St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1879-02-15
Az EDUCATIONAL TAX.

The Constitutional Convention.
to meet in April, will be called upon
to examine the working of the cleo
ton machinery Eow in operation.
and there can he no honht that the
necessity of very material changes
will be discovered. In no respect
will there be found rs great need
iur change rs in the present
method of qualifying a voter for
casting bis ballot. The system Of
registration is founded upon the
theory that fraudulent voting is
thereby prevented. Dear expert
ence has taught the people of
Louisiana that the theory is II false
one. The political trickster. the
ballot-box stuifer and the unscrupu-
lous registrar could not have de-
vised q plan more suited to their
peculiar methods than this same
registration system. Under it the
most glaring frauds may be perpe-
trated against the sanctity of the
ballot-box. By its operation the
honest voter has seen the value If
his ballot destroyed by the intro
duction of spurious votes. and the
verdict of the majority set aside by
the disreputable practices of the
poll holders. In fact. the system
SO reeks with fraud that it has be-
come almost impossible for the par
ty in power, if it makes usS of the
facilities uil, rded by TIN. registra-
ton laws, to. be defeated mt the
polls. The people of the State need
no argument upon this point. The
practices of Warmoth and kellogg.
are fresh i'll the memory of every
citizen, and are conclusive rs to the
TACT that the opportunities for elec-
ton frauds are vastly increased un-
der the registration laws. Dead
men have been voted by thousands,
men who never had existence have
been counted for the Republican
ticket. al many Thousand white
citizens we're yearly DISTINGUISHED
because the Governors appuintee
refused to allow them a chauce to
register, by remaining away from
various parishes.
There is still another objection to
the system. It Gusts the taxpayers
SGO,UDO or $1,000 each election
year, which would be burdensome,
even if the res istration of voters ac-
complisned the object claimed for
it. Eut AS it actually encourages
election frauds, the attendant ex-
pense is ut once an oppression and
an outrage. The remedy for all
this is simple. - Let the Conven-
ton obli,erate the registration OF
voters ,iroIl AMONG tue require
ments OF tie Voting qualifications,
and III Its stead provide that each
person when he presents himself mt
the polls shall be armed with u YAK
receipt as Well Nv Lls ballot. Let
the tax Tor winch the receipt is
gwen be known rs the educational
tax, to be devoted exclusively to the
maintenance of the Tree school sys-
TEN vi the State. This tax should
b. liked vt from 81 to So 80. The
highest sum would probably be Tie
best. Frauds III the use vi the tax
receipts could he prevented by the
right of challenge ut the polls. In
tins why tue exercise of the fran
chIse would not only he silnplined.
but frauds would be prevented,
election expenses would be greatly
reduced, the honest vote of the |
State, and that only, would be cast, |
and the free schools would secure u |
iuhd which would bc ample ior |
heir maintenance Throughout the |
". r, when combin al wii:i that now !
i. he disposal of I'll. Supeiinten.-
1 =. I Public Educ .tion. !
!. is viii be emo of the most ia