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Silent, and wrong.
Words at the base of Ben "Pitchfork" Tillman's statue, a prominent gathering place near the State House steps, describe Tillman as a great South Carolinian who worked for peoples' rights.
In reality, he was one of the leading white supremacists of his time who worked for years to deny African Americans their rights. As S.C. governor, he advocated lynching black people. Later, he helped usher in the state's Jim Crow era.
Now, there's a movement across the country to make historical markers accurate. South Carolina already has altered the wording at the base of U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond's State House statue, adding his black daughter to the list of his four white children.
Some say adding a plaque to Tillman's statue with more complete information could provide a more truthful description of his role.
"If somebody is talking about putting up a plaque, we would be supportive," Gov. Mark Sanford said last week. "History matters. Real history ought to be accurately recorded and available so people can learn from it."
The King Day marchers will include U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, the African-American candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination who has energized black and white voters.
Obama's candidacy would horrify Tillman.
"Tillman would be in such a rage he would throw himself off the top of the State House," former state Rep. I.S. Leevy Johnson said of Obama's candidacy and expected presence on the State House grounds Monday.
Rep. Joe Neal, D-Richland, former chairman of the legislative Black Caucus, said the plaque idea is new, and he would very much like to see one.
"When it comes to history, I don't believe in trying to hide things," he said. "The question is, do we in the S.C. legislature have the moral wherewithal to do something?"
While there's no disagreement over Tillman's place in history, some leaders fear an effort to erect a plaque accurately depicting his actions could lead to a long and divisive battle.
The legislature was polarized for years by the battle to remove the Confederate flag from the State House dome.
"I wouldn't want to touch that (the plaque issue)," said state Sen. Darrell Jackson, D-Richland, and pastor of one of Columbia's largest black churches.
"There would be very tense feelings on how we do business," said Jackson, adding he would vote for the effort but not propose it.
Tillman was South Carolina's governor from 1890-1894 and U.S. senator from 1895-1918.
Coming from a family that owned slaves before the Civil War, Tillman made it his life's work to deny rights to freed African Americans. After the Civil War, he led a militia that terrorized and killed former slaves.
A charismatic speaker and force in the U.S. Senate, he traveled the nation in the early 1900s, giving speeches to tens of thousands of people, urging whites to prepare to fight if African Americans tried to claim equal rights.
In 1902, Tillman railed against President Teddy Roosevelt for having a black guest in the White House. He preached the need to keep black people out of leadership positions and kill those who sought equal rights.
When the statue was erected in 1940, references to South Carolinians, such as are on the Tillman statue, were understood to mean white South Carolinians, said University of South Carolina historian Walter Edgar.
"People who know history know that," he said. "Ben Tillman was a vicious racist, no question about that."
