of Hot Springs emphasized that Democratic majorities in the state House and Senate had championed Clarke and Rose’s statues long ago. Republican lawmakers in Arkansas, he noted, had led the efforts to replace them.

The procedure already exists to fix the problem, he said.

“Every state can follow that process. Many have, and many are,” he said.

“We don’t need a do-nothing messaging bill from Democrats. We don’t need another nanny state mandate from House Democrats, telling states what we need to do. What we need is a get-something-done attitude and real leadership, and these statues will be gone out at the Capitol,” he added.

U.S. Rep. Steve Womack of Rogers took a similar stance.

“This is fundamentally a state issue. Arkansas previously made the decision to replace our Capitol statues, and other states — not federal mandates or the whims of Speaker Pelosi — should maintain that duty,” he said. “Not lost on me is the fact that we are less than 90 days away from the new fiscal year, have yet to find bipartisan consensus on infrastructure, and are facing growing inflation and violence across the country. Yet, House Democrats continue to be more focused on advancing messaging bills and unworkable legislation.”

One of Clarke’s descendants, state Sen. Clarke Tucker, D-Little Rock, welcomed Tuesday’s vote.

“I applaud this important step in recognizing our history, learning from it, and working together to determine the best path forward in a way that values all Americans and Arkansans.”

Clarke (18541916), a governor and U.S. senator, reportedly said in an 1894 speech that “the people of the South looked to the Democratic Party to preserve the white standards of civilization.”