McMaster signs measure for monument that won't cost taxpayers

(The Center Square) — South Carolina plans to install a Robert Smalls monument on the statehouse's grounds in Columbia, but the project shouldn't cost taxpayers additional money.

Republican Gov. Henry McMaster "ceremonially" signed H. 5042 on Thursday, establishing the 11-member Robert Smalls Monument Commission, which held its first meeting this week. The group is tasked with raising private funds for the monument to Smalls.

During the Civil War, Smalls, who was born into slavery, commandeered a Confederate ship, navigating it to freedom and helping 16 Black passengers escape slavery. His pursuits are credited with helping convince President Abraham Lincoln to let Black soldiers join the Union Army.

After the war, Smalls helped found the Republican Party in South Carolina and was elected to the Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives.

"Robert Smalls' life is, without question, one of amazing and outstanding accomplishments," Solicitor General Robert D. Cook wrote in an opinion this month confirming that the commission is a state agency.

"Smalls overcame all odds including the scourge of slavery," Cook added. His biographer characterizes him as the first African-American hero of the Civil War. His service to his State and nation on behalf of the people thereof is truly exemplary."

According to research from the South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office, funding to construct the most recent monuments at the statehouse ranges from $489,000 to nearly $2.8 million when adjusted for inflation.

Previous monuments have been funded both by private donations and General Fund appropriations.

The $850,000 Strom Thurmond Monument constructed in 1999 and the $1.2 million African American History Monument constructed in 2001 were funded by private donations. However, lawmakers appropriated taxpayer money for the $250,000 Armed Forces Monument constructed in 2005 and the $500,000 SC Law Enforcement Memorial constructed in 2006.

The commission's efforts include determining the monument's proposed design and location on the 22-acre statehouse grounds. It must submit its report by Jan. 15.

"This is a South Carolina that we believe in and one that our young people deserve," state Rep. Jermaine Johnson, D-Richland, said in an announcement. "In a few short years, we will sit under the gaze of not only a South Carolinian hero but an American hero who fought for all of us."