Those Colored Councilmen

Rumors about how black Republican politicians manipulated the Democratic politics are mocked by a staff writer.

The attempt of some designing persons to throw upon the four colored members from Jackson Ward, Messrs. Jackson, Griffin, Smith and Deane, the responsibility for the refusal of the Democratic Common Council to expel Mr. John R. Grimes is a dismal failure. Neither Alderman Mitchell nor Alderman Baren had anything to do with their absence.
All of them are over twenty-one years of age and were left to act in accordance with their best judgement. They simply threw the responsibility for the expulsion of Mr. Grimes upon the democratic majority.
Jackson Ward was accorded no representation upon the committee which was assigned the task of passing upon the criminality of Mr. Grimes’ acts.
Moreover, there were twenty-four members out of thirty present. Twenty-three were Democrats and it was in their power to do what they saw fit with the aforesaid individual.
All talk about undue influence exercised to secure their absence is too ridiculously absurd to be for a moment entertained.
The character of these gentlemen and their reputations in this community are too well known for such aspersions to be seriously considered.
There are radical signs, indicative of the disintegration of the Democratic Party in this city. For the Republicans to interfere at this stage would have a tendency to cause the warring elements to come together.
In our judgement, it was far better for Mr. Grimes to remain a member of the Council than for him to have been expelled with the aid of the Republicans from Jackson Ward.
Politicians of the Allan stripe who are working for self-aggrandizement and the securing of public office may not be able to see this, but all good citizens who have the welfare of the community at heart will realize the force of what we say.
When the Democratic. Good Government League has been defeated in the Democratic primaries by the manipulation of the ringsters, and a few more Col. Wm. E. Tanners slaughtered, then it may be ready to make an appeal to all the people regardless of race, color or nationality. Then it will be time enough for the contingent in this city represented by the colored members to be heard from and all classes will feel the effect of the beneficial results which have accrued by the agitation and the combination.

“Those Colored Councilmen,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed January 20, 2026, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/1670.