The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1868-01-11
A Remarkable Sentence.

A Remarkable Sentence.
The new Constitution for the State OF Ala
bama says =" Every male person born In
the United States. 81 years old, all who have
been naturalized or declared their intention
to become Il citizen, and who have lived in
this State six and i'm the county three months,
shall be allowed one vote each" This SEN
tcnce, though not written in any language,
and the subject of which jumps, over all
grammars, from one number to the other
seems to mean,
1. That every male person born in the
United States, and II years DID, shall be al
10 .ped one vote.
2. That all persons who have been natu-
rallied or who have declared their intention
to become citizens, and who have lived in
the State six months, and in one county
three months, will be allowed one vote
each.
If this translation is correct, females who
have declared their intention to become
citizens, and have lived in the State six
months, and in their respective counties
three months, will be allowed one vote each.
! We respectfully submit that any Constitu-
tion submitted to the people for adoption,
ought to be written in some language, and
ought to mean what it says-RGLeigh Daily
Adoertiser.
We have before Us an official copy of the
new Constitution of Alabama, from which
We make the following extract:
| Sec. 2. Every male person, born in the
United States. and every male person who
has been naturalized, or who has legally de-
clared his intention to become citizen of
the United States, twenty-one years old or
upward, who shall have resided in this State
six months next preceding the election, and
three months in the county in which he of
ters to vote, except as hereinafter provided,
shall be deemed an elector: Provided. That
no soldier, sailor or marine in the military
or naval service of the United States, shall
| hereafter acquire q residence by reason of
being stationed on duty in this State.
| 1t will be seen there is material differ
ence between the section given by the id
UertiSer and the section as it really exists
The section as the Adcertiser has it is certain
ly incorrect in several particulars, the result
no doubt of the telegraph, or of misprinting
in some office in which the proofs are care
lessly read. The section as it really exists is
precisely what it should be. 1t is not only
sensible and proper in substance, but gram
NAUTICAL in expression. There is no provision
that females shall vote, or that male citizens
shall be ALLOWED one vote each" We think
it probable that Mr. Rebel Gobright, who has
the dispatches done up to please President
johnson, is responsible for this false and rid
iculous summary of q part of the Constitution
of Alabama.
The Advertiser also says:
1.-THE new Constitution for the State of
Alabama says, all taxes levied on property
in this State, shall be assessed in exact pro-
portion to the value of such property"
In other words, mules, gin houses, hoes
and axes must be taxed like wines, watches,
diamonds and gold headed canes. From
The section in full is as follows:
Section 1. All taxes levied on property in
this State, shall be assessed in exact proper
ton to the value of such property: Pro-
vded, however That the General Assembly
may levy Poll Tax not to exceed one dol
lar and fifty cents on each Poll, which shall
lie applied exclusively in aid of the Public
School Fund. ...
We deem this an excellent provision. In
free country like this the true lue of taxa
ton is ad CGlorem, or according to value.
Specifics, as they are called, form no perma-
nent or abiding basis, and are liable to abuse.
If a citizen he wo,th one thousand dollars,
or fifty thousand dollars, no matter in what
kind Of property, let him pay accordingly.
The theory is that property must support the
government, and the strong arms of its citi-
zens must defend it. The State of Georgia
before the rebellion as well as since, adopted
the ad catorem system, and her people have
found it to work we'll for all interests.
We are especially pleased with the provis-
ion in the Alabama Constitution in relation
to poll tax. 1t is an incorrect theory that
citizen should pay certain tax on his head
for his protection by the State. Every male
citizen who bears arms is presumed to be
able to protect himself, and he is ready to
pay his poll tax, SO to speak, by his services
in the field and with his blood But the
head must be educated, and it is well to tax
1t for this purpose, We are for od calorems
as to property, because such a system can
not be abused, and because it is just in itself:
and we are for poll tax only for public
schools, because it is proper that persons as
well as property should contribute to that OBJ
ject, and because the right to levy poll tax
for all purposes, State, County and Town,
would be, as it has been, used unjustly and
progressively. .o ' 80
Our neighbor of the .4duertiser is evident
ly not well pleased with portions of the new
Constitution of Alabama We will not sup
II =
pose that our neighbor is so prejudiced
against the source from which this instru-
ment emanated that he can not do it justice;