Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-01-28

men whom his taxes are supporting. II
property gives suffrage, it ought justly to
give the ballot to dollar, and allow each
man to throw as many votes as he has dol
lars in the tax list. 1t should give a right Of
suffrage proportionatc to the property taxed.
But we have held that the ballot belongs
to a certain class of men who pay, not q
property tax, but a personal tax. When
that tax is paid they can vote, and not 9TH
erwise. And the question whether Miss
Smith shall be taxed on her head, and so
have the right to vote, is one altogether in
dependent Of the question whether she shall
be taxed on her property. The property
tax rests on the basis Of civilization and
good order The poll tax, with the right
to the ballot, rests on policy or expediency
Something can be said on both sides Of that
One result of giving the ballot to Miss
Smith and her sisters, would be the great
increase Of the poll tax. In this town there
are more than 1900 women over eighteen
years Of age. The poll tax on these women
would be so 400, added to the grand list
The tax this year on the grand list is plus
300 per cent. The money raised by add
ing these 1920 polls would then reach
$4,000, or six dollars to each woman Who
will pay this additional tax, which is tax
on the person, and entities to the ballot2
The larger part Of these l,2OO women are
the wives and daughters Of the 1900 men
there are in town. They are generally non
producers; 1. e., however industrious and
useful they are, they are not earning d.
rectly the money that is earned in this
place Some of them have property left
to them by their fathers or husbands; some
Of them are engaged in lucrative labor but
most Of them are useful and essential mem
bers Of our families, yet are not the money
earners and the bread-getters Of our com
munity. Some Of them could pay this tax
out Of their own earnings, but most Of them
would have to call upon their husbands or
fathers to do it for them. The tax, ia such
cases, would be equivalent to doubling or
quadruping his poll. A man with a wife
and four daughters would have to pay
$4,000 per year on the poll tax, while
his bachelor neighbor would only pay
5000. 1t would be a premium on celib-
acy, a prohibitory tariff on marriage, a
tax on the increase of population, which
society could not afford to impose. A per.
sonal tax bears with greatest severity on
the poor. 1t is the hardest tax that can be
levied. Practically, we think, if enforced
it would kill female suffrage In ordinary
times it almost kills male suffrage among
the poor, where a man must pay before he
can vote. Itwould do so entirely, did not tho
ardent politicians pay the polls Of their poor
neighbors in order to get their votes. AND
this is fruitful source Of political corrup
ton And if this personal tax was enforced
on all females over the age Of eighteen, anC
made, as among men, requisite to suffrage
the probability is, that it would destroy thu
cause which the Glastonbury sisters hav,
at heart. If the women could stand it, tn,
e men could not If the State should tal
: our wives and daughters at so much I
} head, and put them in the grand list a
D 5000 each, the joys and delights Of do
? nestle affection would be seriously modiGe,
T by the pains and sorrows of increased tax
t alton. A tax on family happiness woul,
0 be the worst of iyrannies