Virginia Party Politics

Between the years 1894 to 1898, the Republican Party appeared to have been gradually eliminated from Virginia State politics.

In an attempt to regain voter support, the Republican party urged local voters to form campaigning clubs in their ward or precinct.

Charlottesville's African Americans also participated in this Republican organizational drive.

The "Lily White" Movement: A Republican Party response to being labled "the Party of the Negro"

Despite continual African-American support, the Republican party increased efforts to recover white votes through a "lily white" movement. The Republican party proclaimed that it was a white man's party and had no room to accomodate African Americans. In "WILL IT WORK," The Daily Progress questioned the feasibility and fairness of excluding African Americans from the Republican Party.

J.H. Rives, M.L. Price, and other Republican leaders wrote letters expressing "lily white" sentiments and frustrations towards the Democratic party which relentlessly continued to play the race card against the Republican party.

The African-American Republican leaders felt the full effects of the "lily white" movement when they, along with their delegation, were barred from the Republican Congressional Convention held at Luray in July, 1922. Republican Committee Chairman L.W. Cox had sent a letter to State Chairman John E. Beard requesting to delay the city convention to elect delegates to the Congressional Convention in July. R.N. Flannagan sent a letter to the Republicans of Charlottesville proposing to hold a city convention in protest of Cox's delay. The Daily Progress gave a report about the Republican meeting led by Flannagan and lists the delegates chosen. Cox's faction held their own city convention to elect Congressional Convention representatives. Four African Americans were elected. In "NEGROES AGAIN BARRED FROM G.O.P. CONVENTION," The Daily Progress reported the dismissal of the Cox delegation and the seating of Flannagan's "lily white" delegation.

Before the turn of the century Charlottesville's African Americans had been very active in the Republican party. Meeting accounts from April 10, April 14, April 20, 1896 and June 18, 1901 report extensive participation by local African Americans such as Charles E. Coles, George P. Inge and J.T.S. Taylor.

Inge also co-authored this 1901 flyer during his service as local Republican Committee Chairman.

A state-wide African-American movement protesting the disfranchisement of the 1901-1902 Constitutional Convention began in Charlottesville. On August 22, 1900, 100 African-American men from all over the state formed the Virginia Conference of Colored Men and met at the Odd Fellows' Hall "to petition against the proposed disfranchisement of the colored men of the state. The collection of African-American delegates included politicians, professors, lawyers, and reverends. The Daily Progress reported about the conference on August 20, August 22, and August 23, 1900.

The Conference of Colored Men later developed into the Virginia Educational and Industrial Association, or sometimes referred to as the Negro Educational and Industrial Association. The organization met the following year in Staunton and next in Richmond, in 1902.

A flyer surviving from 1901 suggests that, besides annual meetings, smaller local meetings were also being held.

Perhaps there were local branches of the association with individual agendas.

By the 1902 annual meeting, the purpose of the Virginia or Negro Educational and Industrial Association was to raise funds to test the legality of the new Constitution. African-American lawyer James H. Hayes from Richmond and white attorney John S. Wise from New York led the court battles. On November 14, 1902, Jones et al. v. Montague et al., seeking a writ of prohibition, and Selden et al. v. Montague et al., seeking a writ of injunction were filed in the United States Circuit Court at Richmond. The prosecution raised charges that Governor Montague, members of the registration boards of election, and 50 members of the Constitutional Convention had deprived African Americans of the right to vote and that registrars were descriminating against African-American registrants. Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court Melville W. Fuller heard the cases in Circuit Court and dismissed both suits on lack of jurisdiction. Wise and Hayes submitted an appeal to the United States Supreme Court, but the previous decision was upheld in 1904.

Charlottesville African Americans remain persistent, however. In May 1907, The Daily Progress noted in "SWELLED CITY'S VOTING LIST" how the number of African-American registrants more than doubled in the past year.

Despite obstacles and setbacks, many African Americans continued to fight against disfranchisement and maintain their right to vote.