Move from Capitol set in stone for Arkansas dignitary

WASHINGTON Probably the only man who might be angry over James Paul Clarke's removal from the U.S. Capitol has only his stony stare to show for it.

Clarke himself would be certain to be upset over his relocation from the building where he's been a fixture for 86 years now, said an Arkansas historian who has written about the former governor and senator.

The thing is, Clarke who died in 1916 isn't saying much.

Frankly, neither is anyone else. Most Arkansans wouldn't even recognize Clarke's name.

"I couldn't tell you one thing about him," said Tom DeBlack, a history professor at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.

Clarke's marble likeness is being transferred from the first floor of the building to the new Capitol Visitors Center, a massive, underground complex connected to the Capitol.

The fiery Arkansan who once spat upon one political foe and pulled a gun on another would feel slighted by the move to his new digs, said Richard Niswonger, a Siloam Springs historian.

"He would have some harsh words about this, because he was kind of a sharp-tempered man and he spoke his mind," Niswonger said.

The Capitol's caretakers are rock-solid behind their decision to move Clarke and 23 other statues to the new center.

"This isn't anything other than rearranging the statues to make sure they're visible and they're accessible to visitors," said Eva Malecki, spokeswoman for the Architect of the Capitol.

Maybe he needs the publicity.

Clarke's is one of two statues representing Arkansas inside the Capitol. Each state may donate two statues honoring its historical or military luminaries.

Arkansas' other contribution was Uriah Rose, a charter member of the American Bar Association and founder of Little Rock's Rose Law Firm.

"Probably 97 percent of Arkansans, and I number myself among those, couldn't tell you who the two are," DeBlack said.

Even Arkansans on congressional staffs had trouble with Clarke's significance.

"I think I should know it. There's a reason I should know that," said a congressional aide who often gives tours of the Capitol.

"Clark County is named for him," said another aide.

Um, no.

"Then it's Clarksville."

No again.

"Our historical IQ is not very good, and that's not something that's unique to Arkansas," DeBlack said.

Clarke and others were selected for relocation because the 24 are among the more recent additions to the collection and they reflect the country's diversity, Malecki said.

The Clarke statue, sculpted by Pompeo Coppini, was given by the state in 1921. Rose's was donated in 1917.

Some statues, like Clarke's, were distributed through the hallways of the vast building in 1933 after National Statuary Hall became too crowded for the collection.

Rose remains in Statuary Hall, a chamber adjacent to the Capitol Rotunda.

Other pieces in the collection include recognizable figures like George Washington, from Virginia, and Huey Long, from Louisiana. They stand alongside the more obscure, like Colorado's Florence Sabin and Jacob Collamer of Vermont.

State legislatures may replace statuary, at the state's costs, with statues of prominent state residents who are deceased.

Niswonger said it may be time for the Legislature to look for a replacement for Clarke.

"James P. Clarke is a very interesting character and he has some significance, but I think it would be debatable that he's the major figure from Arkansas history that should be remembered," he said.

State officials said they are not aware of any effort to replace either statue.

Clarke won one term as governor in 1894 and was in the Senate from 1903 until his death. His peers elected him Senate president pro tempore twice.

He broke with other Democrats to support the Panama Canal treaty and was a leader in the fight to grant independence to the Philippines.

DeBlack said Clarke may have benefited from being one of few notable Arkansans worth recognition in the early years of statehood.

"He's a curious choice," DeBlack said. "It was 1928 before Joe T. Robinson really makes a splash on the national scene, so he may have been the victim of good timing."

The public's first chance to see Clarke's statue in its new location will be in early December, when the $600 million visitors center opens.

Malecki wouldn't say where in the vast facility that Clarke's statue will be located. Officials want to keep that under wraps until the opening, she said.

There's a good chance Clarke won't be in Emancipation Hall, the grand entry named in honor of the slaves who helped construct the Capitol building in the early 1800s.

"He was an avowed white supremacist," Niswonger said. "But almost every governor was for quite a long period back at that time."

Malecki said a committee that chose which statues to move to the visitors center took into consideration the historical significance of each memorialized person.

"Not all of the statues are going into Emancipation Hall," she said.