Flag flap prompts bill on historic sites

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Decisions related to state historic sites and monuments would be made by an independent citizens' panel and not by appointed state officials under legislation considered Monday by a Senate committee.

The bill is a reaction to the January decision by Department of Natural Resources director Stephen Mahfood to permanently remove Confederate flags that had flown over the Confederate Memorial State Historic Site in Higginsville and the Fort Davidson State Historic Site in Pilot Knob.

Bruce Hillis of Dexter said the decision, which was made without public input, was politically motivated and ignored Missouri's Civil War history. Hillis, a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, told the committee the bill would help keep political concerns from impacting the historical accuracy of state historic sites.

"I think it is going to help restore the tarnished image of the Department of Natural Resources," Hillis said. "It is a department that is controversial and often dictatorial."

Hillis and other flag proponents also presented petitions containing more than 7,000 signatures from those who want the flags to be restored at the sites. The supporters wore stickers depicting the Confederate soldiers monument that sits in front of the Common Pleas Courthouse in Cape Girardeau.

State Sen. Bill Foster, R-Poplar Bluff, said Mahfood's decision showed a "lack of respect" for Missourians who are proud of their southern heritage.

"I think the flag has a lot of significance in history," Foster said.

Foster's bill would establish the State Historical Monuments, Memorials and Markers Board. The 12-member panel would be appointed by the governor and have the final say over issues affecting the state historic sites overseen by DNR. The department's director would serve as chairman of the board and cast the deciding vote in case of a tie.

Little opposition voiced

The Missouri Parks Association was the only organization to oppose the measure. Lobbyist Phil Wright said the group has no stance on the flag issue but said the board proposed by Foster would duplicate the work of the Missouri State Park Advisory Panel and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

"We would be supportive of giving those boards some teeth, but to create another board that doesn't really do anything different doesn't make sense to us," Wright said.

After the hearing, Foster said giving one of those panels the binding authority to set policy on historic sites might be the better option. The two existing boards are advisory only and have no real power.

The flag flap began when U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., called for their removal. The situation at the Missouri sites was brought to his attention after Gephardt, a presidential hopeful, blasted the state of South Carolina for flying the Confederate flag on its statehouse grounds.

A member of Gov. Bob Holden's staff learned of Gephardt's comments and broached the subject with Mahfood, who ordered the flags taken down. Holden was not involved in the decision but later said he supported it.

The bill is HB 640.

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