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S.C.
Statehouse Report
Sunday, Jan. 2, 2005
VIEW: http://www.statehousereport.com/columns/05.0102.morris.htm
 COMMENTARY
Find
other ways to honor public servants
By
Andy Brack
SC Statehouse Report
 JAN.
2, 2005 - - It's almost gotten to the point that you can't
drive anywhere without seeing a road, interchange, bridge
or some other piece of public infrastructure named after a
public official.
There are at least 20 buildings, gyms, schools, statues and
streets named after the late Sen. Strom Thurmond. Retiring
Sen. Fritz Hollings, who made it a practice to try not to
have things named for him while he was in office, still has
six major namesakes, including the recently renamed ACE Basin
National Wildlife Refuge.
And then there's the Earle E. Morris Jr. Alcohol and Drug
Addiction Treatment Center in Columbia and the Earle E. Morris
Jr. Highway in Pickens County.
Thirty years ago when Morris was a public official, the General
Assembly named S.C. Highway 153 in his native Pickens County
to honor his public service. He served as a state senator,
followed by statewide positions as lieutenant governor and
comptroller general.
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Earle
E. Morris Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment Center,
Columbia
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After he left state service, he became chairman of Carolina
Investors in Pickens. In November, Morris was sentenced to
44 months in prison for his role in the collapse of the Upstate
bank-like financial institution which once had holdings of
$278 million. Thousands lost their savings when the company
went bankrupt. Following bankruptcy proceedings, most of the
mom-and-pop investors were able to recover about 15 cents
on the dollar.
Currently, State Sen. Larry Martin, R-Pickens, is talking
with business owners along the Morris Highway to learn whether
they want to change the name. Why? Because they'll likely
have to spend thousands of dollars to change stationery, envelopes,
business cards and the like.
Regardless, state lawmakers should strip Morris's name from
the road, as well as the building named for him in Columbia.
To keep the name on each dishonors the state.
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In fact, state lawmakers seriously should examine the too-common
practice of naming public infrastructure for incumbent public
officials and just-retired ones. We suggest buildings, highways
and the like only be named to honor people after they've passed
away.
But the people who make these decisions, politicians, likely
won't want to do this. That's because they seem to want to
see their names emblazoned upon signage honoring their public
service. It's almost become mandatory for state officials
to expect some kind of naming honor.
Still, it's just not a good idea. Naming things for public
officials runs the continuing risk of embarrassing the state
and taxpayers, as in the Morris case. Certainly those who
named the road and center for him couldn't foresee his conviction.
But their good intentions have come back to haunt the people
of Pickens County. Imagine if you had lost your life savings
in the Carolina Investors debacle and were reminded of it
every day as you drove down a state road.
It's far safer to wait and honor public servants in some
other way while they're living. For example, if there were
a great wail to do something public, people could take up
a collection and erect a statue or have a portrait painted
of the official.
Instead of having those in the old boys' (and girls') club
of politics pat their peers on the backs by naming something
after them, perhaps the people who gave these folks the power
in the first place - - voters and taxpayers - - should be
trusted to write thank-you letters instead.
RECENT COMMENTARY
McLEMORE'S WORLD
1/2: Resolutions
in stone
The latest from cartoonist Bill McLemore:
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