[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 31 (Thursday, February 18, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E141]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           INTRODUCTION OF THE ALBERT PIKE STATUE REMOVAL ACT

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 18, 2021

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Albert Pike Statue 
Removal Act, which would require the removal of the statue of 
Confederate General Albert Pike from federal land near Judiciary Square 
in the District of Columbia, which was illegally torn down last year. 
The bill also would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to donate 
the statue to a museum or a similar entity. Last Congress, the House 
Committee on Natural Resources passed this bill by voice vote. This is 
the second in a series of statue and memorial removal bills I am 
introducing during Black History Month.
  This statue was authorized, not by the District, but by Congress in 
1898, when the District had no home rule. The statue was constructed 
using both federal and private funds. The Freemasons, of which Pike was 
a member, donated the majority of the money needed to build and install 
the statue in 1901. I oppose destroying Confederate statues, because I 
believe they should be moved to more appropriate settings, like 
museums, to avoid erasing an important part of history from which 
Americans must continue to learn.
  Pike, a Confederate general who served dishonorably and was forced to 
resign in disgrace, represents the worst of the Confederacy. Soldiers 
under his command were found to have mutilated the bodies of Union 
soldiers, and he was ultimately imprisoned after his fellow Confederate 
officers reported that he had been misappropriating funds. Adding to 
the dishonor of taking up arms against the United States, Pike 
dishonored even his Confederate military service. He certainly has 
absolutely no claim to be memorialized in the nation's capital. Even 
those who do not want Confederate statues removed will have to justify 
according Pike any honor considering his dishonorable history.
  After meeting with the Freemasons, I believe the best course of 
action is to remove the statue and find a more appropriate place for 
it. Given the statue's divisive nature, the Freemasons themselves 
support the statue's removal, as do the D.C. Mayor and the D.C. 
Council.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

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