NASHVILLE - Though he calls it a "knee-jerk reaction" to the Charleston church massacre, Tennessee Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey is going along with efforts to decide whether a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest should be taken down from its perch at the state Capitol.
Ramsey and House Speaker Beth Harwell, both Republicans, wrote to ask the State Capitol Commission to look into removing the bust of Forrest, acclaimed for his genius as a Confederate general but criticized for his past as a slave trader and early leader of the Ku Klux Klan.
Earlier this week, Republican Gov. Bill Haslam said he would prefer Forrest's bust not be in the Capitol and said the commission should review the facts and decide if the likeness should be moved to a museum.
House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, wrote a letter Tuesday calling on the commission to remove Forrest's bust and replace it with one of Davy Crockett.
Symbols of the Confederacy are under new scrutiny following last week's slayings at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church by an avowed white supremacist who posted photos of himself wrapped in a Confederate flag.
In their letter, Ramsey and Harwell said "from time to time, it is appropriate for the State of Tennessee to review which Tennesseans are honored and in what location and manner. As Governor Bill Haslam has noted, there is a limited amount of space in the Tennessee State Capitol and on its grounds.
"Those honored in the Capitol should be those who accurately reflect the historic accomplishments of the Volunteer State and its people," the speakers said.
The Associated PressA bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and early leader of the Ku Klux Klan, sits inside the Capitol in Nashville.But Ramsey later released a separate letter stating he nonetheless has concerns.
"My condolences and prayers go out to all the families and communities affected by the mass murder in Charleston," Ramsey said. "It was a truly horrific and tragic event that will not and should not be forgotten. But the effort underway to remove the Nathan Bedford Forrest bust in our State Capitol strikes me as a knee-jerk reaction.
"Forrest was a native Tennessean widely recognized as one of history's greatest military commanders," Ramsey added. "I cannot and do not defend every action he took throughout his life but I couldn't do that for any man in history aside from Christ himself."
With the State Capitol Commission scheduled to meet Friday, Ramsey said, "whether the bust stays or goes, I am concerned that we are rapidly descending down the slippery slope of political correctness. Now more than ever it is important to keep in mind that those who do not remember history are condemned to repeat it."
A number of fellow Republicans have raised similar concerns while also blaming Democrats for the Civil War.
The 12-member State Capitol Commission includes Finance Commissioner Larry Martin, Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau and General Services Commissioner Bob Oglesby, all Haslam appointees. The legislatively elected state constitutional officers - Secretary of State Tre Hargett, state Treasurer David Lillard and state Comptroller Justin Wilson - are members.
So are McCormick and Sen. Jack Johnson, R-Franklin; the chairman of the Tennessee Historical Commission, Norman Hill; Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk Howard Gentry, a Metro Nashville mayoral candidate, and private citizen Helen "Tootie" Haskins. There is one vacancy.
The Tennessee Heritage Protection Act of 2013 prohibits the removal or alteration of any monument or memorial dedicated in honor of the Civil War and other wars. Lawmakers were trying to stop Memphis from changing the names of three parks honoring Confederate generals, but the city made the changes before the state bill passed.
Any recommendation about the bust from the State Capitol Commission would have to go before the Tennessee Historical Commission for a decision. That 29-member panel includes Haslam and a panel of people appointed by him plus five ex-officio members.
If lawmakers in the Republican-dominated General Assembly objected to the Historical Commission ruling, they would have to pass a law to keep Forrest's bust in the Capitol.
Contact staff writer Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550.