Tennessee panel rejects effort to remove Confederate general's bust from Capitol

A panel of Tennessee officials on Friday rejected a plan to remove a controversial statue of Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest from its perch at the state Capitol, even as officials around the country have worked to take down symbols of the Civil War.

At a meeting of the state Capitol Commission, state Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Larry Martin requested a waiver necessary for the relocation of the Forrest bust to the state museum. 

But the commission voted 7 to 5 against the motion, killing the push. The General Assembly could take up the measure separately, though a vote in the GOP-controlled legislature would be unlikely. 

Among those who voted to reject the waiver request were Secretary of State Tre Hargett and State Treasurer David Lillard and Comptroller Justin Wilson — all three are elected by the legislature.

While introducing his motion, Martin said the Capitol should be a place that represents a united Tennessee rather than a divided one.

"I believe General Forrest's bust should be relocated from the Capitol building to the state museum," he said.

More:Gov. Bill Haslam urges historical commission to take up Memphis waiver over Forrest statue

More:Nathan Bedford Forrest bust at the Tennessee Capitol: What you need to know

Opponents of the bust point to Forrest's involvement with the Ku Klux Klan — he served as their first grand wizard — and the fact that he made his fortune as a slave trader.

Defenders of the bust say it commemorates the native Tennessean's role as a general for the Confederacy and removing it would be ignoring history. They also note after leaving the Klan Forrest advocated for civil rights.

Some members of the state panel, including Tennessee Comptroller Justin Wilson, said the decision on the bust should be left up to the state legislature, and Lillard suggested Forrest's bust could be one of several figures that rotate in and out of the Capitol.

But Martin said he would not have made the motion if he didn't believe the board would be following the appropriate process.

He said a vote for relocating the bust, which has been in the Capitol since 1978, to the state museum is one for unity and civility. 

After Martin's motion, the commission had a lengthy discussion about the bust, which has come under fire in the aftermath of violence that occurred in Charlottesville, Va., last month, and other issues. 

More:In wake of Charlottesville, protests take aim at Nathan Bedford Forrest bust in Tennessee Capitol

More:Sen. Lamar Alexander joins chorus seeking removal of Nathan Bedford Forrest bust from state Capitol

Rep. Curtis Johnson said the removal of the Forrest bust could lead to a slippery slope. "Where does this stop?" he asked rhetorically.

Hargett said he was concerned the commission was undoing the work of the state's elected officials and that there hasn't been a vote about taking Confederate monuments down since putting them up.

But Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk and former Nashville Vice Mayor Howard Gentry, one of three private citizens serving on the commission, said he could recall walking through the state legislature when bathrooms there still said "colored."

"There were legislative sessions where nobody suggested to take them down until the time called for it," he said, stating that the board is in such times.

"I don't feel like punting today," he said.

Jennifer Donnals, a spokesperson for Gov. Bill Haslam, who asked the commission to take up the issue, said the governor was "very disappointed with the decision."

Lawmakers and locals residents present who supported the bust's removal said the final vote showed a lingering "good ol' boy system" that still has control in Nashville.

"This is about hate, not heritage," said Leo Lillard, co-founder of the African-American Cultural Alliance. "It's about who is still in control and taking that bust down would mean accepting blame and saying I was wrong."

Members of the state legislature's black caucus responded as well, saying they were shocked by the panel's decision after feeling confident the bust would be removed with the governor's support.

Reps. G. A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, and Harold Love, D-Nashville, said the vote sends the message "we are not there yet" in terms of racial unity and that if a vote in the legislature is where the matter must go, they are willing to take it there.

"The constitutional offers kept emphasizing that the legislature needs to act, then we need to go ahead and act," Love said. "They kept emphasizing that there have been no bills to make a motion to remove the bust. Apparently, that's what they want us to do."

Rep. Brenda Gilmore, who was not present at the meeting, tweeted her response.

"There is No Place for Hate in TN," she wrote. "We can learn history without celebrating its darkest moments within our capital."

The Capitol Commission's action came after protesters, Haslam and  Republican U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker have all called for the bust's removal from the statehouse.

A spokeswoman for Corker said that if he had a vote he would move the bust to a museum. 

Immediately after the commission's vote some Republican lawmakers hailed the commission on social media for having "common sense."

CEO of Leadership Knoxville Tammy White, who serves on the commission, said she voted against removing the bust because the panel was not presented complete historical evidence on Forrest.

"Coming here today, I presumed that everyone has done their due diligence and their research of this individual, and some of the research is a little contradictory," she said. "There's information that redeems him as an outstanding member of society, post-war, where he worked in support of the black community."

After the meeting, Martin said he believes the matter of Confederate monuments, not just the bust, will remain a significant matter in the public forum.

"I think it may be in the interest of the Capitol Commission to explore Treasurer Lillard's thoughts in regard to rotation," Martin said. "That may be a consideration down the road, but I think it is something that will continue to be discussed.

"While I'm disappointed in the vote today, I certainly have respect for the Commission and I thought we rich and good discussion both ways," he said.

The commission's decision to keep the bust in place is a stark contrast from approaches taken by state and local officials in cities around the country.

In recent weeks Confederate statues have been removed in about a dozen states, including Texas, Louisiana, Florida and North Carolina. 

Reach Joel Ebert at jebert@tennessean.com or 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29. Reporter Jordan Buie can be reached at 615-726-5970 or by email at jbuie@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter @jordanbuie.

The following is how members of the state Capitol Commission voted on the motion to seek a waiver to relocate the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Yes

Finance and Administration Commission Larry Martin; General Services Commissioner Bob Oglesby; Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau; Tennessee Historical Commission chair Reavis Mitchell; private citizen Howard Gentry

No

Secretary of State Tre Hargett; State Treasurer David Lillard; Comptroller of the Treasury Justin Wilson; Sen. Jack Johnson; Rep. Curtis Johnson; private citizen Tammy White; attorney King Rogers