In 1918, Texas allowed women to vote in Democratic primaries for the first time. About 386,000 women registered for the July 27 primary. Black women, however, were still excluded from white Democratic primaries. (Texas State Historical Association)
At the same time, Texas Rangers, Special Rangers, and Loyalty Rangers were deployed across South Texas. They were stationed around polling places, questioned voters, and intimidated Mexican American voters. In Corpus Christi, Rangers threatened Mexican Americans with jail if they voted. In Duval County and nearby areas, Rangers were used as armed observers during the political fight involving state Sen. Archie Parr.
The intimidation had a measurable effect. In Alice, about 300 people had voted in the Democratic primary. In the November general election, after Rangers were again deployed, turnout fell to about 65 votes. The purpose was not simply to police election fraud; Rangers were also being used to discourage Mexican American participation.
This was part of a larger pattern of Ranger conduct in South Texas. In 1919, state Rep. José T. Canales brought nineteen charges against the Rangers, including murder, assault, intimidation, false imprisonment, illegal searches, and other abuses. The legislative investigation heard 83 witnesses and produced more than 1,600 pages of testimony. (Texas State Historical Association)
Canales himself was threatened. Ranger Frank Hamer told him he was “going to get hurt” if he continued criticizing the Rangers. Canales later said the investigation nearly cost him his life. (Refusing to Forget)
The Texas State Library today describes Rangers of that era as having engaged in “heavy-handed bullying of the Tejano population and worse.” (Texas State Library)
So the machinery was straightforward: expand the white electorate, exclude Black voters from the primary, and use armed state officers to intimidate Mexican American voters in South Texas.
Sure sounds like what Trump and his MAGA followers want to do today. Texas is still there, wanting to keep Texas White.
