A bronze statue of a Confederate general that for 90 years has stood as one of Florida's two contributions to the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall would be removed under new legislation in the state House.
The bill, HB 141, was filed by Rep. Jose Diaz (R-Miami) in response to complaints by civil rights activists that the statue of General Edmund Kirby Smith, is a symbol of Florida's divisive past that should be retired. The criticism surfaced in the wake of South Carolina's recent removal of a Confederate battle flag from its statehouse grounds.
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The cast iron likeness of the Confederate general is one of two statues Florida is allowed to display in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall.
"When you look at what the general stood for, he stood for the Confederacy and the Confederacy was born out of slavery and trying to make sure slavery was kept in place, and that's not something that I don't think anybody living right now believes in," said Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee, who supports the legislation.
The Smith statue, however, has its defenders, who describe it as a monument to history. Some say they wouldn't oppose its removal for reasons other than the emotions it evokes. History buff Bob Bennett, for instance, admits Smith isn't a well-known figure and could be replaced by a more famous Floridian.
"In that sense, no, I would have no problem with him being removed, but not for the reason of all of a sudden now, in 2015, we have to abandon the history of what really did happen and what was important to the people at the time," Bennett said.
Removing the Smith statue would amount to another decision by a state to remove a Confederate symbol, a trend that has been sweeping the South in the wake of June's church massacre of nine black men and women in Charleston, South Carolina. The suspected gunman, Dylann Roof, had posed with a Confederate flag in photos.
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The new legislation, filed by Diaz, would task the State Department with picking a replacement statue of a "prominent Florida citizen."
Florida's other statue in Statuary Hall is of 19th-century scientist Dr. John Gorrie, who invented the ice machine and is considered the father of refrigeration and air conditioning.