The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-05-01
Tho Capitation Tax.

The following is the law whose existence
we guessed yesterday. 1t is an important
one. The reading OF it will wake up not a
few voters in Richmond. The fist fact
tina: will strike them is that rs there were
only II, ITO persons in this city charged with
the capitation tax for last year, and rs a
good many of these are minors, and large
number OF them were returned delinquent.
the prospect is that very small vote will be
cast in Richmond this fall-perhaps not
eight thousand in city which cast more
than twelve thousand last November! How.
ever, The City Collector will no doubt be
glad even at this late day to receipt for this
tax, and SO the delinquent voters may yet
qualify themselves before election day.
What those will do who were omitted from
the books OF the Commissioner Of the Reye-
nue. we do not know. Perhaps Auditor
TAYLOR can invent or discover some method
of making voters out OF them. Here is the
law:
IN act TO amend and reEnact section Is o.
chapter of the Code of 1873, IN Reta-
ton TO General and Special Elections.
l. BE it enacted by the General assembly,
That section 1G, chapter s, OF the Code OF
1873, be amended and reenacted so as to
read as follows:
Section 16. The Judge to whom any bal
lot is delivered shall, upon receipt thereof,
pronounce with an audible voice the name
OF the person from whom the ballot is re-
ceiYed; and if the name OF the person is
found on the registration+book, and he pro-
duce receipt OF the proper officer for the
payment to the Stase at any time prior to
the day OF election of the capitation tax re-
quired by law for the preceding year, or on
failure to produce such receipt he shall show,
by satisfactory evidence, that the same has
been paid prior to the day Of election, or
that lie has attained the age OF twenty-one
years since the expiration of said preceding
year, and there being no objection made,
the said Judge shall, without opening said
ballot, or permitting the same to be exam
med except to ascertain whether it is a SIN
gle BALLOT, deposit the same in the ballot
box; whereupon the name of the elcctor
shall be checked on the registration-book by
one OF the judges and entered by the clerk
OF election on the poll-books. and correctly
numbered i'm accordance with the number
OF electors Heretofore recorded, and a note
made opposite thereto by writing the word
cage II he shall be permitted to vote on
account OF age as aforesaid; and the said
Judge of election shall cancel said capita
tion-tax receipt before returning it to the
voter: Provided, when registered voter
has changed his place Of residence from
one voting district to another, If he has a
certificate showing that he was duly regis
tered in his former voting district, and that
bis name has, since his removal, been
erased from the observation-disclosures Of
said voting district it shall be sufi-
Gent evidence to enable him, on pro-
ducing a receipt for the payment of the
capitation tax, or accounting for his failure
to produce such receipt as aforesaid to vote
in the district in which he resides, and his
name shall be registered on the registration
book by the registrar, it, he be present, or
by one OF the judges Of election: Provided
further, That in cities and towns contain
ing over two thousand inhabitants the name
OF such person shall only be entered by the
registrar the days named in the 9th section
OF the preceding chapter. IS
2. This act shall be in force from its pass
age. s az
fApproyed April 9. 1871