FOR GREATER ROME, passage of the proposed HB 91 by Rep. Tommy Benton, R-Jefferson, would be like locking the barn door after the cows have gotten out. The measure seeks to bar local governments from exiling historical monuments they are no longer proud of, or that reflect a time they want to obscure, to out-of-the-way places.

It does not preclude such monuments being moved, say because they hinder traffic in the town square, but the measure says they must then be placed in an equally prominent location. Specifically listed as being unacceptable are museums, cemeteries or mausoleums.

Rome long ago moved its main Civil War monuments out of the middle of Broad Street downtown. Reason given at the time: traffic hazard due to cars clipping their bases while making turns. Guess where they were put? They can now be found at Myrtle Hill.

Should this measure pass it won’t force their return, which would be desirable if the city is truly serious about its downtown sales pitch based on historical vistas. New laws can’t be applied retroactively — something called ex post facto for those fond of legal lingo. Of course, even if laws can’t remedy what has been done in the past a change of heart always can.