Page 58 - A Narrative of the History of Roanoke Virginia

New information about the history of Roanoke
Big Lick to Roanoke from 1874-Part Thirteen

By Richard Mundy

Sources:refer to New Research Sources-previously posted

Continued success and at times setbacks, particularly caused by the 1883 recession,
curtailed some of the municipal projects and a disillusioned Mayor Dunstan considers
resigning. But progress continues as well, just not as vigorous as in the previous year
and Roanoke continues on its march to success.

Much of this installment deals with discontent, derisiveness, improvements
(sometimes too little and too late but improvements nevertheless) and elections.
Some of this may be a bit boring but it needed to be told.

S. S. Brooke, ignoring problems caused by the depression, blamed E. W. Clark &
Company for the shortfall, informing readers that “certain Philadelphia parties” had
agreed to purchase the entire allotment of bonds but had failed to carry through on
their promise. The mayor, stung by the recession himself and no doubt increasingly
disillusioned with his new home, resigned five months later and went to work for a
land company in Calera, Alabama.

In the first few years of its existence, Roanoke’s municipal government was nearly
evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. In the spring of 1885, however, the
GOP lost three of its five seats. The bond funding debacle and continuing
accusations of mismanagement or malfeasance hurt all incumbents but was
especially devastating to local Republicans, since it gave Democrats a temporary
wedge issue in the Third Ward. Moreover, before the vote, GOP leaders outraged
local blacks by ignoring their request that John H. Davis be nominated for council in
the Second Ward.

Afterward the town’s African Americans bolted the party and placed S. A. Ricks on
the ballot as their black Republican nominee for city constable. Ricks, who garnered
no support from white Republicans, lost decisively in the heavily white and mostly
GOP Third Ward and polled significantly below all Republican candidates in Wards
One and Two. “The Republicans,” S. S. Brooke boasted after the split, “have lost the
only opportunity that will ever be afforded them to control municipal affairs.” The
following spring, anti-liquor party ousted two Democrats in the Second Ward but the
Republicans lost another seat in the third. Blacks, increasingly at odds with the city’s
Republican leadership, ran schoolteacher Zachariah Hunt for constable but endorsed
Democrats in the other citywide races. Hunt polled only 1 percent of the vote, but the
Democrats easily defeated the other Republican nominees. Democrat William Carr,
who had moved from West Virginia in 1883 to take a job in the Machine Shops, won
the mayor’s race.

Although the city eventually found funds to carry out all the initial infrastructure work