▁a ▁public ▁office ▁that ▁they ▁win ▁the ▁Democratic ▁primary . ▁ ▁The ▁general ▁election ▁was ▁a ▁far ce , ▁because ▁the ▁South ▁Carolina ▁Republican ▁Party ▁never ▁seriously ▁cont ested ▁an ▁election ▁and ▁was ▁simply ▁nothing ▁more ▁than ▁a ▁patron age ▁institution . ▁ ▁The ▁party ▁was ▁also ▁increasing ly ▁becoming ▁host ile ▁to ▁black s ▁in ▁the ▁state , ▁because ▁the ▁national ▁Republican ▁Party ▁recognized ▁the ▁l ily ▁white ▁fa ction , ▁which ▁sought ▁to ▁exclude ▁black s , ▁as ▁opposed ▁to ▁the ▁Tol bert ▁black ▁and ▁tan ▁fa ction . ▁ ▁More ▁important ly ▁though ▁were ▁the ▁New ▁De al ▁policies ▁initi ated ▁by ▁President ▁Franklin ▁D . ▁Ro ose vel t , ▁which ▁had ▁the ▁effect ▁of ▁convin cing ▁black s ▁to ▁switch ▁their ▁alleg iance ▁from ▁the ▁Republican ▁Party ▁to ▁the ▁Democratic ▁Party . ▁ ▁Therefore , ▁the ▁black s ▁sought ▁participation ▁in ▁the ▁Democratic ▁prim aries , ▁but ▁were ▁ex cluded ▁in ▁the ▁Southern ▁United ▁States ▁because ▁of ▁their ▁race . ▁ ▁In ▁April ▁ 1 9 4 4 , ▁the ▁Supreme ▁Court ▁ruled ▁in ▁the ▁case ▁Smith ▁v . ▁All w right ▁that ▁white ▁prim aries ▁were ▁illegal . ▁ ▁In ▁response , ▁Governor ▁O lin ▁D . ▁John ston ▁called ▁the ▁General ▁Assembly ▁into ▁session ▁to ▁convert ▁the ▁South ▁Carolina ▁Democratic ▁Party ▁into ▁a ▁private ▁club ▁so ▁that ▁it ▁could ▁exclude ▁black s ▁from ▁its ▁prim aries . ▁ ▁John ▁Henry ▁McC ray ▁then ▁led ▁an ▁effort ▁for ▁the ▁black s ▁to ▁form ▁their ▁own ▁Democratic ▁party