West Virginia’s Civil War–Era Constitution: Loyal Revolution, Confederate Counter-revolution, and the Convention of 1872

8. Race, the Fifteenth Amendment, and the Flick Amendment

C h a p t e r 8 Race, the Fifteenth Amendment, and the Flick Amendment Ever since the U.S. Congress presented the Fifteenth Amendment to the states for possible ratification, West Virginia politicians privately reckoned what the impact of black male voting numbers might have on state politics. West Virginia had been the third state, after Nevada and Louisiana, to ratify the Fifteenth Amendment. As the amendment neared complete ratification in early 1870, African American suffrage in the Mountain State became imminent, regardless of state constitutional restriction. In January 1870, a means to ascertain and quantify potential African American voting numbers appeared in the state auditor’s report that summarized collection of the 1869 capitation tax by race.1 Many Republicans counted African Americans as likely political allies. Some of Lincoln’s party opposed the idea of black suffrage on racial grounds, and others objectedwhilefellowwhiteConfederatesremaineddisfranchised.ManyDemocrats, probably most, vociferously and privately, found black suffrage objectionable. Few mustered great enthusiasm even when former Confederates gained the franchise but shared it with blacks. Political and emotional resignation of many Democrats to new franchise realities eventually played a role in some accommodation if not full acceptance. Although legislators in Wheeling generally knew about the state auditor’s report , the state citizenry did not know its contents until early February. When the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment became certain, Granville Hall projected what African American voting numbers might be, county by county, in the state. Taking the auditor’s report of capitation tax collections from white and black males over twenty-one years of age, Hall calculated the results on a graph.2 The results showed 82,316 white and 2,856 black males paying the capitation tax. Because many African Americans lacked home ownership and were mobile, Hall believed that 3,000 black males were potential West Virginia voters. Turnout at the polls would likely be much less, in the 2,000 or fewer range. 181 182 West Virginia’s Civil War–Era Constitution African Americans in reality were destined to have very little impact on contemporary state electoral results because of their small numbers. They had potential electoral effect in a few counties. Present-day readers, however, should not minimize the political impact of the idea of black suffrage on the white electorate despite the limited potential of African American influence on electoral outcome. A realistic assessment should include the political and emotional appeal of race in contemporary West Virginia politics. Racial fears had great effect on political motivation—a magnified impact far out of proportion to numerical reality. Race was a paramount issue in the Mountain State. On 31 January 1870 in the Eighth West Virginia Legislature, Delegate William Henry Harrison Flick of Pendleton County introduced in the House Joint Resolution No. 32, proposing an amendment to the constitution of the state. The resolution proposed to eliminate the restriction of the franchise to only white citizens Table 8.1 Racial Composition of West Virginia Males over Twenty-One Years of Age Who Paid Capitation Tax in 1869, by County Counties White Black Barbour 1,870 42 Berkeley 2,706 253 Boone 791 28 Braxton 1,192 12 Brooke 1,101 17 Cabell 1,286 14 Calhoun 546 3 Clay 364 — Doddridge 1,212 7 Fayette 1,191 20 Gilmer 778 3 Grant 786 47 Greenbrier 2,036 174 Hampshire 1,387 78 Hancock 949 8 Hardy 994 108 Harrison 3,086 70 Jackson 1,799 6 Jefferson 1,887 581 Kanawha 3,664 363 Lewis 1,703 29 Lincoln 1,030 — Logan 888 15 Marion 2,678 22 Marshall 2,983 19 Mason 3,162 85 McDowell 299 — Counties White Black Mercer 1,272 68 Mineral 1,292 66 Monongalia 2,597 38 Monroe 1,837 128 Morgan 885 21 Nicholas 917 10 Ohio 5,651 82 Pendleton 1,195 21 Pleasants 713 3 Pocahontas 787 50 Preston 2,828 9 Putnam 1,370 35 Raleigh 687 4 Randolph 1,024 8 Ritchie 1,672 18 Roane 1,260 3 Taylor 1,700 66 Tucker 335 6 Tyler 1,535 3 Upshur 1,567 31 Wayne 1,664 26 Webster 323 — Wetzel 1,623 1 Wirt 921 5 Wood 3,803 136 Wyoming 502 10 TOTALS 82,316 2,856 Source: Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, 5 February 1870. Race, the Fifteenth Amendment, and the Flick Amendment 183 by eliminating the word “white,” in Article 3, section 1, and...