Rep. Joe Straus
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, has sent a letter to the Texas State Preservation Board calling for the removal of the “Children of the Confederacy Creed” plaque from inside the Texas Capitol. He stated in his letter that the plaque contains “incorrect information about our history” and called for its removal “as soon as practicable.”
Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, was the first to call for removal of the plaque that hangs near his office in the Capitol. The plaque reads, in part, “We, therefore, pledge ourselves to preserve pure ideals to study and teach the truths of history (one of the most important of which is that the war between the states was not a rebellion, nor was its underlying cause to sustain slavery).”
Johnson released a statement in response to Straus’ letter:
I applaud Speaker Straus for doing the right thing by calling for the plaque’s removal. The other members of the Texas State Preservation Board are well educated, honest folks. I think once they’ve all taken the time to read the plaque and compare it to the historical record, they will come to the same conclusion Speaker Straus and I did. We still have work to do, obviously, but this is a very positive step in the right direction. With Speaker Straus’ support, I am confident the plaque will come down soon. Once again, Speaker Straus has demonstrated the kind of principled leadership for which he is now known.
